Drunk Millennials

Three days later

The sun had been out for hours and so had they.

Maya was standing in the middle of H Street. Go-go music rattled the speakers one block away. Leyla had disappeared into a vendor tent. Aisha was taking photos of everything. Salma was somewhere nearby, probably.

"MAYA!"

She turned. Sean was making his way through the crowd with Nima and Ken. All three holding beers. All three sunburned.

"No way!" Maya shouted over the music.

"Are you by yourself?" Sean shouted back.

"The girls are around here somewhere." She waved vaguely.

The crowd parted for Sean as he reached her.

Then they were close. Sunscreen and beer. His cheeks were pink from the heat.

"Hi." He smiled.

"Hi."

"You look—"

"Hot?" Maya clipped her hair up. "Can't believe it's ninety degrees. I feel gross."

He was still smiling. "That's not what I was going to say."

She raised an eyebrow. "What were you going to say?"

He opened his mouth—

"MAYA!" Ken arrived with open arms and scooped her into a hug. "Happy H Street Festival!"

She hugged him back. "Happy H Street Festival!"

Over Ken's shoulder, she tried to read Sean's expression. But his eyes were on Nima. They exchanged a look.

Nima had hung back. Nodding once in her direction.

"Are you here alone?" Ken asked Maya.

"My girls are here somewhere." She was scanning the block with no luck.

Sean looked past the group and laughed. "Found them." He pointed across the street.

Leyla, Salma, and some guy were doing a dance. A poorly choreographed dance. Aisha was filming it. Like a proud stage mom.

Maya took a deep breath. Braced herself.

They walked over.

"Ayyyyy." Sean walked up clapping. Ken joined, loud. Nima managed a golf clap. Slow. Sarcastic.

Leyla spun around, surprised. "Whaaa! Shayan! You're here!" She locked eyes with Maya. Searching.

Maya kept a straight face.

Leyla hugged Sean. Ken hugged everyone who would let him. Nima stood slightly apart, arms crossed, watching.

Salma was next to the stranger. Close.

"This is Gabriel." Salma said. Voice slightly higher than usual. "He was brave enough to learn the dance. On the spot."

"Brave or stupid." Gabriel smiled. "The jury's still out."

Salma laughed. Too loud.

Leyla caught Maya's eye. Mouthed: O-K.

Maya suppressed a grin.

19 minutes later

The group had drifted toward a shaded corner by a closed-off parking lot. Someone had set up lawn chairs. Someone else had acquired more drinks.

Maya was leaning against a chain-link fence. Her fingers were on her necklace. Watching Sean and Nima go back and forth about something.

Nima's hands were moving. Sean kept shaking his head. One of them said something. They both laughed. Went right back to it.

Aisha appeared at her elbow. "You good?"

"I'm great." Maya responded. A little too quickly.

"You're staring." Aisha turned to face her.

"I'm not staring. I'm observing."

"You're observing very intensely."

Maya took a long sip of her drink. "We work together. I'm allowed to observe my business partner."

"Mmhmm."

"Don't 'mmhmm' me."

The corner of Aisha's mouth twitched. "How's the work going, by the way? The... what's it called?"

"NextBlock." Maya answered.

"NextBlock. How's it going?"

"Good. We contracted some designers and developers. Website's up."

"Wow. Suddenly so real."

"It was always real."

"But this is fast." Aisha looked at her. "You talked about this for a year. Now suddenly you quit your job?"

"That was always the plan. And AI changed everything. I can move way faster now."

"Oh it's AI that changed everything? That's what we're calling it?"

Maya didn't answer.

"And what about Sean?" Aisha stood back.

Maya's head snapped toward her. "What about him?"

"Is he quitting his job too?"

Maya laughed. "We are equal partners. Most of it's on me right now. But when it takes off, he'll quit. He knows that."

"Does he?"

Maya turned her gaze back to Sean. "Yes."

"As long as you know what you're doing. And you're not rushing into anything." Aisha tried to meet Maya's eyes.

"This isn't my first startup." Maya's eyes were still on Sean. "This doesn't feel rushed."

"What does it feel like?"

Aisha followed Maya's gaze. Sean was laughing at something Ken said. He squinted against the sun. Glanced over at Maya.

Maya looked away.

"It feels...rational." Maya let out a big sigh. "I'm good, girl. Can we find some water?"

Aisha shrugged. "Let's go."

25 minutes later

Sean was suddenly holding bags of food. Empanadas from somewhere. Pupusas from somewhere else. A pile of napkins that was already losing to the wind.

The group had found shade. Nine people sprawled out. Gabriel somehow ended up next to Salma again.

Leyla dropped onto the curb next to Maya. "Girl. What is happening?"

"I don't know." Maya laughed into her drink. "Is this weird?"

"Only if you make it weird." Leyla bumped her shoulder. "What's going on with you and Shayan lately?"

"Nothing." Maya peeled the wrapper off an empanada. "It's been great. We're getting a lot done."

"Lame."

"I told you. We have a good idea. I want to see it through."

Leyla narrowed her eyes. "Then why is this weird?"

"Because his friends are here." Maya leaned into Leyla. "And I'm drunk."

Leyla reached over and fluffed Maya's hair.

"Hey!" Maya smacked her hands away. "Don't draw attention to me."

"Too late." Leyla tipped her chin at the group. Aisha, Sean, Nima, and Ken were all looking over. Then looked away. "I see Aisha's doing her investigating."

Maya put her face in her palm.

Leyla shook her. "It'll be fun. I've never actually socialized with Shayan."

"You saw him on your birthday. And Ken. And Nima."

Leyla laughed. "Oh shit. You're right. It's all a blur."

They sat for a moment. Watching the group. Sean and Ken were handing out waters. Nima was on his phone. And Salma and Gabriel were sitting close. Too close.

Maya watched Salma laugh at something he said. Watched her tuck her hair behind her ear.

Leyla leaned into Maya's ear. "They're gonna get married."

"We're not giving her away that easily." Maya objected. "What do we even know about him?"

"He's a recent transplant. Bay Area. I don't think he has a job but he's been paying for all her drinks."

"Bet he's in tech." Maya gave the pair a look.

"Is that a bad thing?"

Maya shrugged.

"Well," Leyla clutched at her heart. "She deserves some fun."

Maya nodded. Glanced across the group. Sean was watching her. She looked away. Turned back to Leyla.

Leyla met her eyes. "So do you."

18 minutes later

A crowd had formed around a break dancer near the 8th Street stage. The music was loud. Go-go drums rattling through a portable speaker. A kid with a cardboard mat was going off.

Nima had his phone out. Filming.

"YOOO," Ken was pushing closer to the front. Leyla and Aisha were next to him, screaming every time the kid hit a freeze.

Salma and Gabriel were somewhere behind them. Not really watching.

Maya stood quietly on the edge of the circle. Finishing her bottle of water.

Sean appeared next to her. "Hi."

"Hey." She turned back to the dancer. Who spun into a windmill. The crowd erupted.

Sean and Maya both took a few steps back. Watched their friends start dancing with the rest of the crowd.

He laughed. "Your friends know how to have a good time."

"Aisha drives in from the suburbs for this." Maya leaned toward his ear over the noise. "She has us make a whole day of it. Every year."

The dancer hit a freeze. The crowd screamed. Leyla and Aisha howled.

"YOUNG KING." Ken pulled his hat off and waved it.

Sean clapped. Leaned in close. "We come when we're around. Ken lives off H. And Nima is by Brookland."

"How long have you guys been friends?" Maya took another step back.

Sean followed. "Since high school."

"Really!"

Sean nodded.

Maya punched his arm. "That's adorable."

He pretended to sway. "I know, right?"

"I've had my girls since college." Maya smiled. Looked over at Leyla and Aisha.

They were cheering louder than the music through the speakers. Nima was filming them.

"So." Sean turned to Maya. "What do your friends think about all this?"

She pretended not to hear him. "What?"

"What do they think about us starting a company?"

She didn't turn her head. "It doesn't matter what they think."

"Damn." He looked back at the dancer. "That bad?"

"No. But we know it's a good idea. And we have so much more information than they do."

"So they just don't get it?"

"Wait." Her head snapped to him. "What have your friends said?"

Sean smirked. "I thought it doesn't matter what they think."

"But you're pressing it so much. Maybe they said something? That's planted a seed of doubt."

The dancer launched into another set. Someone threw cash in. Now Ken was filming.

Sean edged back. "Nima is a little pissed."

Maya didn't move. "About what?"

He waved her closer. "Just that I put my own Bitcoin in."

"And so did I," she reminded him.

He held up his hand. "I know. Look. You're right. He doesn't understand any of it."

She relaxed her shoulders.

"Nima's just," he sighed, "protective."

"We're early. We were early on Bitcoin. We're early on Nostr." She looked at him. "It's gonna work."

Sean turned his head back to the dancer. Leaned on his side, into her ear over the music. "Tick tock."

A smile curled on her lips. "NextBlock."

The breaker was back on his feet. Circling. The crowd clapped in rhythm.

"I guess..." She was thinking out loud. "Leyla knew you. And Salma does now. But Nima's only seen me out..."

The music shifted. Something slower crept in under the drums.

"We should tell them." She turned to face him. "Have them see it's real."

He blinked.

"Explain our app." She kept going. "So Nima can chill. Everyone can chill."

"They're drunk." Sean's eyes went back to the dancer.

"So are we." Maya stepped in front of him, blocking his view.

"I'm not drunk." Sean teased. "I'm perfectly sober. Watch." He lifted his leg and touched his nose with his index finger.

His leg slipped down and he caught himself right before falling.

Maya's hand went over her mouth. Her laugh still broke through.

"Okay, I'm too drunk." He threw his hands in the air. "You'll have to do the pitch."

"Nope." Maya shook her head. "You're marketing. I'm the tech."

"You're better at it. I want you to do it. "

"I'm not—"

"Maya." His voice dropped. Even in the noise she heard it clearly. "This is your idea. Let them hear it first with your voice. With your passion. You light up when you talk about it."

She felt her face get hot.

"That's..." She stopped. Tried again. "You can't say things like that."

"Why not?"

"Because." She didn't have an answer. She reached for some water. Remembered her bottle was empty.

"Because," she repeated. And nothing more.

He was smiling now.

Behind them the crowd erupted again. Ken was screaming something.

"Fine." She straightened up. "Let's play shark tank with some drunk millennials."

"Hey. It's an important market to target."

She rolled her eyes.

But she was grinning cheek to cheek.

Eight minutes later

The group moved again. A rooftop bar overlooking the festival. The sun was starting to set. Almost golden hour.

Maya and Sean were laughing about something when they caught up with them.

Ken was on his sixth beer and asking Gabriel about his job. Very loudly. "SO WHAT DO YOU DO?"

"I was at Goldman." Gabriel said.

Leyla elbowed Salma. "So we got a finance bro to twerk? For free!"

"I was a finance bro." Gabriel smiled at Salma. "Now, I'm funemployed."

"Oh yeah?" Ken asked. "Doing what?"

"Just shit for a lot of tech companies. Taking them public. Helping them get bought."

"Oh!" Leyla turned and pointed at Maya. "Maya's in tech. She's an engineer."

"A dev? Really?" Gabriel asked. "How's DC's tech scene?"

"You're looking at it." Maya tipped her drink toward him. "It's a small crowd."

"That's what I've heard," Gabriel said.

"So were you laid off?" Nima asked.

"No, actually I stepped away." Gabriel cleared his throat. "Needed some time off."

"Wow." Nima took a sip. "Must be nice."

"The hours were killing me. My sister's out here. I have good savings. Investments. I can afford to reset." Gabriel met Salma's eyes. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Smart." Ken said. "That's awesome you can afford to."

Maya caught Sean's eye across the table.

Now? he mouthed.

She was tipsy enough to say yes.

Now. She nodded.

"Mr. Gabriel." Maya leaned forward. "Can I get your professional opinion on something?"

He laughed. "Sure."

"We're building an app. Starting a company. Sean and me." She gestured vaguely between them. "I'm curious what someone like you would think."

Gabriel's posture shifted. "What's the app?"

"Our first product is Billboard." Maya said. "People rent a digital billboard to promote something. We match them with people who set their rate to watch it."

"Match? Like a dating app?" Gabriel asked.

"Uh." She froze. Looked at Sean. He was smiling at her.

"Yes. Actually, just like a dating app." Sean picked it up. "Instead of setting the age and location, you set your price." He nodded to Maya.

"Yeah, so after you're paid, go down the rabbit hole of whatever you just discovered." Maya ticked them off. "A new podcast. A show. An album. A creator."

"But people get paid how?" Gabriel had more questions. "Credits?"

She shook her head. "Bitcoin. Instant micro-payments."

"Ah."

"What if you don't want Bitcoin?" Ken sat back with his beer. "A lot of people don't trust it."

"It has to be Bitcoin." Maya said. "The dollar can't move this fast. We'll be making too many micro-transactions."

"And it lets us operate in over 100 countries," Sean added. "I think we can find enough people who are willing to try it out."

Aisha, Salma, and Leyla started posing for a selfie. Nima was texting on his phone.

Gabriel leaned in. "Walk me through it."

Sean grinned.

"Let's say you want to pay out $100 in BTC to promote..." Maya looked around.

"...Promote Nima!" Ken offered. "His company Instagram. It has the best car detailing tips."

Nima looked up.

"Yes!" Maya smiled over at Nima. "Nima could buy a billboard. Post one of his reels. Drive people to his website, or even his other social accounts to go see more content."

"How many people would see it?" Nima lifted his head.

"That's up to you. And the market." Maya turned her body to face him. "Say you'll pay a quarter a view."

Nima nodded.

"You could get 400 people. That's completed views. Not impressions."

Nima rubbed the scruff of his beard with his thumb.

"But," Maya continued, "not everyone values their attention the same way. Some people set their price at a penny."

"So he'd reach way more people?" Gabriel said.

"Or fewer. If people set higher prices." Maya threw her hands in the air. "The market decides. But whatever the budget, we charge a 20 percent service fee on top."

"So if Nima puts in a hundred, people get eighty?" Gabriel asked.

"No. People get the full hundred. Our fee is on top. Nima pays a hundred and twenty total."

Gabriel nodded slowly. "So you never touch the payout."

"Never. Every cent goes to the viewers."

"But if he wants more views?" Gabriel was thinking.

"It's between him and the market. Nima can adjust anytime based on what's working."

"And we can't manipulate it even if we wanted to." Sean took a swig of his drink.

Leyla blinked. "What does that mean?"

Maya winced. Sean nodded at her and took the question.

"Our matching system is just taking in data. We can't force a match if the data doesn't align. So we can't force ads on you like other platforms do. Even when you hit 'not interested'."

"So..." Gabriel was thinking. "If I'm understanding correctly...theoretically, you'll have revenue day one?"

"If it works." Sean smiled. "From day one."

"It will work." Maya corrected him.

Gabriel sat back. "It should work."

Maya and Sean locked eyes.

"And the tipping part." Salma shifted closer. Her shoulder brushed Gabriel's. "You guys should explain that. It's cool."

"On Nostr they call it a 'zap.' Tips you can send on any post." Maya made air quotes. "So you watch a billboard. Discover someone new. A podcast, a creator, whatever. You like it. You can tip them the same Bitcoin you just earned, directly."

Gabriel saw it. "So the money just circulates."

"But what if Bitcoin crashes in the middle of me running an ad?" Nima leaned forward.

"That's a great question. It's all in sats." Maya eased back. "You earn sats, you tip back out in sats."

Nima wasn't sold. "But if the dollar value changes, fewer people will want Bitcoin."

"It's still money. They may just want more of it. They would just change the price of their attention. Ask for a little more bitcoin than before."

Sean jumped in. "It's what's so genius about Maya's idea. This attention marketplace sets up attention like a commodity you're trading. We'll be able to track the price of attention like oil. The price will keep changing."

Leyla and Aisha's eyes met, then went to Maya. She was blushing.

Gabriel clapped his hands. "I love this. How far along are you guys?" Gabriel pulled out his phone. "Do you have a demo? Beta testing?"

Sean sighed. "Soon. Maya's been working on this for a while. I just joined a few months ago."

Maya grabbed Gabriel's phone to pull it up for him. "We got the idea two months ago. Together. We have the roadmap up on our site."

"Just the two of you?"

Sean looked at Maya. "We're business partners."

Maya smiled. "We have designers and developers. But yeah. Just us leading it."

"Full time?"

"I am." Maya said. "I quit my job. A few weeks ago."

Gabriel sat with that. "You're all in."

"We both are." Maya looked back at Sean.

"UNEMPLOYED all in." Leyla clarified. "She has no income. No plan B. She's just—"

"Leyla." Salma cut her off.

"But the stakes are different for you than Shayan." Aisha's arm reached out to Maya. "You're risking a lot. Starting a company with no fall back."

"It was a bigger risk to stay in my job." Maya turned to Aisha. "They're gonna run out of money in two years, max."

"Risk. Commitment. Whatever you want to call it. It's big, Maya." Aisha wasn't letting it go.

"Hey. We are all very proud and excited for you, Maya." Salma's eyes darted to Aisha and Leyla. "And we know you've thought this through."

"It is big. It's very brave." Gabriel smiled at Maya. "What Maya is doing. Most people I know talk about doing something like this. They never actually do it."

"Brave, yeah. But smart?" Nima had finally put his phone down.

Gabriel looked at Maya and Sean. "This is a better pitch than I've heard in a long time."

They exchanged glances. Smiled. Looked back at Gabriel.

Gabriel turned back to Nima. "Your friends are smart."

Fifteen minutes later

The sun was lower now. The group had scattered across the rooftop. Ken was at the bar closing his tab. Aisha was taking photos of the skyline. Salma and Gabriel hadn't moved from their corner.

Maya was still at the high top. Empty glasses and napkins around her.

Sean walked over with two waters. Sat down across from her.

She took a long sip. Closed her eyes for a second. Her feet were killing her. Her shoulders had caught too much sun.

A nice breeze came through.

"Cheers." He tapped his bottle against hers. "Our first pitch."

She started peeling the label off her bottle.

"That was fun." She said it quietly.

"You were great."

"We were great." She corrected him.

He tapped it against hers again. Leaned back. "This is giving me deja vu."

"Oh yeah?"

"Sitting on a rooftop talking about Nostr and Bitcoin." He looked at her. "I feel like I've done this before."

Maya smiled. "Vegas feels like a lifetime ago."

"It does."

She kept peeling the label.

"You were right, by the way." He hadn't looked away.

The label tore.

"About what?"

"All of it. The idea. That we could build it." He took a sip. "Make it real."

She looked down. Smiled. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He was looking at her. "Maya."

She sat up. Met his eyes. The sun was almost gone.

Leyla appeared next to them. She slammed her hands on the table. "Guys. I'm starving. What's the plan?"

Sean opened his mouth. Before he could speak, Ken shouted from the bar. "Come here. Finish the pitcher!"

Nima was waving her over. Leyla went back to the bar.

Maya's eyes hadn't moved off Sean. "You know what I keep thinking about?"

"What?"

She looked up to the sky. "What would've happened if the DMs hadn't glitched."

He laughed. "What do you think would've happened?"

She was quiet for a second. "I think we would've been distracted." She said it slowly. "And we'd have lacked urgency."

Sean shook his head. Laughed again.

Maya leaned back. Looked out at the city. "I can't believe the attention protocol is about to have an app."

He turned to look out over the rooftop with her.

She exhaled. "What a great summer."

They sat there for a while. The crowd was getting louder around them. Neither moved.

Nima walked up. "So what's the plan?"

Sean cleared his throat. "Rumi's. I already made the reservation."

"Of course he did." Maya said to herself.

Ken walked up. Patted Sean on the back. "I have to dip early but I can come eat."

"Hot date?" Maya asked.

"Maybe." Ken winked.

Nima waved the rest over. Salma and Gabriel finally stood up. Aisha took one last photo.

They all headed out.

37 minutes later

The table was loud. Three bottles of wine in. The bread gone, the hummus scraped to the bowl, only oil left where the mezze had been.

Ken had somehow ended up between Aisha and Salma. Gabriel rested his hand on the back of Salma's chair.

Maya looked across the table. Sean was laughing at something Nima said. He looked good. Easy.

Then the entrées came. Platters of it. Kabab still steaming on the skewer. A lamb shank sliding off the bone. The rice crowned with tahdig. Golden. When it hit the table, half of them groaned.

Aisha's hand shot up. "Nobody touch it." Two clicks of her phone. "Okay. Go."

Hands came in from everywhere. Sean served Leyla first, then Nima, filling their plates before his own.

Aisha got a few bites in before she pointed her fork at Maya. "But wait. What's the plan for money? Now that you don't work? Are you getting a business loan?"

Maya smiled. "Bitcoin."

Aisha rolled her eyes. "What does that even mean?"

"I've been buying Bitcoin." Maya spooned tahdig onto her plate. "For years. Every paycheck. Moved my retirement into it five years ago."

The table went quiet.

Aisha set down her fork. "So you're just... set? You have enough money?"

"Not set. But I'm not desperate." Maya looked at Gabriel. "There's a difference. Like you, I assume?"

"It's easier to figure out your next move." Gabriel's hand found Salma's arm. She didn't move it. "When your mind isn't occupied working for someone else all day."

"But Bitcoin's so volatile." Nima leaned forward over his plate. "If the price drops tomorrow—"

Maya kept eating. "I only spend what I need. The rest stays in cold storage."

"But your retirement? All your eggs in one basket?" He shook his head. "Everyone knows you have to diversify."

Maya took a bite. Forced a smile. "Are you diversified? Or are all your eggs in the dollar?"

Nima shot back. "The dollar is the strongest currency in the world. It's backed by gold. What's Bitcoin backed by?"

"Math." Maya took a sip of wine. "And the dollar hasn't been pegged to gold since the '70s."

Ken looked up from his phone. "Really?"

Maya nodded. "There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin. The dollar?" She shrugged. "They just keep printing more."

"Did you guys know we printed more money during COVID than ever before in this country?" Sean sat up. "That's why it feels like everything costs twice what it used to."

"Wait. Seriously?" Leyla's fork stopped halfway to her mouth.

Sean nodded. "In just a few years."

Aisha spooned ghormeh sabzi over her rice. "Is that why no one can buy a house?"

Nima turned to Sean. "Yeah but that's temporary. Things will go back to normal."

"When?" Maya said. "When has the dollar ever gone back up in value? When have prices ever gone back down?"

Nima opened his mouth. Closed it. Reached for his wine.

"You walked right into that one." Leyla patted Nima's shoulder.

Sean was grinning. Maya caught his eye across the table.

"Anyway." She leaned back. "It's working so far for me." She looked at Nima. "But I'll keep you posted."

20 minutes later

"This is a feast, guys." Gabriel sat back, hand on his stomach. "I like your style. Reminds me of how my grandma used to do dinners."

"Persian food is good. I can't lie." Salma pointed her fork. "But you haven't lived until you've had Palestinian. My mom's maqluba."

"Maqluba?"

"It means upside-down. Rice, lamb, eggplant, all in one pot. You flip the whole thing onto a platter." She pretended to flip an imaginary pot onto the table. "It's a work of art."

Gabriel turned to her. "You know how to make that?"

"Oh yeah." Salma shrugged. "Just takes practice."

He leaned over and dusted her shoulder off. "I could never."

"With all this free time?" She nudged his knee under the table. "You could learn."

He held her eyes. "Maybe you'll teach me."

Salma's smile softened.

Aisha, Leyla, and Maya all exchanged looks. Repeatedly.

"Learning something new. Trying something new." He looked at her. "That's exactly what I need right now."

"The corporate world was crushing my soul." Gabriel set his glass down. "I swear, I could only assimilate for so long."

Everyone caught themselves laughing. The laugh of people who all knew.

Gabriel looked across the table. "What about you, Sean?"

"Me?" He leaned back. Held his wine with both hands.

"You're in government, right? How's that going?"

Sean let out a breath. "It's a nightmare."

The table got quiet.

"People are getting fired by email. Mass emails. No warning. My friend showed up to work last week and his badge didn't work. That's how he found out. Standing at the door. Card wouldn't scan."

"Jesus." Ken shook his head.

"They're still doing it. On purpose." Sean's jaw tightened. "It's not just cuts. It's the shock factor. They want to humiliate us."

"My cousin got that email last month." Aisha was staring at her now empty plate. "Twenty-two years. Gone."

"My aunt too." Leyla winced. "She cried for three days. At least she was eligible for retirement."

"Still, that's not on her terms. It's not right." Sean exhaled. "It's been demoralizing. Dehumanizing really. Everyone's waiting for the next round."

He looked back down at his plate.

Leyla turned to look at Maya.

Maya hadn't been looking. She was smiling, watching Salma laugh at something Gabriel whispered.

"But Sean, you're still there." Gabriel met his eyes. "They've kept you."

Sean nodded. "I'm still there."

"Tell me," Gabriel pressed. "You weren't tempted to take the buyout?"

"No. I didn't even trust it." Sean waved it off. "And someone has to stay and hold it together."

"I personally wouldn't quit anything." Salma shook her head. "In this economy? Hold on until the bitter end."

"Job market is so brutal right now." Leyla agreed. "My sister's been looking for eight months. Nothing. Thank god you're okay, Shayan."

Nima looked up from his lamb. "I just can't believe all these layoffs. It's been so bad for business."

"Really?" Sean looked up, surprised. "Your revenue is down?"

"Of course, Shayan." Nima sipped his wine. "Everyone is spending less. No one knows what will happen. People are worried."

Gabriel leaned in. "These companies just don't know what they're doing. They over-hire when things are good. Panic and slash when numbers dip."

Salma turned to him. "Morons. And then the people at the bottom pay for it."

"We've been hit so hard. It'll only get worse." Aisha sat back and crossed her legs. "No one is buying houses right now."

"This...is why you have to quit before you get the mass email." Maya tipped her glass toward Gabriel. "Am I right?"

Gabriel and Maya raised their glasses to each other.

The waiter appeared with another bottle. Poured. Disappeared.

"But the layoffs aren't stopping." Gabriel said, watching the wine settle in his glass. "And they're completely arbitrary."

"Completely. They've had to hire some people back," Sean's eyes kept finding the table. "The cuts were too deep. None of these people in charge know what they're doing."

"But private sector has been doing this for years." Leyla pointed her fork around the table. "Right? Government is just using their playbook now. If you saw these contracts. These companies don't give a shit about their employees."

"Because they don't have to." Maya picked up the last piece of tahdig on her plate. "People act like employment is the only way to make money."

"Nothing like working for yourself." Aisha smiled. "Me and David, my husband," she explained to Gabriel, "we're in real estate. It can be chaos but at least nobody can fire us."

"Family business." Gabriel turned to Salma. "That's the dream."

Leyla and Maya looked at each other immediately. Rolled their eyes. And grinned.

"It is." Aisha folded her arms on the edge of the table. "There's always someone else who cares as much as you. Takes the pressure off."

"That does sound nice." Nima sighed. "I get exhausted running everything by myself. I have seven employees now."

Leyla blinked. "Seven is a lot."

"Yeah. And I want them to actually want to work for me." Nima leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair. Grabbed his chin. "I think we have great benefits, lots of time off, bonuses when we do well—"

"You sound like a great boss." Maya smiled at him.

"I try." Nima waved his hand. Almost smiled.

"I manage nine people under me right now." Salma thought out loud. "It used to be four but there's been cuts and they combined teams."

Gabriel leaned back. Put his arm over the back of her chair. "Sounds like you're ready to start your own firm."

"Never." Salma almost giggled. "I can't stand the admin stuff."

Maya cocked her head at Salma. "Girl. How is a little admin stuff worse than managing almost ten people?"

"Ok." Salma smirked. "Says the girl who has Sean do all her admin work."

Sean laughed. Put his hands up. "Hey. I'm happy to do it."

"It's called delegation." Maya took a sip of her wine.

Gabriel kept his eyes on Salma. "For me, it took time to even think about leaving. Couldn't even picture my life in that way."

Salma tilted her head. "What couldn't you picture?"

"Myself. In charge. Of myself. When you've only ever been someone's employee...it's hard to think you can be more."

Maya was nodding. "Hmm."

Gabriel turned to Sean. "The responsibility sounds impossible. So you just stay. Keep being the worker bee."

Maya reached for the wine bottle. "You think you're a cog in the machine even when you're the one actually running shit."

"Especially then." Gabriel sat forward. "Because you're too busy running their thing to imagine running your own."

Maya looked across at Sean. He was looking down. Dangling a fork on his plate.

Ken stood up. "I'm out guys."

He dropped three hundred-dollar bills on the table. "HAPPY H STREET FESTIVAL. The wine is on me. It's been a pleasure."

Sean was already on his feet with the bills. Held them out to Ken.

"Ken. No. That's too much." Nima almost shouted from the table.

Ken tried to keep a straight face. "Man, those aren't even mine. I don't know where those came from."

Sean pushed the bills toward Ken's chest. "You know we can't let you."

Ken laughed. Tried to step around him.

Nima stood up. Blocked the other side. "Now you really want to embarrass us like this. Baba, take it!"

"Ken! Just do your share." Now Leyla shouted.

"Fine." Ken threw his hands in the air. Grabbed one of the hundred-dollar bills from Sean's hands. "But one more time?"

The whole table in unison sang "Happy H Street Festival" to send Ken off.

Aisha raised her glass.

Maya raised hers to Sean. "Best one yet."