28 Blind Dates: After the Costumes (Part 35)

The Business Trip – Day 3 (1) 

Merlin is up working on some complex coding when Jalisa approaches him with a suggestion.

Jalisa: Let’s go out to eat today.

Merlin: No, I’ll cook. I just need to work on this one line of code.

Jalisa: But I want meat and some authentic Mt. Komorebi food, Merlin! Can you cook any of the local dishes?

Merlin: No

Jalisa: Then let’s go out.

Merlin: I just finished paying our monthly bills, Jalisa.  You know what the total was? It was § 11,500. We’re spending too much money.

Jalisa: One measly meal out isn’t going to break us.

Merlin: It will if we keep spending money as soon as we make it. We need to secure a sound financial future for the triplets, and we can’t do that if we keep spending money on unnecessary things…like your daily stop at the coffee vendor. Why not just brew your own coffee at home? And then there’s the kids’ tuition –

Jalisa: *angered* Not the tuition again, Merlin! I thought you wanted what was best for the triplets. So you want to secure their financial future by sending them to a sh*tty school? What sense does that make?

Merlin: Newcrest has some of the best public schools in the country. You’re a product of the Newcrest school system. I went to public school, too.  We both turned out perfectly fine. Why can’t they?

Jalisa: Are you serious right now? Even the best public school doesn’t hold a candle to a top-of-the-line private school. And this isn’t about that, Merlin. This is about you being too cheap to treat your family to a nice meal out. We’re on vacation, for Watcher’s sake. Isn’t that what vacation is about?

Merlin: Correction – you’re on vacation. The triplets are on vacation. I’m out here to make money, remember? This was supposed to be a business trip.

Me-Me can overhear her parents arguing from the bathroom. She remains there, afraid to leave until the argument begins to die down.

Jalisa: Fine! You stay here and eat leftovers, but the triplets are I will enjoy our vacation and go out to eat. But don’t worry – I’ll only spend my money because it seems you’ve forgotten that I work too! *leaves the room*

Me-Me quickly walks through her parents’ room to the one she’s sharing with her siblings.

(NOTE: This argument is long overdue – ATC Part 2)

Jay and Lia pick up on their sister’s sad mood right away.

Jamelia: What’s wrong?

Melisa: Mommy and daddy are fighting. I think they might get a di…a div – a break-up.

Jamelia: You mean a divorce?

Melisa: Yeah

Jalin: What’s a divorce?

Jamelia: It’s when your parents live in different houses, and you only go visit your dad on the weekends.

Jalin: How do you know?

Jamelia: I saw it once on one of the stories that Nanny Brock used to watch.

Melisa: I don’t want mommy and daddy to live in different houses.

Jalin: Me either. I want to see daddy every day.

Merlin feels terrible about his part in the argument with Jalisa. He knows he overreacted because of the bills and the stress from trying to please his client. She’s right – one meal out won’t break their finances, but not going might break their relationship. So he finds her out in the courtyard.

Merlin: I’m sorry, babe. And you’re right – I need to stop bringing up the triplets tuition. We agreed that private school is best and I’ll try to remember that from now on.

Jalisa: It’s okay, Merlin. But you can’t try to run our family like you do your company.

Merlin: I know. My family didn’t have much money when I was growing up. So I sometimes get scared that the money will run out and we’ll have to live as we did during my childhood.

Jalisa: That’s not going to happen. We both work great jobs, and we’ve saved up a lot of money.

Merlin: You’re right.

Jalisa: But, I’ll buy a coffee pot if that’ll make you feel better. Eight simoleons a day on coffee is a lot.

Merlin: Eight? I thought it was only four! *catches himself* Anyway, let me make it up to you. I’ll treat us all to a nice meal out. Okay?

Jalisa: Okay. I love you, Merlin.

Merlin: I love you too, Jalisa.

BDC: After the Costumes Summaries | read from the beginning

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