Ocean's 8 1/2

Options

It had been a week since the proposal and everything was running like clockwork. Deb and Lou put an offer on the loft in Santa Monica right by the beach, Amita was all set to move into her Uncle and Aunt's place, and Rose and Daphne had already pretty much moved into the house they bought. Tammy was still deciding on where to land. It didn't exactly help that 2 out of the 8 women's decisions on where to live were based on where she ended up. Constance didn't want to be alone and Nine Ball was going to follow Tammy where ever she was going to go.

One night as Tammy was battling with the decision she found Deb sitting on the stage with manila folders, pictures, blueprints and what looked like lists scattered all over the floor of the stage.

"What are you doing Deb?" Tammy whispered. She was unsure if any of the other women were out in the living space asleep.

"I'm helping you make your decision," Deb replied at a normal volume which told Tammy that no one else was around.

"Um, okay? How exactly are going to do that?" Tammy asked as she made her way over to the stage.

"I'm doing it logically. I am going to show you all the pros and cons of each place and then you're going to make a decision. Of course, your gut feeling has to help you as well but I thought if I could take the emotion out of it and just help you get the facts down, this decision might be a little easier to make," Debbie said as she moved some more pictures around. Everything was in 3 piles. While they weren't neat piles, they all had their purpose and place. Tammy looked over each of the piles which were littered with pictures, notes, ratings of public and private schools, crime stats and job opportunities. There was also a small pile for Constance and Nine Ball which had different options for them in each of the places Deb picked out for Tammy.

"Alright I'm done," Deb said as she put the last picture in one of the piles. She looked over each of them and nodded.

"Why don't you walk me through the options, Deb?" Tammy asked softly. While she wanted Deb to fully explain her process, she also just wanted an excuse to her the brunette talk. There was something about the way Deb talked about a plan of hers. There was so much passion and excitement in her voice. It was like a kid talking about their favorite toy.

"Sure, well the first pile is San Fransisco/Marin area. There's a house right outside the city, in a suburban area.." Debbie began to say. Tammy looked over the house and it was a 2 story, 6 bed 4 1/2 bath house. It has a 2 car garage. It was on a small lot but it had a back yard big enough for the kids and maybe a dog. It was large enough to entertain and it fit all the kids, plus Nine's sister if they decided to live there together and any new addition they may add or even just a guest room.

"It's near 3 public schools and 2 private. 1 is a Christian academy and the other is just a rich private school. Crime is low. There are plenty of places for Nine to open her bar up. There are two places right now for lease. One is in the Marin area, the other in the heart of San Francisco. Constance would be perfectly happy in the SF area. She has YouTube and whatever else kids need nowadays. For you, there are tech jobs in Silicon Valley. New gadgets and gizmos galore," Debbie said. She winked when she added The Little Mermaid quote. That was Tammy's favorite story growing up. She preferred Disney's version to the original once it came out but the story she resonates with is more or less the same. Probably because she saw herself as Ariel. She lived in a very normal home, with loving parents, a brother and a sister. She had around the clock attention and everything she ever needed in life, but she always wanted something more. Not material things, but adventure and excitement and some purpose.

"It looks lovely, what is the next one?" Tammy asks as tidies up the SF pile.

"Well, San Bernadino. While it has a high crime rate and a lot of poverty, you have the opportunity to live out your shipping queen dreams. It has a lot of distribution/shipping warehouses and etc. You'd get to play with all of those toys. Nine could have a decent bar. It'd probably be more of a dive sorta place. Maybe even a trucker stop. She'd probably have to rely more on her hacking business than anything. Constance wouldn't be as happy here but I'm sure she could make the hour trip down to LA for the content or whatever. Kids have options for schools. Many public and I think 1 private school near the house. The house is in the nice area of San Bernadino, by a golf course. 2 stories, 5 beds, and 5 baths. A huge lot and even a pool," Deb explained.