Businesswoman Chapter 55

Burnt coffee and stale donuts sat at a table against the wall of the church basement in Wilmington, Delaware. The chairs had been arranged in a semi-circle. Some members chose to go outside to vaporize. One man stood up amongst the crowd.

“Hi my name is Alec, and I just got fired from my federal job,” he announced with a slightly trembling but still strong voice.

“Thank you,” Alec, social worker Annanita Prescott replied.

“What we can glean from you is the fact that we can just relate to such an admission. That is why I’ve brought two guests to speak about business and possibly making your own enterprise. Businesswoman and Businessgirl are here to motivate you to either find a new place of employment, or initiate your own. Ladies….”

“Thank you, Annanita, for allowing us to be here,” Loreen acknowledged. “Now, we have the power to peer into our own lives and take control of our destinies. So you were fired. Given your credentials, you should have no problem finding a new job, if that is your choice. Why are we here? Our role is to show you how to be entrepreneurs.”

“That’s right,” Lisa said. “If you had a—”

“I had a government job with benefits!” A woman named Vivian shrieked.

“Miss Vivian, let’s not speak out of turn. Let’s keep this civil, shall we?” Annanita asked, her teeth showing like tiny white daggers in her mouth.

“Thank you. And I can address that,” Loreen mentioned. “What did you specialize in and what schooling did you have?”

“I went to New Sweden University….” she started.

“That’s education. What have you been schooled in? I’m for education. You could even go back to school and go to First State Community College. What was your degree?”

“Cybersecurity.”

“Use that then.”