Gabe

"Did he? Well, I'm not surprised. He worries about me."

She moves a little closer, pouring a stream of water from her can onto the potted begonia near the steps. "He had the tools in his truck. I tell you, they don't make 'em much like that anymore."

She waves as I walk down the sidewalk toward my car at the end of our drive.

Despite the cold, it's a nice day to be out. I put down the windows in my car to let in the breeze. I'm not the only one taking advantage of the last tolerable weather before winter hits hard. Several people are on bicycles and I note several mothers out pushing those jogging strollers.

I love Main Street. It's everything that New Haven has to offer in a nutshell. The picturesque businesses with their trademark red awnings overhanging the sidewalk make for a scenic walk for tourists. The side street that leads to the boardwalk is deserted but I know that it'll be busy by midday.

Even in the midst of the cool autumn weather, there are always people like me who can't stay away from the water.  I moved to Virginia Beach because it was closer to a lot of the clubs where I used to perform. Plus I just wanted to get a little distance from my parents. I knew my mother would freak out if I moved too far away so I figured thirty minutes was far enough to keep her from showing up unexpectedly but close enough for her not to worry too much. Now that Kay has moved into her new house with Eli, I figured it was finally time for me to think about where I want to be.

And that's New Haven.

My new space is in a converted row house on a side street right off the main road. It's in between a vintage clothing boutique and a pastry shop. I take the first available parking space I can and then walk to the building. The sign in the window still says For Lease. I'll be sure to take that down after lunch.

Glancing back at my car, I decide to leave it parked where it is and just walk over to my favorite retro diner, The Rush. When I push open the door, Miss Doris looks up from behind the counter.

"Oh well, look who decided to come see me." She cackles out a laugh and comes around the counter.

I haven't seen her in a while and when she hugs me, her familiar scent of cinnamon and cigarettes washing over me, it feels so familiar. Kay and I used to come here all the time in high school.

"I just moved back in town and I've been getting settled. I'm staying over on Kent Avenue in one of those converted duplexes. I'm renting from Mrs. Hanes."

Miss Doris leads me to the counter. "Sure, I know Elaine. Her husband used to work for the gas company back when my Gerald was there. He was a nice guy. Liked the drink though," she whispers.

I can only shake my head. Now it really feels like old times. I forgot how small this town really is and how there are never really any secrets. Everybody knows your business even if you think you've been discreet. She leaves and comes back with a glass of Coke. It's a small thing but it feels good that she remembers my usual drink order.

"I'll just have a cheeseburger and an order of sweet potato fries."

She winks. 'You got it, kiddo."

I pull out my phone and start making lists. Despite having slightly less funding, I'm more determined than ever to make this club a success. Over the years I've built up an impressive list of private students but I've always done in-home tutoring. Now I'll finally have a commercial space to meet my students. One of the main reasons I was able to get a loan for this venture is because I proposed a space with dual functions. It will be a jazz club and a small theatre. And during the week when the club is closed, I can use the space for tutoring.

I was told I'd need a liquor license just to serve alcohol at my grand opening but I'm sure I'll need a different license to serve it on a permanent basis. I put that on the list. Also I'll need to figure out what suppliers to use so I can get the food and drink at more affordable prices. Miss Doris interrupts me to set my food down and I'm halfway through my burger when I finally realize that I'll have to scrap all my plans if I can't figure out how to trim expenses. I could do a scaled down opening but that's not really what I want to do. I wanted to make a splash.

I take another huge bite of my burger and console myself with the greasy delight.

On the way out, I leave cash on the table and then I stuff several bills in the tip jar up front.

I walk out of the diner and cross the street, walking down to my new building. Excitement shivers through me. It's mine! I use the key the landlord gave me to open the door and step inside. It smells musty from being closed up so I leave the front door open behind me to air things out a bit.

First thing, I take the For Lease sign out of the window and place it on the floor facedown. I'll have to give that back to the landlord later. Then I take a good, critical look around the space. When I was here before I was looking at it for its potential. Now I'm assessing its current condition. The floors are scuffed from where the previous tenants moved out and there's a thick layer of dust on everything. 

In the middle of the floor are some bookcases left by the previous tenant. The landlord told me he would get them cleared out if I didn't want them but I think I’ll leave them. I’m not in the position to turn down free stuff, even if I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it all yet.

There's not too much I can do until it's cleaned up in here but it's fun to dream about what it'll be like. I pull the door closed behind me and lock up.

As I cross Main Street again, I take a good look around. It's a weekend and the middle of the day and while there are a respectable number of people out shopping, it's not exactly busy. Nowhere near the kinds of traffic you'd see in Virginia Beach or Norfolk. What was I thinking to try to start a club here? Even if there are a lot of jazz enthusiasts, are there enough to support a business?