Vidal Funeral Home and Crematorium

[blueeyeddevil]

Solange de Grace

She explained how the job here had truly started to grow on her, admitting that she couldn't really imagine working anywhere else. She almost wasn't sure Tristan was listening. She watched as he shuffled the papers on his desk around a bit and putting them into the folder in front of him, stopping to give one a fond sort of smile. His finger brushed over it lightly as though it were some highly important document that he had to be careful with. She glanced at him curiously, wondering what this was all about.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he told her. "I've been thinking – for a while, but since inspection in January – about the future. And… well. We’re in a place where expansion is a possibility. I mean, it’s inevitable, if we want to stay in business, but…”

His nerves were showing through again in the way he was rambling slightly. She still wasn't sure why he was so nervous. It seemed like he just wanted to discuss with her the possibility of expansion. He looked up at her now.

“I put out ads for an apprentice,” he explained, which had her rather impressed. It was certainly a good first step “Two or three, actually. I used to say, ‘In five years, I should expand’ and then it was, ‘In ten years’ or whatever… And for the first time… We’re in a position to expand. But I don’t want to unless... Well, unless I've got a partner to help me run things.”

And suddenly he was looking at her almost expectantly. Solange's eyes widened as the only possible meaning suddenly registered with her. Was he really asking this?!

“You’re technically more qualified than I am,” he told her. “If it wasn't for my field experience and your never having embalmed a body, you would be more qualified than me, since a psychology degree is the new national standard. And, well, frankly, even if that wasn't true and even if we weren't hiring anyone else at all, things only got better after you signed on. And frankly, we've been business partners unofficially for… A long time. This would just be in writing. It would mean a pay-increase – obviously – and more flexible hours and… We’ll work out the details if you say yes. But what I’m asking is: Solange, how would you feel if we were officially business partners?”

She was almost in shock. He wanted her to be his business partner?! She knew how seriously he took this business. It was everything to him. He never would have asked her unless he was completely certain that this was the move he wanted to make.

"Are you being serious," she found herself asking before she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I know you are! I'm just...I'm really surprised." She thought about it for a brief moment before looking up at him with a smile. "I know how much this business means to you. I just want you to know I feel the same way," she told him. "I would love to be your business partner."

[The Exodus]

Tristan Vidal

Solange stared at him with wide eyes. Tristan couldn’t help but think that he’d done something wrong. Maybe given his girlfriend a seizure, sent her into shock. He held still, held his breath. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe this wasn’t okay. Maybe Solange was going to tell him no. There was no taking it back, though, and no way to know for sure until she said something.

"Are you being serious?" she asked.

Then, she shook her head and Tristan’s stomach bottomed out. He nodded vigorously, defensively.

“Yes, I’m being serious—“

"I'm sorry. I know you are! I'm just...I'm really surprised," said Solange.

They both fell silent for a moment that might as well have been eternity. Tristan’s hand clenched onto his knee under the desk, keeping it from bouncing nervously and preventing him from springing to his feet to pace. It was a huge decision to make. Not just for him, but for Solange as well. He was asking for her commitment, which wasn’t something you could just blindly expect people to give. For the moment, Tristan had to factor out personal feelings; the fact that he and Solange were already committed to each other and to this place. This seemed like a logical next-step. Maybe he was rushing things.

You asked her to be your business partner, he thought. Not to marry you.

Although – truthfully – Tristan couldn’t say which would have been a bigger commitment or which one would have surprised Solange more. He considered sharing his thought – his sarcastic, inappropriate thought – out loud, but Solange looked up at him and smiled suddenly.

"I know how much this business means to you,” she said. “I just want you to know I feel the same way. I would love to be your business partner."

A smile so large Tristan could scarcely contain it stretched his mouth to the limit.

“You’re serious?” he asked, echoing Solange’s earlier tone of skepticism. “You’re serious!”

He laughed a little. Why had he been so worried? Of course Solange was going to say “yes”. She loved this place as much as he did, loved their line of work. Like she said, it was the job she’d always been meant to do. Why had he – even for a second – doubted that?

Everyone says never to go into business with the person you’re dating. Everyone warns about financial fall-out and personal business mingling with official business. What nobody tells you is that there is no feeling more rewarding than knowing that the person you care about most in the world is as passionate about the things that you love as you are. As Tristan pulled out the new contract and slid it across the table to Solange, he figured everything else – all the things Laurence and his financial planner told him could go wrong – would sort themselves out in due time.

“This is just a rough draft. You tell me what terms you want to work on. And we’ll come to an agreement. Just look over it whenever you get the chance. A pleasure doing business with you, ” Tristan said as formally as he could. Then he stood; a little smirk-like grin tugged at his lips. “And now that work is over for the night… I think your boyfriend will probably want to take you out to celebrate your promotion. That is… If you aren’t totally sick of spending time with me for the day.”

[blueeyeddevil]

Solange de Grace

A year ago you couldn't have paid her enough to help run this funeral home. A year ago she'd been under the assumption that this would just be a way for her to earn some money while she looked for another job and made sure htat Tristan was doing well, and once she had all that under control she would leave this place behind. But then she'd started putting out less and less resumes till finally she didn't give out any at all. Now here she was dating the man that she'd bitted heads with so much before...and preparing to go into business with him.

A mile wide grin spread across his lips, making her smile right back at him. “This is just a rough draft. You tell me what terms you want to work on. And we’ll come to an agreement. Just look over it whenever you get the chance. A pleasure doing business with you, ” he said in an overly formal sort of voice.

She laughed a little, rolling her eyes with a grin. "The pleasure is all mine, Monsieur Vidal," she said in the same 'business' voice. She reached and gave his hand a firm shake to complete the atmosphere.

“And now that work is over for the night… I think your boyfriend will probably want to take you out to celebrate your promotion. That is… If you aren’t totally sick of spending time with me for the day.” he said.

Solange moved around the desk, wrapping her arms around his waist and standing on her tip toes to give him a warm kiss. She let her hands come to rest on his chest and she gazed up at him with a gleam in her eyes.

"I doubt I could get sick of spending time with you," she told him before her smile turned a little teasing. "But it's probably best if my boyfriend doesn't see me kissing my boss."

END SCENE