|A L W A Y S & F O R E V E R| B O O K 1

18||B a c k t o w o r k

Date: 8/21/15
Day of the Week: Friday
Location: Seattle, Washington
Place: The Firm

Russell
"As you all know, our sales have been inconsistent this year. So far this month, the company has made a profit of $500K. That's great, but the past seven months have been rocky. The lowest profit we're sitting at is $95K in June. Our goal is to have an annual profit of $4 million. This means we have to be pulling in an estimate of 800K a month for the next three months. If we don't, we could be at risk of our investors pulling out." I explained to the staff. Whispers and mumbling could be heard throughout the room after I told them the consequences of our low sales.

"Okay, everybody. Settle down. We're going to get this under control. First, we need to think about why sales have been more inconsistent this year. We need to look at our product sales and see which products were the least favorite of our customers. At the same time, we also need to look at our best sellers. That way we can rule out which apparel we can keep pushing and which ones we should discontinue. If any one of you has any suggestions, now is your time to speak." I looked around the office to see if anyone was interested in speaking up. Tina raised her hand.

"Yes, Tina!"

"I think creating some new designs would help the business generate more profit. Customers love fresh and new designs. Especially with the fashion industry constantly evolving. With the industry evolving so much, I believe consumers are going with the most new and trendy styles that the industry has to offer." I nod my head in agreement.

"You are absolutely right, Tina. Speaking of new designs, I was looking over a few new ones yesterday." I pulled out my iPad and pulled my sketches up. The first sketch appeared on the projector board.

We spent another thirty minutes in the meeting looking over the sketches. My team gave their input and threw out more ideas on what we could add to the brand. We tossed around some marketing ideas as well. At 9:30 AM, I called an end to the meeting and everyone went to their stations to get to work for the day. I packed my things and headed to my office to work on some more sketches. I decided to have a separate meeting with the marketing manager later on in the day.
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Ciara
It was currently 10:30 AM, and I had just arrived back in LA from Seattle. I woke up early to catch our flight since Russ would be at the firm all day. I figured I should go home to catch up on things around the house and check in with my assistant about my upcoming projects. When we got home, I put Zahir down in his crib so he could go back to sleep since I had to wake him so early. Afterwards, I put our luggage away and made my way to my master bedroom. I decided to take a quick shower before I did anything else. After my shower, I dried off and brushed my teeth since I didn't have time to do it earlier this morning. When I finished in the bathroom, I went back into my bedroom. I grabbed an oversized T-shirt from my drawer and slipped it on along with my underwear. I was still exhausted, so I turned the covers down and got in bed. Anything I had planned to do around the house would have to wait until later.

I slept a good three hours before I heard crying coming from the baby monitor. I groaned and opened my eyes slowly. I turned over on my side and reached for the baby monitor to see Zahir standing up against the side of his crib. I checked my phone to see it was a little after 3 o'clock. I got up from the bed and made my way next door to pick Zahir up from his crib. I knew he was hungry, so we made our way to the kitchen where I got him a bottle ready. I sat him in his playpen and turned cartoons on for him.

While he drank his milk, I decided to do some laundry. After putting the dirty clothes in the washer machine, I made my way back to the living room area to check on him before going to my storage closet to grab the vacuum cleaner. I figured I'd do some deep cleaning around my condo. I started in the living room and worked my way to the bedrooms, making sure to vacuum any dirt from the carpets. I added a little arm and hammer carpet deodorizer to the carpets so they could smell good. After I finished vacuuming, I swept over the tile floors and got the mop bucket ready so I could clean the floors. Before I mopped the kitchen floor, I got the products out to clean and sanitize the island and countertops. I wiped them down good before putting the spray bottles back under the sink cabinet. Afterwards, I cleaned the other appliances in the kitchen. Then I got to mopping the floors. Once I finished, I dumped the mop water down the toilet in the hallway bathroom and put the bucket back in the storage closet. Making sure to wash my hands. That alone took about an hour and a half to do. Of course, I had a baby monitor clipped to my T-shirt to make sure Zahir wasn't trying to get out of his playpen. When I went back to the living room, Zahir was standing in his crib dancing to the tunes playing from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I grabbed his empty bottle and took it to the kitchen to rinse it out, putting it in the dishwasher afterwards.
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It was going on 6:00 PM. I had just finished folding and putting away Zahir and my clothes. Since it was getting a little late, I decided to cook dinner.

"I don't feel like doing this right now." I yawned and sighed afterwards. I'm so tired.

I looked through the fridge and decided to make something simple. Chicken Alfredo and broccoli. I fixed Zahir some mashed potatoes and green beans. Then I cut up some mixed fruit. When the food was ready, I sat at the kitchen island with Zahir and we ate dinner together. I fed him with his spoon as he sat in my lap. He used his hands to grab some of the fruit and stuffed them into his mouth. I smiled down at him and kissed his forehead. As soon as we finished eating dinner, I checked the time. I usually put him down for bed around 8:00 or 8:30, and it was a little after 8:00. This day has seemed to go by fast.

"Time for a bath."

After his bath, I dried him off and picked him up to take him to his room. He rubbed his eyes as his head rested on my shoulder. It would take no time for him to fall asleep. I put his diaper and pajamas on and put him down in his crib. He immediately fell asleep. Before leaving his room, I kissed his forehead and switched the light off to head to my room.

Russell
It was 8:30 PM, and I was finally getting ready to leave the firm after a long day of hard work. I grabbed my briefcase and phone. Then I made my way out of my office to my car. The drive home took me forty-five minutes to get there since there was less traffic. On arrival, I got out of my car, locked the doors, and made my way inside. I immediately went upstairs to my bedroom and put my briefcase down before taking my suit off, hanging it up until it was time to take it to the dry cleaners. I go into my connected bathroom and get in the shower. The hot water slides down my face and body as I stand underneath the shower head. I close my eyes, taking in the relaxing sensation.

After I finish showering, I dry off and go through my drawers to find a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. I put them on and get into bed. I got my phone off the nightstand and went to FaceTime, clicking on her name. She picked up on the third ring. Her face appeared on the screen. A smile plastered onto her face.

"Hi, babe!"

"Hey. How was your day? You look tired."

"I am. It was a busy day for me. I took a nap earlier, and then I did some deep cleaning around the house. That took me about three hours. I took care of the laundry and cooked dinner for us. Then I bathed Zahir. I put him down to sleep around 8:30 and took a shower after."

"Well, I see you had a pretty long, productive day."

"I did. How was your day?"

"Busy as hell. I pulled a twelve-hour shift. We had a meeting this morning that lasted about an hour and thirty minutes. Then I looked over a few sketches I drew. We're gonna add some new pieces to the brand."

"That's great! I'm so proud of you, babe!" She smiled sincerely.

"Thank you! I can't wait for you to see them. Maybe you can even give me your opinion on them."

"I can't wait, and of course I will. Anytime."

"Thanks. You're the best." She smiled.

" I know." I chuckled at her cockiness.