The Offer

The Offer arrived.

Unexpectedly.

Numb. Dizzy. Skin flush with goosebumps.

“Take the offer…”

Exhale. Eyes close.

“Take the offer are you an idiot?” the text says.

Life. Changing. Money.

A house here, a house there, a fucking amazing car in each garage…

But then what?

How long will you be sitting in this office?

At this desk.

Walking down the hallway with the ironically framed First Invoice.

Kate did that.

Kate is still here.

The Team…

The Team is still here.

Take. The. Offer.

But what if you do?

Then what?

How many years are They gonna let you…stay?

Three, five years?

If you’re lucky.

Life. Changing. Money.

But—

What if this project, this business—yes, it sounds childish, naive—what if this dream isn’t fully…

Dreamed?

There is more to think. Evolve. Experiment.

Once The Offer is accepted?

There wouldn’t be time to dream.

Or even experiment.

Like everything else in the world, it will just become another…

Product.

Another line on someone else’s profit margin.

Don’t be so bloody elfin’ noble…

Take The Offer!

Maybe…

I’m not ready. This isn’t ready.

No one will understand.

But…

You will.

And you know damn well everything will…

Change.

They will destroy it.

Remember the last group who took their offer?

Wah-wah-wah. That’s how it works. That’s how The Big Bad World works. This is fucking Bizness.

You really want to get romantic, nostalgic, 90s-punk-rock-sell-out at this point?

Take The Offer! Don’t be a rebel. Some poster boy for pissing away—

Don’t.

Don’t think about it.

Don’t even say the amount out loud.

Just…

Decline. Politely. Don’t Tweet. Don’t write some manifesto on the blog or newsletter.

Just…

Keep evolving.

Building.

Brick. By. Brick.

Until…

The dream has…

Been dreamed.

Or—

Take The Offer!

Because, let’s really be honest, whatta ya gonna do, turn this into some Mom & Pop Country Store? Put one of those little bells above the entrance?

Oh! Better yet!

Move to the Hudson Valley, buy a farm, and churn hand-crafted, organic butter.

Yes!

Become an organic farmer influencer!

Fuck that.

Or…

Maybe this is the opportunity you need to just…

Let. It. Go.

The Team would understand, right?

Uh-huh.

Sure.

Maybe the dream gets dreamed, then sold, then swallowed, then renamed.

And…

That’s just how The World works, right?

Yup.

You got other ideas, right?

Right?

But…

Maybe not like this One.

Another text arrives. Another muted call lights the screen.

Another:

Take The Offer Idiot.

Maybe you do.

Maybe you don’t.

Selling would change everything.

So would refusing.

That was the part no one put in a text.

I bet no one is gonna text you that, right?