Page 24 of The Dating Prohibition

Kendra dragged herself out of bed the next day, barely opening her eyes as she shuffled to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

As she settled into her morning routine of shower, skincare, and coffee, she thought about the past few days, her night with

BJ. “Fuck,” she whispered to herself, “we’re gonna have to talk about it.”

A sense of dread thumped in the pit of her stomach, building with anticipation and igniting her intrusive thoughts. Maybe I should book some time with my therapist. On the other hand, hope bloomed in her chest with the thought of possibilities. Of what could be. A cynical voice in her

brain repeatedly shot those hopes down, but they continued to bloom.

“Just maybe,” she muttered. Her phone rang, and the face of her favorite aunt flashed on her screen. Accepting the call on

speaker as she poured herself a cup of coffee, she smiled wide. “Hey, Auntie Mack, how are you?”

“That depends... How’s my favorite niece?”

Kendra giggled. “I’m your only niece.”

“Well, be that as it may, if I had another one, you’d still be my favorite.” The sound of her soothing voice made Kendra picture her aunt’s playful smile.

“You can’t possibly know that.”

“Oh, trust me, I do,” she chuckled. “I actually was calling to check on you though.”

“Me?” Kendra asked. She wondered which family members had been having discussions about her outside of the family group chat.

Probably Mom. But if she was the culprit, the conversation could be about anything ranging from her lack of relationship, her foolish leap

into the food industry, her nomadic lifestyle, or her decision to return home.

“Yes, I understand that things don’t seem to be going your way with your business plan.” Auntie Mack made the statement, but

she waited as if she’d asked a question.

“Oh.” Kendra’s shoulders slumped as she cradled her mug in her hands and leaned her elbows against the kitchen counter. “Yeah,

it could be going better. I can’t seem to find the support that I need. I just don’t think...”

“You don’t think what? Because I want you to be careful what you speak out into existence. Remember, what you put out into

the universe is what’s going to come back to you. So if you don’t believe in yourself, who else is going to believe in you?”

her sage aunt questioned.

“You’re right. I’ve just been struggling, and honestly, I don’t know what to do. The bank rejected my business loan app. You

know that I asked Auntie Al and Uncle Ronnie and they didn’t feel like the plan was developed enough, but they didn’t even

give me a chance to show them the stuff I’d put together.

“There’s no source for the rest of the money right now. And I...” She tried to be mindful of her words. “I hope there

will be, but um, if I have to do it on my own, I don’t think I can afford it. At least not in the way I’d envisioned it.”

“Hmm. Have you thought about looking into places outside of DC?” Auntie Mack asked.

Kendra scrunched up her face. “It’s crossed my mind. I definitely don’t want to go into Virginia. I really wanted to be central

so that, you know, the entire DMV could feel like it was accessible.”

“But you are aware that accessibility in the city is going to be at a premium, honey. I’m just saying that there could be

some options outside of the city that you haven’t seen because you’ve already limited your scope. And you want this too much

to give up before you’ve looked under every stone.” Auntie Mack’s soothing tone held no traces of criticism, only reason.

The labor and time that exploring every option would take felt daunting, and the anxiety of what-ifs intensified in her mind.

Kendra shook her head, trying to clear the crescendo of questions. “I know you’re right. That was just the dream, you know?”

“Was? Past tense makes it sound like you’ve already surrendered. So tell me, in what ways can we make the dream happen? Even

if it’s not in the ideal location. Have you thought about coming down to Charleston?” Auntie Mack asked.

“Charleston? I was hoping to be here in DC so that my business would be near Logan’s and we could kind of cross-pollinate

in terms of patrons and different business opportunities.”

“Well, that would be the ideal,” her aunt agreed. “But, property’s a lot easier to come by in Charleston than it is in DC.”

“That’s true. And I’d be near you.”

Mack chuckled. “Exactly.”

“Are you scheming to get me to move closer to you?”

“Well, it’s not as selfish as it sounds. Maybe I just know some things you don’t.”

“Come on, I know that’s true for sure,” Kendra replied, grinning. “But, I don’t know. I feel like I’m not ready to give up on DC just yet.”

“That makes total sense. And, you know, I don’t have the same kind of finances that your Auntie Al does, but if it’s within

my power, I will support you. I’m happy to help. You’re like my own daughter, Keke.”

“Well, you do have a daughter,” Kendra reminded her aunt, laughing.

“Yes, I have a daughter, but you and Lani might as well be sisters. There is no reason for me not to support you in the same

way that I would her. And so, if you can deal with something that’s maybe not quite as grand but makes the dream come to fruition,

I might be able to help.”

“Thank you, Auntie Mack. I really appreciate that and I’ll keep you posted. I’m not quite ready to say anything in particular

because I need to know what’s going on but I’ve got some other avenues I might try to check out.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, Logan sent me a couple of listings the other day for properties on a short sale right now. Some may go up for auction,

and the pricing would be substantially lower. It’s risky though, because the purchase would be as-is and I’d be assuming the

risk of any issues the property might have.

“One of them looks really promising though, and it’s within my budget. But, I might come to you later, um, just for some capital.

Maybe I can consider you a silent investor as I’m kind of getting myself off the ground, since I didn’t anticipate buying

property solely with my own funds.” Kendra bit her lip.

“Of course, I would be open to that. Well, please keep me posted.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, Auntie, thank you so much! By the way, everything else is okay though? Health is good?”

“Of course, my love. I didn’t get to see you again before I had to head back home, but I am doing well. I just miss you. Figured

that I should give you a call since you were on my heart.”

Kendra smiled softly. Auntie Mack lived in a big house not far from Charleston’s city center. Her property was expansive and

quiet, with live oak trees and Spanish moss hanging from them that swayed in the breeze drifting in off the water. It was

one of the most peaceful places that Kendra remembered visiting as a child. She would spend summers at Auntie Mack’s so that

she and Lani could hang out together.

The massive pool house had been their playroom and library where they would keep themselves occupied for hours.

“You know I’ve redone your guest room.”

“Oh really?”

“Mmm-hmm. I figured it needed to look like something other than a playroom,” her aunt laughed.

“Well, I’ll have to come see that sometime.”

“Yeah, I think you’re due for a visit. You know, if you find some time to maybe take a break, come on down. You’re always

welcome and you have a key. It doesn’t matter if I’m here or not.”

Mack had a group of friends who were all empty nesters––all of their kids were grown and had moved out––and they would travel

together all over the world. When she left town on one of her longer trips, Lani would head down to South Carolina to house-sit

for her mom. Most recently, Mack and her crew had gone to Morocco, and she came back with spices and beautiful tapestries

that she loved to use as decor in her guest rooms. She really was the quintessential rich auntie that Kendra strove to be

once Logan and Shonda decided to have their own children.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Auntie. I will let you know when I can squirrel away sometime or when I just need to get away from all of this. And I’ll make the drive down.”

“Alright, my sweetie. Make sure you give me a call and keep me updated.”

“I sure will. Thanks for checking on me.”

“That’s my job. I love you, my love. You take care of yourself, and you keep your head up.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will. I love you too.”

“Alright. Talk soon. Bye-bye.”

“Bye.” Kendra sighed into her coffee cup, sipping on the dark roast, feeling the caffeine enter her bloodstream. “So much

to do.”

Later that day, Kendra sat at the bar of a local cigar shop with her laptop, scrolling through the listings of more short-sale

properties that Logan had shared with her. Her eye had been on one in particular that was already a functioning bar with a

private room––the one that she had mentioned to Auntie Mack—but that property sold as quickly as it was listed. As Kendra

scanned the properties that were still available, she landed on one that was a little smaller than what she had intended originally,

but she was trying to keep an open mind.

From the pictures, she could see that the building needed some updates. However, it had a certain charm to it that felt like

it fit the vibe of her business. Vintage, like a piece of history that just needed some polish to give it a modern appeal.

Beautiful built-ins and dark wood floors were a major draw for Kendra.

Located in the heart of Northeast DC, the property was a part of some old row houses that had been updated and rezoned for commercial use.

The lower levels were restaurants and specialty stores while the upper levels housed offices and salons.

The buildings were historic, having been built near the end of the eighteenth century.

Some of the businesses housed there had been operating for over one hundred years.

On the first floor of one of the row houses up for sale was an old pub that would work perfectly for Kendra’s bar with a room