Marcus had his fingers meshed in between themselves.There were already 3 bottles of beer lying beside his reading table and he didn't want to add more so he took a bottle of brandy from his fridge instead. If only Janet could see how much he was drinking just because he didn't know what to do.
Source
He was certain that she would have a disapproving look on her face, her beautiful, plum coloured lips bent in a frown.
“You're taking too much alcohol, Marcus” she said every time he took more than a bottle of beer or a shot of vodka. She wasn't wrong, he was prone to taking too much alcohol, especially in times like this when everything seemed to be falling apart.
He wished he could call her NOW but she would be busy speaking French with one of those numerous students of hers.
Never had there been such a downtime in the history of his liquor business. And it wasn't just about him. There were sharp changes in the prices of the inputs used in producing goods and services leading to reduced output, increased prices and decreased demands.
He used to supply the local stores at least 10 barrels of liquor weekly, when business was good, he would supply 15, but since the month before, he hadn't supplied more than 20 barrels.
That wasn't bad business, it was terrible business.
He had considered closing down within the previous month but what would he do next? It had taken him 6 years after bagging a college degree to set up something meaningful. He began with selling toys but when he barely made sales, he began looking for a white collar job.
That made him spend another 2 years doing nothing, until he met Janet. She was the one who introduced him to her uncle who was a liquor supplier in Cuba. He was the one who guided Marcus step by step until he was able to open his own liquor store.
If he threw in the towel, he would be disappointing a lot of people.
He sighed wearily as he rubbed his eyes. Thinking of Uncle Vee, Janet's uncle, made him miss Cuba. He was sure that the recession had not affected that area, so if he went over to Cuba, he could gain financial help or advice.
He made the trip the Next day, receiving find smiles from Uncle Vee and Aunt Mira, his wife.
“What brings you here, Señor?” Uncle Vee asked, handing over a plate of barbecue from the one he made that afternoon.
“I came to say hi” he replied, handing over a jar of his finest liquor.
“That is so thoughtful of you. Thank you. We barely hear from Janet these days. She's doing okay, yes?” Aunt Mira asked. Marcus nodded.
“She's fine. She sends her love”
Aunt Mira smiled fondly, “Her love and a fat Paycheck, that's ALL we get. When can we see our child?”
“When she can come see us, quit bothering the young man” Uncle Vee said, leading Marcus out onto the patio. “Is business Moving badly? Is that why you came?”
Marcus nodded to both questions.
“There's a recession in Florida. We can barely get buy, there's been a drastic decrease in demand and I'm getting frustrated”
Uncle Vee had a faraway look in his eyes as he smiled.
“I call it ‘pandemic period’. We had it before in Cuba. People hardly stopped by the store to get liquor, until I started what I call, The cure in the disease”
Marcus raised a side of his cheek. If there was anything that made him love Janet's family, it was that they were all intelligent, whether they had formal education or not.
“What's this cure and disease all about?” Marcus had heard the phrase before but never paid attention to it. Now was his time to learn.
“You have to turn your problem into your solution. Change your strategy. For me, I started making barbecue sauce and I was making sales because during recession, the priority of everyone is food”
It was as if a light bulb came on in Marcus's head because he suddenly leapt with excitement.
“That's it! My cousin in Miami makes perfumes. She uses liquor and comes over to get some from my store. I can look for someone who is skilled in making perfumes to come work for me while I supply liquor to perfume stores. I'll add barbecue sauce to it too”
Uncle Vee was nodding.
“By all means, convert the liquor into cash. That same liquor that seems not to be selling is exactly what you will use to sell during this recession”
Marcus threw his arms around him in gratitude, not minding the weirdness. He had found a solution at last.