Visions For the Future

I woke up early to get ready for whatever Rich had going on. He had mentioned looking at some property, but I wasn't sure where my input would come in. Rich texted me when he got downstairs.

"Morning Rich. You look better than yesterday," I said as I slid into the passenger seat of his Ford Mustang.

"Yeah. I feel better," he replied as he pulled into traffic.

"So.... what's the plan?"

"I recently acquired some property in Cleveland Heights. I want you to look at it with me and I'll tell you about my vision for it."

"Cleveland Heights, huh?"

After 30 minutes, we pulled up in front of a dilapidated theater. I remembered this place from when I was a kid. My mom had brought me here. It felt sad to see its current state.

"I remember this place. You bought it?"

"Yes. Cleveland Heights used to be one of the wealthier neighborhoods in the city. Now it's fallen into neglect and disrepair. My father is looking into buying up the area and turning it into luxury condominiums."

"But you have other ideas?"

"Yes. I want to revitalize the area. If my father has his way, then many low income families will lose their homes. He thinks that I'm a fool for wanting to try to save the neighborhood."

"Is this why the two of you seem to be on edge all the time," I asked.

"Yes. I want to prove him wrong."

"So, what's your vision?"

"I want to turn this place into a hot entertainment venue. That's why I need your help," he said as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"You know I've got your back, but I'm not sure that I'm cut out for something so big. I honestly wouldn't know where to start."

"I know, but you would know if an idea sounded legitimate or not. You have more club experience than I do. Plus I already have a guy that I'm interested in running this place. I just need you to determine if he's the right person for the job."

I sighed as I responded, "I'll do my best. When would we meet the guy?"

A red Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle pulled up and stopped behind Rich's Mustang. The guy hopped off and removed his helmet. He was a slender Asian guy in a nice suit. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place him.

"Good morning Mr. Grayson. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"I told you to call me Richard," he said as he shook the man's hand.

"You didn't tell me that you were bringing your friend," the Asian guy said as he motioned towards me.

"Yes. Allow me to make introductions. John Walker, this is Kenji Tanahashi. Kenji is the mastermind behind Club Zion. And John is my assistant. He will be going over what you need to bring this place to life," Rich said as he took a step back.

"It's nice to meet you John," Kenji said with a smile.

"Likewise."

"Shall we begin," Kenji asked as he looked at the locked doors.

"Yeah," Rich said as he pulled out keys and unlocked the building.

We walked through the building in silence. I followed behind Rich and Kenji. Rich's eyes lit up as he began to talk about his hope for the future. Kenji's face remained impassive as he looked around.

"What do you think," Rich asked Kenji as we made it back to the front.

"I think that I can deliver something better than you've imagined, but I have some conditions. Would you like for me to share my vision for this space?"

"What are your conditions," I asked.

Kenji looked between Rich and me. "I will design the best place in the city, but I want full autonomy to run it the way that I want to. I don't want anyone looking over my shoulder. Lastly, I choose the name."

I looked at Rich. He seemed to be thinking about Kenji's conditions until his phone rang. He looked at the screen before answering. He clutched his temples and sighed.

"I have to go to the office," Rich said before tossing me the keys to the building. "John, I trust you to make the best decision and deal for the business."

"You are asking for a lot," I said after Rich left.

"I know my value."

"That's always a good thing to know. So, show me your value."

Kenji smiled and nodded. He motioned for me to follow him. Kenji explained what he wanted to do with every area of the building. His vision was larger than Rich's.

He wanted to have a stage for live entertainment. He had the bar design and dance floor layout figured out. He had plans for security, restrooms, inventory, VIP areas along with dressing rooms and private entrances for club attractions.

He was quite the talker and I could tell that it helped him in life. The fact that he had put this much thought into it was impressive. I could definitely see that his ego and arrogance seemed to be justified.

"So what do you think? Have I shown you my value?"

"Honestly, I didn't think that you were this serious about this at first. Do you know how much it would cost to do everything that you're talking about?"

Kenji removed the sling bag that was around his chest. He pulled out a laptop and sat it on a counter. He inserted a flash drive, then opened up a spreadsheet. I looked at the numbers.

"Okay Kenji, two things. First, you've done your homework and I'm impressed. Second, this is a lot of money."

"Anything worth doing is worth doing right," he said with a smile.

"You got that from a fortune cookie."

"Was that a racist statement," Kenji glared.

"No, that wasn't. Everyone who's hungry after leaving Zion goes to Lo Pan's 3 Storm Chinese because it has the best chicken fried rice and beef lo mein. And everybody got that exact fortune Monday," I said as I stared at him with a blank expression.

"You got that one too, huh," Kenji chuckled. "You know your stuff about going to clubs and afterwards. I know my stuff about what can make a great environment and experience. This can be the best thing that's happened to Cleveland Heights in a long time."

"I understand why Rich cares about this. Why do you care?"

Kenji's smile disappeared. His demeanor turned serious. He looked me in my eyes.

"I grew up in the neighborhood. I have an apartment here. I want things to improve. I want to be able to say my neighborhood's name with pride."

"Okay. Tell me the name of the hottest entertainment spot in Cleveland Heights."

"Aura."

I smiled as I said, "Kenji, I believe that we have a deal. I'll have to go over a few things with Rich, but I think that we're good."

"I won't let you or Richard down. This is the start of great things," Kenji said as he offered me his hand.

I shook his hand. He pulled out his phone and began to make calls. I took out my phone to call Rich. When I didn't get an answer I called Kimiko.

"Richard Grayson's office. How may I help you?"

"Hey Kimiko, this is John. Is Rich available?"

"No. He's in a meeting with his father and the board of directors. He'll be out of reach for sometime. Is everything all right?"

"Rich left me and I was trying to find out if I needed to catch a cab back to work. But I guess that answers my question. Thanks Kimiko."

"Is everything okay," Kenji asked as he walked over.

"Yeah. I just gotta catch a cab back to work."

"Hey. I can give you a ride."

"I don't have a helmet."

"I have an extra one. Come on. It'll be fun."

I reluctantly followed Kenji to his motorcycle. He passed me a helmet and put on his with a smile. It was at this moment that I knew, no good would come from this.