Page 28 of The Incredible Kindness of Paper
“Zac, I really appreciate this, but I can’t accept it. Not when I can’t even pay my rent, which the landlord just informed us is increasing. And I’m not asking for help from you, money-wise,” she said, cutting him off when he opened his mouth probably to offer precisely that. “I want to do this on my own. Maybe it’s a cliché, but I’m a girl from a small town in Kansas, and I want to be able to take care of myself in New York.”
“That’s fair,” Zac said. “And I admire that, although you should still keep the brooch, because I want you to have it. But do you want to tell me what’s going on?” He sat on her bed and patted the mattress beside him.
Chloe smiled. This is what Becca didn’t get about Zac. He might be a little showy about his wealth, but it wasn’t the only thing that defined him.
“As you know, I’ve been applying to the few guidance counselor jobsthat are open,” Chloe said. “But even if I got one, they wouldn’t start until August or so. I’m going to try to pick up whatever odd jobs here and there I can get, but most gig positions require a bike or car, and I have neither of those. Plus, I don’t think I’d want to ride a bike on crowded Manhattan streets anyway.”
“Good point.” Zac’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out. “Hmm. My nemesis is up to something at work. But go on. I can take care of it while you talk. I’m listening.”
Okay, this was something Chloedidn’tlike about Zac. He was always connected to the office. But she couldn’t really complain. They were still getting to know each other, and it was early in their not-yet-a-relationship. You didn’t point out stuff like that until you were officially, exclusively a couple. And Chloe certainly wasn’t ready to take that step.
So while he scrolled through his company Slack chat, Chloe made herself more comfortable on her bed and kept talking, not sure how much he was really hearing.
“So I should be working,” she said. “But I’m torn about it, because these paper roses are starting to strike a chord with people. They make me so much happier than if I were to be a part-time nanny or work in a store. Did you know that, today, another volunteer showed up in Central Park? Not just the flight attendant sisters, Bonnie and Mary, but also Ricky, an aspiring pharmacist who is also a driver. He said one of his passengers had left a rose in his car that inspired him. He, Bonnie, and Mary all brought their own card tables and their own yellow origami paper, and we folded flowers together for hours. They wanted to contribute to the cause.”
“A cause, huh?” Zac looked up from his phone, forehead wrinkled. “You know, I’ve seen some videos on social media about the paper roses. And I think there was a mention of them inTime OutorBuzzFeedor one of those sites. You’re getting popular, Chloe… But acause.Wow. Who’d have thought?”
Chloe bristled. Was he surprised that her “cute project” had grown into something meaningful?
But then she chastised herself for being ungenerous. He was impressed, and that was a positive thing. Just because the landlord’s letter had put Chloe in a bad mood didn’t mean Zac deserved to be on the receiving end of it.
“You should monetize,” Zac said.
“What?” She propped herself up on her elbow on her bed.
“People like your flowers. And you need rent money. You should charge for them.”
Chloe shook her head. “I don’t want to make people pay when I’m trying to do something nice for them.”
“Then let’s get advertisers to buy space on your origami paper,” Zac said, as he typed on his phone. He didn’t like being inefficient, so he multi-tasked whenever he could.
“No, the paper flowers are supposed to be like a little gift,” Chloe said. “Something kind in exchange for nothing, in a world where there’s a price on everything else.”
But Zac wasn’t listening to her. One part of his brain was focused on whatever he was typing, and the other part was riffing on the idea of sponsorship deals. “Oh, I’ve got it,” he said. “It could be like,You’re going to have a great day!And underneath, it says,Brought to you by Carlson A+ Mechanics.
“Or, they could print coupon codes on your origami paper, you know? Didn’t you say you liked leaving the flowers in ice cream shops? I bet they’d love to run ads with you. But really, all sorts of companies would want to get in on this, Chloe. The goodwill alone that their names would be associated with would be worth a ton…”
“Zac!”
“Huh?”
“I don’t want to monetize.”
He sighed. “Look, I understand your initial instincts against it. But let me explain where I’m coming from, and maybe you’ll see why I believe in this, and inyou, okay?”
Chloe exhaled loudly, too, and flopped flat on her bed.
But Zac stopped typing and was lowering himself down across from her, which meant this was a big deal. He cared, and he was trying.
“Okay,” she said. “Tell me.”
Zac took her hands in his. “Growing up, my parents were very demanding. They were both professionals—my mom was an economist and my dad was a bigwig at a bank—and they expected me and my siblings to followin their footsteps. They sent us to Eton, then Oxford and Cambridge, and we were always aware of which shiny badges we were to collect along the way. Playing polo, rowing crew, getting invitations to the most influential charity galas? Yes. Playing poker, acting in the school theater, or doing actual volunteer work in soup kitchens instead of attending fancy fundraising parties? No.
“I resented it, as you can imagine most children would. I didn’t want to be my parents. That’s part of the reason I’m here in New York. Being in finance in London would mean eternally living under my parents’ shadow. I could never make a name for myself; I would always be Edwin and Lenora Billings’s eldest son.
“Yet, my parents were not entirely wrong in how they raised us. Now that I’m in New York and no one knows who my father is, I have had to rely on myself. And what I have found is that thereisreal-world value in those shiny markers of success I collected over the years. All the awards I won along the way mean something. Oxford on my résumé opens doors.
“This paper rose project of yours, Chloe… It has value. You say you don’t want to take just any job. Well, seizethisthen. I don’t want you to let this opportunity go by when something beautiful you created is in the public eye. It could lead to other things. You never know. So make it a big deal. Get publicity, monetize, make people know your name.”
