11 Making A Choice 1

The next day, Alan went to the bank.

He went in, presented his plan and waited expectantly for the answer.

"Loan denied. Good day." Just like that the loan officer stood and left the room.

Alan was shocked. "My one week of experience and business plan I created in one day didn't convince the bank?"

The system remained silent.

Alan coughed, "Well, in any case, I gave it a shot system. Now, time to look at getting a job elsewhere."

"Host, please endeavor to become a cafe owner. Work hard Host."

Alan sighed. He didn't expect the system to change its mind. He also didn't really expect the bank to loan him money. He just felt like it was better to do something than nothing.

As he sighed, his phone started ringing. Another unfamiliar number. He ignored it.

It rang again. Same number. He ignored it and blocked the number.

A minute passed as he tried to flag down a cab. His phone began ringing again.

He stared at it in fury. "Did someone sell my number to a scam company or something?"

He gave in and picked up the phone. "Listen up, I'm not interested in whatever you're selling, so bug off!"

He panted as he finished shouting.

Silence ruled on the other end of the line for a second before there was an awkward cough.

"This is Tom, your customer from the cafe. I'm not trying to sell you anything."

Alan paused for a moment before clearing his throat. "Of course, Tom, what can I do for you?"

Alan decided to pretend he hadn't shouted.

Tom played along, finding it easier than pointing out Alan's mistake. "Well, I was calling to figure out what exactly happened. Why were you fired?"

Alan hesitated before going with the excuse he'd given the customer. "I have rules when serving customers. They're personal rules based on my own morals. One of them is that I can only serve a customer the ultima-" He cut off coughing. "I mean, one is that I can only serve a customer my coffee once every six hours."

Tom was baffled. He'd heard the story from John, but he didn't really believe it. "Why couldn't you just make an exception? My daily caffeination--" He broke off coughing. "I mean, your income depended on that job didn't it?"

Alan only sighed. "Rules are rules." In his head he cursed the system for his misfortune once more.

"Hey you can't just brush this off with a simple 'rules are rules'. What's your next step? Are you working at a new cafe?"

Alan shook his head. He wasn't sure what answer to give.

"Host, a friendly reminder, your customer can't actually see you shaking your head over the phone."

Alan's mouth hung open, before he shut it with an audible clack as he ground his teeth. He thought to himself, "Thank you for that reminder system. I am aware that he can't see me."

"System is just making sure Host. Host has demonstrated obliviousness before."

Alan ignored the system and responded to Tom who was still waiting for an answer.

"I'm not working anywhere at the moment. I'm not sure what I'll do going forward yet." He didn't want to tell his customer that he'd just been denied a bank loan.

"That's not acceptable!" Tom exclaimed before coughing to cover up his indignation. "I mean, you're young, you can't let yourself be stopped by such a small setback. How about I introduce you to a cafe in my building?"

Tom waited in anticipation, excited at the idea that he'd be able to have that coffee again whenever he wanted.

Alan hesitated, but finally said, "No. I don't think so. My rules are going to get in the way of a barista job anywhere I work."

Tom nearly screamed in frustration. "Well, you can't give up on your coffee making career!"

Alan noticed at this point that something was strange about this conversation. Thinking about it, he realized that Tom must be craving his coffee. An idea popped into his head.

He sighed audibly on the phone. "There's nothing I can do. I just left the bank. I tried to get a loan to start my own cafe. Sadly, they refused to lend to me."

Tom grew silent on the other end of the line. "You're trying to start your own cafe?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Alan said. "I thought that if I ran my own cafe no one would be able to fire me for enforcing my rules."

Tom grew thoughtful. "This is a good opportunity," He thought. "I can rent him a space in my building and have his coffee whenever I want! Not to mention, it gives me leverage to be his landlord; I can make him break his rule and serve me coffee more often." He found himself chuckling as he thought of this.

"Tom?" Alan said in confusion. "What's that sound?"

Tom hurriedly stopped his chuckling.

"I just thought of an idea," Tom exclaimed excitedly. "How about I rent you a space in my office building?"

Alan hesitated. This was a pretty good opportunity. He'd be able to run his own cafe, and build up experience and funds. However, he wouldn't be able to advance further in the missions. He didn't think he could be successful in the long term relying only on his ultimate cup of joe.

"Am I going to do this?" He thought to himself.