The Upward Ripple

“I would suggest that you make sure her affairs are in order,” the doctor had said to Cynthia. “We have done everything we can for her, and I believe right now, all we can do is keep her comfortable.”

“But it is just a stroke… people get out of them all the time,” Cynthia had tried to argue. Hope was all she had to cling to. She could not imagine a future without her grandmother.

“Yes, people do but these people are usually younger and even when they are your grandmother’s age, they usually have a history of having led much more active lives and they definitely do not have blood pressure issues like Marylyn here,” the doctor explained.

Cynthia knew exactly what the doctor was telling her and at that moment, she knew exactly what she had to do. She got the best hospice money could buy and made sure that it was something her grandmother would like before she got Marilyn settled. For the most part, the sale of the house covered everything but at the back of her mind, Cynthia knew that the sale of the house would not be enough to cover everything. She needed her tuition paid as well as her own utilities. Working in the real estate business only favored the seasoned realtors.

It was not until after her grandmother’s death did Cynthia decide and boldly walked into her boss’ office. At the time, she was just a junior realtor. The hardest thing she had to do was get her bosses coffee and make sure it was still hot by the time she handed the Styrofoam cups to them.

“May I help you?” her boss, Geraldine Barker asked.

“Just a minute of your time, Miss Barker,” Cynthia said.

She was not so sure if the anxiety she felt showed on her face.

“I would like to have a listing,” Cynthia said, and Geraldine looked up from her computer.

Geraldine Barker looked surprised and with good reason. Cynthia had only been with the firm less than a year and she was still being trained under the more experienced realtors. As far as Geraldine was concerned, Cynthia was a long way from getting her own listing.

“Excuse me?” Geraldine asked and Cynthia took a few steps towards her.

“I would like to have a listing of my own. Let me sell a property on my own.”

Geraldine took off her glasses.

“Cynthia, while I admire how forthcoming you are, I must remind you that taking up a personal listing is like doing a solo surgery. You must become an intern first, undertake surgery under the watchful eyes of residents and attendings before you can finally undertake your first solo surgery and even then, it is usually a minor procedure under the watchful eye of the doctors with more seniority.”

Cynthia took a long deep breath and nodded.

“I know that, but they also say that necessity is the mother of invention and while I am not really inventing something new, I do have to reinvent myself in this company.”

Geraldine raised an eyebrow over the other.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, I had to deal with my grandmother’s medical bills as well as my own tuition fees and I am afraid that without a stable income, my bills are piling up… I have to take up a challenge,” Cynthia explained.

“And this is how you wish to challenge yourself? By taking up a listing?” Geraldine asked and Cynthia nodded.

“Yes, and not just any listing. The Park Plaza apartment,” Cynthia said confidently.

Geraldine gasped silently. The apartment at Park Plaza had been listed for almost a year and as far as Geraldine was concerned, that property was simply not marketable. It was a two-bedroom apartment that was a little too lit up thanks to the apartment being right in the middle of the busy city life. The apartment was once part of a warehouse which meant that it had more windows than walls. Generally, that would have been a great aspect but with the flashing lights that were almost never-ending, the interior was not exactly a welcoming space especially at night. That specific make made it impossible to market the property. After all, who would have ever wanted to live in a place that was a constant reminder of the red-light district?

“Cynthia, why don’t you concern yourself with more exciting matters like girls your age do?” she asked, and Cynthia was not so sure if it was a direct insult or an attempt to change the subject. Whatever it was, it was not going to work. Cynthia was unyielding.

“I would rather spend my time working, Miss Barker,” she said, and Geraldine sighed loudly.

“Cynthia, while I am impressed with your drive, I do have to point out that the Park Plaza apartment is an almost impossible listing… I cannot warrant any more funds towards its renovation…. Those windows… I had an architect look at that place and he told me that they cannot do anything about those windows.” Geraldine shrugged. “The property would work perfectly in a place like New York but not here.”

Cynthia nodded again.

“I know that, and I intend on shopping the property as is.”

Geraldine looked even more surprised than ever.

“As is?” she echoed, and Cynthia nodded yet again.

“As is. All I need is three weeks and after that, maybe you could have me get other listings.”

Cynthia seemed sure of herself. Maybe a little too sure and Geraldine would have rather had her have a safe property. One that would be sure to be sold but Cynthia was adamant. She wanted to prove that she could deal with the impossible perhaps to impress her boss. Geraldine knew that trying to talk her out of it was just a waste of time if anything. So, she did the only thing she could and let Cynthia take the listing. A part of Geraldine Barker was excited to see how Cynthia would fair but another part of her was only doing as asked to prove the young but eager girl wrong. So, imagine to everyone’s surprise when Cynthia walked into the office barely a week after listing the property with all the paperwork needed to show her success.