The next morning, I convinced Mom to take me to CostMart, the big warehouse store where our family did most of our shopping.
“I need to buy some snacks,” I told her as we walked through the massive sliding doors.
“What kind of snacks?”
“Just… snacks. For a project.”
Mom gave me a suspicious look but grabbed a shopping cart anyway. “What’s your budget?”
I pulled out my fifteen dollars from dog washing. “This.”
“Fifteen dollars? Kiora, you know everything here comes in bulk, right? You can’t just buy one candy bar.”
My confidence started to wobble. “What do you mean?”
“I mean they sell things in big quantities. Like, twenty-four candy bars at a time, or a case of sodas.”
We walked down the snack aisle, and I stared in horror at the prices. A box of twenty-four candy bars cost eighteen dollars. A case of sodas was sixteen dollars. Even the cheapest chips were twelve dollars for a big multi-pack.
I did quick math in my head. I could afford one box of candy bars, but then I’d have no money left for anything else. And I’d be three dollars short.
“This is a disaster,” I muttered, staring at a package of gum that somehow cost more than my allowance would be if I actually got allowance.
“What’s a disaster?” Mom asked.
“Nothing. Never mind.”
But Mom wasn’t giving up that easily. “Kiora, what’s this really about?”
I sighed. There was no point in hiding it anymore. “I want to sell snacks at the park. Dad told me about his candy business at school, and I thought I could do something similar.”
Mom’s expression softened. “That’s actually a pretty good idea.”
“It was. Until I realized I can’t afford to buy anything.”
Mom studied the prices, then looked at me. “You know what? I’ll make you a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
“I’ll lend you the extra money you need to get started. But you have to pay me back from your profits, with interest.”
“Interest?”
“Five percent. That’s what banks charge for business loans.”
I thought about it. Five percent of… I tried to do the math in my head and gave up. “How much would that be?”
“If I lend you ten dollars, you’d pay me back ten dollars and fifty cents.”
That seemed fair. “Deal.”
With Mom’s loan, I had twenty-five dollars to work with. I carefully selected the cheapest options: a box of twelve assorted candy bars for $8.50 and a mixed pack of twenty-four cans of soda on sale for $15.
At the checkout, I handed over all my money, the fifteen dollars I’d earned plus the ten dollars Mom had lent me.
“Twenty-four ninety one,” the cashier said.
I handed her everything I had.
I stared at my purchases. Twelve candy bars and twenty-four cans of soda. It didn’t look like much for all my money.
“Having second thoughts?” Mom asked as we loaded everything into the car.
I took a deep breath. “No. This has to work.”
But as we drove home, I couldn’t help wondering: what if it didn’t?