Daimian walked peacefully down the sidewalk of downtown, scoping each of the brick buildings. "Despite the construction on the roads," he said to himself, "downtown isn't looking too bad." Turning a corner, he saw the place he needed to be. Pushing the button to cross the road, he lightly sprinted across the street. There, he saw the Dandelion, a sign saying 'Open' on the door.

    With a slightly staining push, Daimian entered and looked at the counter. "DAN," he exlaimed, arms wide open. "It's open!"

    "Hey, yeah it is," the old man said from the other side of the counter. "What do ya think of the new place?"

    "Oh yeah, it's awesome," Daimian said, turning his head to every wall. "It's definetly got a charm to it like the last place. Little less natural light than the old lot, but it's nice." He sat on a stool in front of the counter as Dan started wiping down the other end. After a pause, Daimian looked back at Dan. "Any big business so far?"

    "Not yet," Dan said. "More of a soft open right now. Plannin' on having the actual opening some time im February. Once that hits, it'll be back to its former glory."

    Daimian let out a chuckle as he turned around in his stool, looking at the rest of the cafe again. He rested his elbows on the counter and leaned back a bit. He thought about what Kelly said a few days ago. With a light hum, he turned back to the old man. "Hey Dan."

    "What's up?"

    "Can I get your opinion on something?"

    "Shoot."

    Daimian straightened himself, locking his eyes to the smooth counter. "Okay, so, I need some help interpretting something. Not too long ago, I was hanging out with this girl at school and she said she wanted to hang out with me next week."

    "And did you say yes?"

    "I mean," Daimian thought to himself for a second. "Well, I nodded, so I guess so."

    Dan continued his wiping without looking up. "So what's the problem?"

    "Well-" Daimian peered out the window longingly. "I just... I don't know if I can really do that. I have other things that I need to do, ya know? I don't know if I can add something new to what I'm already doing."

    Dan tossed the rag he was using into a plastic bin with other clothes. "Daimian, let me tell you something. Whatever's going on with you and this girl, I bet it's something special. Take it from me. You don't want to ruin an opportunity like this." The old man pointed back at Daimian as he stepped back to the stove to turn it on.

    "I know," Daimian paused. "I guess I'm not sure if I can choose what I want to do. It feels like I can't really include her in my life because of what I do."

    "Hold on a second," Dan said, walking to a closet at the end of the counter. He returned with a chair and set it at the counter in front of Daimian, letting out a sigh as he sat down. "Let me tell you a little story, boy," he began. "When I first started this cafe, my wife didn't like seein' what my job did to me. It grinded me to a pulp, made me seem bitter when I wasn't on the clock. Then one day, she came up to me and said 'it's either me or the cafe.'" Dan stopped for a second, clasping his hands together as he leaned his head down.

    "I chose my work." Dan lifted his head up, locking eyes with Daimian. "In the end, I was able to keep my business, keep my pride and joy. But with that, I lost my wife. It's hard to think about, but once I made my decision, there was no going back. My work still hurts me sometimes, but I keep going because that's where my mind... My heart was at that time."

    Daimian felt sorry for him a moment before the kettle started to squeal. Dan stood up, hands helping his knees, and turned off the eyes, pouring the tea water into a mug. Holding the bare cup, he set it down on the counter. "Thanks," Daimian commented, pulling it towards him with the handle.

    "Now, Daimian," Dan said, pointing at him. "If there's one thing you take away from this conversation, let it be this. Whatever your work may be, aside from school, don't forget about the people that love you. Prioritize what's truly important in your life. Don't hurt the ones you love with your desires and pride."

    The teenager thought about Dan's words as he calmly sipped his tea.

    "I'll try."