Page 4 of Apple of My Eye

Chapter Four

Nick

I spend my last day in San Francisco doing my favorite things.

Isaac grumbles but agrees to come hiking with me, through the sandy hills to the rocky dunes of the headlands. We pause at the top to take in the view, listening to the waves crash on the rocks below.

‘You’ll miss, like, eight games of pickup,’ Isaac complains, ‘we’ll have to find a replacement.’

‘It’s only two months,’ I say as we head back down the hill towards the parking lot. I level a gaze at him. ‘My spot better be available in October. Don’t give it away.’

We meet Julian and Saber at Hogfish for brunch.

All of us order their famous XL breakfast burrito and every single one of us finishes it.

We lean back in the chairs and sit as our food digests, shooting the shit about the latest round of NBA trades.

My mind wanders as they delve deeper into the world of Bill Simmons and I let my gaze linger on the organized chaos of weekend brunch in San Francisco.

There’s a pit in my stomach because I have to leave—I like my routine.

I love knowing what to expect. It means I can prepare, which means I’m less likely to fail.

We meet up in the afternoon for drinks. This time everyone in the fantasy league is there. Isaac makes no less than six jokes at my expense before Julian pulls me aside to grab me a goodbye beer.

‘He’s going to miss you.’ He jerks his head at Isaac.

‘Yeah, I figured as much when he described me arriving at the farm with my shiny shoes and Patagonia vest and he laughed so hard he snorted beer out of his nose. I know that he was really lamenting how much my presence means to him and how lost he’ll be with me gone.’

Julian laughs loudly and I see the bartender glance at him out of the corner of her eyes. ‘She’s checking you out.’ I nod towards her. Julian looks her way, and she blushes, returning her gaze to the glass she’s polishing to perfection.

I nudge him in her direction and he weaves his way towards the bar with a practiced swagger. Julian is the quietest of the three of us but doesn’t need to talk to command attention.

I stare at my friends, congregated at a back table, laughing with each other, every now and then checking the score of various games on their phones.

Sure, they fall into the stereotype of San Francisco just as much as I do, with short-sleeved collared shirts and jeans cuffed above the ankle, crisp white sneakers and longer hair than used to be fashionable, but they’re good people.

But as much as I’ll miss watching games together at my neighborhood Chelsea bar, I’m excited for some fresh air, I’m happy I get a little taste of adventure before I start my adult life.

Before I launch myself even deeper into the rat race of climbing the ladder, getting promotions, negotiating for raises, and switching from job to job to get even more leverage than before.

A low-pressure environment before I fully dive into a cutthroat career sounds like just what I need.

This is exactly what I tell my mom when we have dinner (apart from the pressure to be successful part, she hates when I complain about that and always reminds me that I’m already successful).

‘Who knows,’ I say, ‘maybe the fresh air will even help my sleep.’

‘You’re still having trouble sleeping?’ She looks at me. ‘You didn’t tell me that.’

Shit. ‘Oh, it’s gotten way better,’ I lie. ‘Don’t worry about me.’

‘Ronnie’s having trouble sleeping now too,’ Aunt Martha chimes in, ‘because he doesn’t have a job and all.’

I nod. I’m not sure that’s why he isn’t sleeping , I think, but I keep my mouth shut.

‘Are you sure that ’s his problem?’ my mom asks, squinting at Martha. We all know what she’s intimating—Ronnie loves to party. ‘Nicky, maybe you’ll be so exhausted after putting in all that hard work that you’ll be able to sleep just fine.’

‘It’s just a farm up north,’ I say. ‘I don’t know how much hard work it will be.’ But I’m pleased and she knows it. I love that she knows I work hard. She reaches across the table, her arm hovering over the remnants of her famous carbonara and squeezes my cheek.

‘Maybe you’ll meet a girl up there, Nicky,’ Aunt Martha says, sipping her wine with a devious grin.

My mother gasps. ‘Don’t you say that!’ She whacks Martha on the side of her arm. ‘Do not do that, Nicky. You meet a nice girl here .’

I laugh, throwing up my hands in mock surrender. ‘You’ve got nothing to worry about,’ I reassure her.

I’m loading the dishes into the dishwasher when I hear Aunt Martha whisper triumphantly to my mom, ‘See? I told you my Ronnie was the ladies’ man in our family.’

I’m sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to start boarding about to close my computer and slide it in my bag when I hear the ding of an email landing in my inbox.

Comprehensive Marketing Plan—GRADED

I click straight into the attached file.

I can’t risk anything jeopardizing my graduation.

I haven’t worked this hard for so long to let anything derail me.

I click into the outline of how I plan to bring the farm back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Based on research of the surrounding area, there’s no other farms leveraging social media.

This seemed so crazy to me that I also asked Julian to see if he could find anything—nope.

Everyone out there is still living in the 2000s.

I plan to hinge my marketing strategy around TikTok and Instagram. Ten steps over three months:

Observe and document, start to create content showcasing the morality of the farm (think granola grandparents, organic rocking chairs, all natural all day). ‘Granola grandparents’, Nick—really? my professor has commented in the margin.

Based on the rough numbers I was given, increase cash flow through stockpiling goods that can be sold regardless of time of harvest. Apple cider vinegar, apple butter, etc.

Interactive content teasers and profiles go live in preparation for soft launch. ‘Can you guess where this is?’ ‘Can you guess the name of ___ farm animal?’ Another comment from my professor: Have you confirmed they have animals?

Soft launch via TikTok and Instagram + hard launch at farmers’ markets. Observe competition, red room to spot for weaknesses in strategy

Gauge interest in product and prepare owners to capitalize on harvest.

Continue to sell in person and open online store with generated buzz from TikTok and Instagram.

Take increase in interest and boosted sales to whatever financial institution owner is leveraged with and refinance.

Invest capital in online storefront.

Create TikTok or Instagram challenge with ‘A Day in the Life’ as a prize to continue to generate buzz. I don’t know who you think your audience is, but most people aren’t in a hurry to sign up for a day of free labor.

Transfer ownership of social media accounts.

It is clear to me from this plan that you have never been to a working farm. Don’t prove to me that sending you was a mistake. Best of luck – Professor Adams.