“Um, what did you think you were going to be when you were going through school?”
“Wasn’t really sure.” I shrug. “Was kind of just trying to figure things out. Didn’t quite have a clear direction.”
“Then how did you come up with your app thingy?”
“Soda Tracker,” I correct her.
“Wait.” She shifts on her feet. “You came up with Soda Tracker? That’s like…Yelp for Soda. That’s…that’s a huge app.”
I scratch my neck. “Uh, yeah.”
“How did you come up withthat?”
“It was my freshman year, and I was tired as shit most of the time from staying up too late and waking up early for class. I wasn’t a big coffee drinker but loved any type of Coke. Diet Coke, regular, Coke Zero. But I found out pretty quickly that not all Cokes are the same, especially around the city. I’d get irritated when I thought I’d be getting a crispy Coke straight from the fountain, only to find out that it was flat. So one late night, I was bouncing ideas around in my head and came up with Soda Tracker. It allows users to see who serves what brand of soda—which is important—and then it also allows the user to rate the soda, therefore not having to deal with disappointment. It started small, but now it has millions of users constantly rating, offering suggestions.”
“I can’t believe Mika never said anything.”
“He doesn’t say much about me in that aspect. Tend to keep it private.”
She thinks on it and then says, “That’s why you said you don’t date much, because if people find out who you are.”
I nod. “Yeah, people tend to get weird when they find out you have money.”
“I mean, when you casually drop fifteen thousand for a life experience, I can see why.”
“But a fun life experience.” I point at her, making her smile ever so slightly.
She nods at me, arms still crossed. “Why did you sell it?”
“Got bigger than I could handle. I hold stock in it though, and I go to investment meetings often. Now they’re introducing paid services for companies who want to offer the users a unique drinking experience. Influencers are getting on board, and a recipe section is being updated as we speak. Kind of cool seeing a small idea turn into something so large.”
“That is pretty nice.” She shifts on her feet. “So then when you sold it, you retired, right?”
I nod.
“Why did you retire if you’re so bored?”
She’s really going for it on these questions. I kind of like it. “Thought it was what I wanted at the time. But it got old pretty quickly, so that’s why I volunteer a lot.”
“Where do you volunteer?”
“Well, mostly for Green Roofs in the City. Also, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I volunteer at a few different animal shelters. I’ll take dogs for walks, sit with the cats, clean out a lot of shit. Just started learning how to administer medicine. And then the other days, I split my time between Green Roofs, helping with maintenance and awareness, and then I sometimes volunteer with a few out-of-school STEM programs.”
“That’s…that’s a lot of volunteering.”
“Yeah, but I like it.”
“Have you had any serious relationships?”
Switching gears, okay.
“Not really. Nothing earth-shattering. I had a girlfriend in high school, but she broke up with me our senior year because she was going to school in California, and she didn’t want to try to make it work. I mean, I don’t blame her. She’s actually married and has a kid on the way now. Then there were some girls in college, but nothing that’s worth talking about.”
She nods, her lips twisting to the side. “What do you think about someone who is twenty-nine and lies about being married to gain favoritism in her job?”
“I think if you were able to realize that putting yourself in such a position would help push your career forward, then you’re pretty damn smart.”
That seems to encourage her, because she stands a little taller.
