Second Chances by Dale Mayer

of educational material. There's a huge home schooling market. You have the parenting and retail experience and I have the business experience. I wonder what Victoria has to offer right now, along those lines."
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    Karina stared off in to space, turning the idea over and over in her head. She had some money set aside for a place of her own. It wasn't much, but this way she could be her own boss. Money would be tight for the first while, it always was with new businesses. She'd have to crunch some numbers to get a better idea of the project's viability.
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    "You know, there are a lot of daycare centers here in town. We could see what their needs are. And I wonder where the school board buys their supplies? We could wholesale their materials and still supply to the public." Susan hopped from foot to foot, unable to stand still in her growing excitement. "Just think, I'd be home part-time and could still bring in some money." She stopped for a moment considering. "Well, maybe. I guess we wouldn't make much money in the first year, would we?"
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    "That would depend on what our competition is and on startup costs. If we worked for a lower rate than if we went out to work, we'd be able to bring some home. If we can't make enough to live on, I can't do it. I have a little money set aside but I couldn't handle waiting one full year before drawing a salary from the business." Karina's mind buzzed as figures clicked rapidly in her head.
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    The idea excited her, and that was a first.
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    "You do realize that we'd both have to work long hours at the beginning," she continued. "However, instead of you having to go home, if our location was right, your children could come to you at the store. If you needed them to, that is."
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    Susan looked at her, hope dawning in her eyes. "Do you really think we could? I think you're better at making changes than you think."
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    Was she? This seemed like a good idea. It felt right. But they were a long way from starting.
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    Karina shrugged dismissively. "How do you think your husband will like the idea?"
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    Thoughtfully, Susan said, "I think he just might. He'd be concerned about the size of the investment and the amount of time that I'd be away from the family. If the location were close to home and if the children could come after school or maybe on a weekend for a little while, that would help."
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    "When you have your own business, you get to make some of your own rules. You never know, maybe I'll get married and have a family one day. I'd like to think that the children could be with me some of the time at least." She backtracked a bit. "Obviously it wouldn't work all the time. But if the children know where you are and that they can come to the store if they need to, it might be enough to make the difference. What ages are they again?"
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    "Sara is eleven and Michael is eight. Which means they both need someone at home after school." Disappointment crept over Susan’s face.
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    "That's not necessarily a problem. Maybe you could leave at the end of the school day or have the children come to the store after school and all of you go home together. You might be able to work one evening instead. I could work until six and then a half-day on Saturday. I don't know. This has some real possibilities, Susan."
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    The women looked at each other, hope growing between them in leaps and bounds.
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    "We'll have to do a lot of research first," warned Karina "And we'd have to find the right location." A niggling thought popped into her head. "Susan what did you say your husband does for a living?"
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    "Paul's in advertising! He could be a real help to us. If he wanted to, that is…" She looked over at Karina, determination on her face. "I'm going to talk to him tonight."
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    "By the way," Karina asked curiously, "why did you stay at the hotel last night? Couldn't you have driven home instead?"
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    A faint pink dusted Susan's cheeks as she grinned.