Will You?

You waited to ask her until you were sure. There were many before her who seemed perfect on paper, but were train wrecks in real life. Some people talk the talk very well but don’t walk the walk with any authority, letting life happen to them instead of being in the driver’s seat of their existence. You are not one of those people and neither is she. There is no time in the day when you are not aware of what is going on in your head, witnessing your own thoughts, focusing on ideas you want to grow.

You planned for what you know is your destiny. You saved and pinched pennies, forgone vacations and trips, amused yourself with used books and poetry. There were thin towels in your bathroom, no-name branded jeans in your closet and juicer in your kitchen that was in your apartment when you moved in. You resisted the temptation for immediate gratification by staying mindful, never allowing your self to indulge your wild side, to let loose and not worry about consequences. You weren’t jealous of people who lived with abandon. You are a farmer, a gardener of ideations which will flourish and care for you. You know the future will be better than any lack in your present.

You can’t believe it is finally happening, that everything you have been waiting for is coming to fruition. It feels surreal but it is reality. You are making moves in your life that make sense. Putting your own happiness before others has made you a calm person, someone who also doesn’t make other people’s unhappiness your responsibility either. This credo has made you businessman you are, compassionate yet shrewd, honest but smart.

You feel like you have been an adult your whole life. Childhood games and toys never interested you much. You were outside, breathing fresh air, watching wind meet trees, hearing birds and bugs compete for air space. Silliness always seemed to precede injury for children so you opted for words and numbers, learning about the stock market and great authors before you had even been alive for a decade. Now, the adult world will be yours. You will join the ranks of the homeowners with health insurance, with the credited chosen.

It feels right to you to want to have it all. You deserve to ask for what you want. What is the worst that can happen? If the Universe says no, it only means that you must work harder, learn more and believe more deeply. God wants you to be happy, you are sure of it. God loves you and you know it. It is natural for a person to want to advance in life, to prosper. And now, you will have a partner, if she says ‘Yes’. You won’t know until you ask.

***

I can’t believe it might actually be happening. He and I have known each other for just the right amount of time. I know how he reacts to rude waiter and cloudy days, how he embraces being outside with a religious fervor, how he gives everything he has to everything he does. I never thought about him asking me. It was my friends who pointed out the direction it looked like things were going. He and I are to meet tonight at a gorgeous hotel Downtown. We have had dinners at stunning places before but my friends are right- this dinner is different.

I don’t know what to wear. I don’t know what I will say. I don’t know how I am going to stay calm. I have waited for a partner for so long, someone I could really and truly team up with. There have been others who have asked me to have their backs but hey were not right for me. I want someone there for the good times and the bad, someone who will stand by me in sickness and in health. When things are prosperous and thriving, I want to know the same person would be by side even if we were dirt poor with no nickels to rub together. God, I have been waiting for this for so long.

It makes sense for he and I to partner up. He knows it, too. It’s like we were created to be together. We even each other out, like numbers on a balance sheet. We will create an empire, we will begin our legacy by acknowledging what we have jointly, what we know exists within the other. We will be unstoppable, together, of this I am certain. Am I ready for this, though, that is the question. There are so many things I still want to do. I will not be able to make decisions on my own if I say yes to him, I won’t be the only one in charge of my life. Partnering with someone means giving all that up. Am I ready to give up my freedom, my autonomy?

It has been kind of fantastic being on my own thus far in my life, but how great was it, really? Like celebrating small victories, alone in my office, a whole bottle of champagne for myself. That made me feel like I was a woman being strong in her sense of self, a woman who didn’t need anyone else’s permission to celebrate anything. Now I see myself as a successful businesswoman who worked hard and moved ahead because of her strong work ethic. But I also know that on the other side of those parties for one were hangovers for one. There were work mornings with headaches, for one. No one else knew I had prospered, just me, alone. And now I am coming to believe that maybe it is time for one to become two, perhaps two become three or four, who knows?

When or if he asks, I will say yes. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We will be a solid alliance, an unbreakable unit. It is time to become part of a real enterprise. It is time.

***

You got to the restaurant before she did to ensure your nerves didn’t get the better of you. There is no backing out now. The future is now, you tell yourself. It’s the right move, you can feel it in your bones. She has everything you have been looking for in a partner. She is strong where you are weak, focused where you are scattered. Together, you will be unstoppable. You see her walk towards your table, looking poised and confident, professional and approachable. You kiss her on the cheek before you sit down for drinks and pre-ordered appetizers. This is it, you realize. Now or never.

“Lanie,” you begin,” we have known each for long enough that I feel like there are no surprises with you. You are exactly who you present yourself to be. You are honest, talented and kind. You are exactly what I want in my life to balance me out. I have thought about this long and hard and I have a very serious question to ask you,” you say, feeling more confident with each word.

“Yes?” she asks, with a twinkle in her eye.

“Lanie, will you go into business with me, merging our two real estate companies into one- will you be my equal, my partner, will you, Lanie?”

She looked like she was going to cry but didn’t. She said yes, that she was hoping you would ask, that going into business together made perfect sense and that she was so delighted by your proposal. You both signed the paperwork, becoming equal shareholders in a new business and went home to your separate houses, secure in the knowledge that both your careers were going to take off, that becoming business partners was the perfect move for you both. The future lay wide open for you both, an unbreakable team.