“Link, there's something wrong with the website."
"WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE PROBLEM, MISS JASMINE?"
"Everybody keeps ordering number seven."
"THAT IS CORRECT."
"But number seven is ugly!"
"APPARENTLY, YOUR CUSTOMERS DISAGREE."
Jack looked up from his breakfast.
"Congratulations, Jazz. You've invented ugly fashion."
"Shut up, Jack."
"JASMINE," Vicky warned.
"Sorry, Mom."
Chas smiled.
"How many have you sold?"
"Two hundred and seventeen."
Chas stopped buttering his toast.
"Two hundred and seventeen?"
"YES," Link replied. "AND THERE ARE AN ADDITIONAL SIXTY-THREE ORDERS AWAITING FULFILLMENT."
"Well," Chas said, "looks like you've got yourself a business."
Jasmine sighed.
"I wanted to design dresses. Now all I do is answer questions about shipping."
"Jasmine, when was the last time you sat down and drew a dress?"
"I don't have time, Mom. I've got orders."
Vicky smiled.
"Then perhaps it's time you learned the difference between working in a business and working on a business."
Chas asked, “Link, how much has Jazz made?”
“SEVENTY FOUR THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AN SIXTEEN DOLLARS.”
Jasmine shrugged.
“That’s why I need another production line.”
Chas put his coffee down and smiled.
“That’s interesting, Princess. But how are you doing on your history?”
“My history?”
“Your history test. Tomorrow.”
“Oh. That.”
Vicky put down her fork.
“Jasmine, you haven’t been spending your evenings studying, have you?”
“I’ve been busy, Mom. I’ve got customers waiting for answers.”
“How many?”
“Forty-three.”
“Well, they’ll have to wait.”
“But Mom, they’re customers!”
“And you’re twelve years old. You have a history test tomorrow, and you’re going to study for it.”
Jack grinned.
“Better brush up on the Civil War, Jazz.”
“1861,” Jasmine answered immediately.
“What?”
“The Civil War started in 1861 at Fort Sumter, I know that.”
Chas laughed.
“Then you shouldn’t have any trouble with your test.”
Jasmine looked toward the ceiling.
“Link, can’t you answer the customers for me?”
“CERTAINLY, MISS JASMINE.”
“Then why didn’t you offer?”
“YOU DID NOT ASK.”
Jack laughed.
Jasmine turned toward her brother.
“Jack, I need you to do something for me.”
Jack looked up.
“That sounds expensive.”
“I need you to fix my website.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it. I just need it to do more.”
“Like what?”
“Let people choose the color of their dresses. And the fabric.”
Jack considered that.
“So you want options for each design?”
“Yes. They should be able to pick a dress, choose a color, and then choose what fabric they want.”
“How many colors?”
Jasmine shrugged.
“I don’t know. Twenty?”
“And fabrics?”
“Maybe ten.”
Jack smiled.
“Jazz, that’s two hundred combinations for every design. You’ve got ten designs. That’s two thousand possibilities.”
“So?”
“So somebody has to make sure they all work.”
“Link makes the dresses.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Jasmine frowned.
“Can you do it or not?”
“Of course I can do it.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Jack grinned.
“You’re the problem.”
“Jack!”
“Seriously, Jazz. Not every fabric works with every design. Some fabrics won’t hold their shape, and some colors won’t look right.”
Vicky nodded.
“Your brother has a point, sweetheart. You’ll need to decide which combinations you’re willing to offer.”
Jasmine thought about that.
“Could the website show what the dress would look like before somebody orders it?”
Jack nodded.
“Sure. Link can render the combinations.”
“EXACTLY,” Link added. “I CAN ALSO IDENTIFY FABRICS THAT ARE UNSUITABLE FOR A PARTICULAR DESIGN.”
Jasmine brightened.
“Great! Then let’s do that.”
Jack leaned back in his chair.
“How much are you paying me?”
Jasmine stared at him.
“You’re my brother!”
“Exactly. You should get a family discount.”
Chas laughed.
“Sounds like your first business negotiation, Princess.”
Jasmine considered her brother for a moment.
“How about a hundred dollars?”
Jack raised an eyebrow.
“For a custom website upgrade?”
“Two hundred?”
“Jazz, you made seventy-four thousand dollars.”
“So?”
“So stop being cheap.”
Jasmine folded her arms.
“Fine. Five hundred dollars.”
Jack smiled.
“Deal.”
“AND MISS JASMINE,” Link interrupted, “YOU SHOULD CONSIDER CHARGING DIFFERENT PRICES FOR DIFFERENT FABRICS.”
“Why?”
“BECAUSE SILK COSTS CONSIDERABLY MORE THAN COTTON.”
Jasmine thought about that.
“Oh. Right.”
Vicky smiled.
“Now you’re learning.”
Jasmine turned back to Jack.
“When can you have it finished?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good.”
“After your history test,” Vicky added.
Jasmine sighed.
“Does everything have to come back to history?”
“Only until you pass it,” Chas answered.
“There’s your problem, Jazz. You’re a terrible boss.”
“Shut up, Jack.”
“Jasmine,” Vicky warned.
“Sorry, Mom.”
Chas smiled at his daughter.
“You’ve got a successful business, Princess. We’re proud of you. But there’s something you need to understand.”
“What’s that?”
“You may be making more money than most adults, but you’re still twelve years old.”
Jasmine sighed.
“Being twelve is a terrible inconvenience.”
About the Creator
Mark Stigers
One year after my birth sputnik was launched, making me a space child. I did a hitch in the Navy as a electronics tech. I worked for Hughes Aircraft Company for quite a while. I currently live in the Saguaro forest in Tucson Arizona
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