A beautiful dream

Laila had been given the word and had begun her pre-rehearsed speech intended to convince Maria to join her company as a partner. "Well, remember how you told me that you would come running if I asked you for help with my new company and how I said that I would hire you on the spot if I was more successful?" Laila looked up at Maria with a hopeful gaze and waited for her answer, which was promptly given to her in the form of an energetic nod as her mouth was full. After she swallowed her bite, Maria added, "What about it?".

"Well, uhm, what if I said that instead of hiring you when I become successful, I want you to join me now? That I want you to help me build this company and be a part of it from the very beginning. That we can be partners instead of you being my employee. What would you say?" Although this was the part where Maria was supposed to give an answer, Laila wasn't done selling the idea to her yet and interrupted Maria before she could say anything.

"I mean, right now you are without a job and like you said, your debts are far less bad than they were a short while ago. That you have a different view on things now than you had in the past. So, neither of those things should be holding you back in accepting this opportunity. Plus, if things work out with Steve in the way I currently assume they will, considering how at ease you seem while living in his home, this seems like it would be the perfect time for you to start this adventure with me. It is very likely that you will be the one spending more and more time over here instead of Steve increasing his time over at your place since you are currently a free bird, while Steve has the company and can't just disregard the responsibilities that come with that. Because of that, you won't soon be in need of a job to pay for the cost of your living and things like that, if ever, if Steve has any say in it. So, what do you say? Will you join me?"

Maria had long since stopped eating the delicious treat in front of her and had been all ears to what Laila had to say the moment Laila brought up joining her now instead of after she had already become successful. Now that her friend had finally finished her waterfall of words, Maria looked at Laila with a gentle sympathetic smile and then began giving her reply to the generous offer.

"My sweet, sweet Laila. I think you and I both know the answer to that question. Although I appreciate the offer itself, and I am incredibly flattered that you want to share your company with me, I cannot accept it. Right now, my primary focus is on taking care of Steve. How would it be fair to you that you have to do all the grunt work while being pregnant, and have me jump aboard the ship once you have put in several weeks of blood, sweat and tears? I too have realized that it is more practical for me to move here than to have Steve move his life to our hometown. It would be illogical to leave a gorgeous place like this and trade it in for my much smaller bit of paradise. And it is true that things are going well enough that I am thinking of these things. And it is also true that Steve has no expectations of me working to earn my stay here. But you know me, I am not one to sit at home and do nothing. But instead of joining your dream, I want to work on my own."

Laila was surprised to hear this. She knew there was a small chance that she would be rejected, but for the reason to be another dream?? That she had not expected at all. Even in her previous life, Maria hadn't ever said anything about having a dream. She was always supportive of hers though. Maybe it was the debts holding her back or maybe Steve had been the reason for this, but all she knew was that she was curious to hear more and this was the only reason she could accept being rejected for.

After her initial surprise faded, Laila asked in an excited voice, "Dream!? What dream are we talking about?" Maria chuckled at the shift in Laila's emotions regarding her answer to Laila's offer. "My dream is to help people get back up on their feet. People who were down on their luck and have nowhere to turn. People like me. If I don't have to work to make a living, I want to see what I can do to help other people start living. Not going through life, but actually living!"

Laila watched as Maria told her about her dream with a glimmer in her eyes and the most excited facial expression she has ever seen. "I don't want to see other people like me struggle the way I did. Not if I can help them. So, I want to start a non-profit organization and use the power of social media to free people of their debts, get them off the street, provide them with a place to stay, get them a job, whatever is needed to help them on their way. I want to give kids from poor families a break from worrying and give them a day to remember for the rest of their lives"

Laila thought this was a beautiful dream. One that fit her image of Maria perfectly. A beautiful dream for a beautiful person, a beautiful soul, inside and out.