Chapter 1

I owned a taco shop for twenty years. The entire street was crowded because of my shop.

After the SATs were over, I wanted to give a 20% discount to the seniors who were graduating on my new taco flavor, but my meat supplier sent me a notice.

[Due to the high temperatures, the cost of transporting frozen goods has increased. Effective today, the price of raw ingredients will increase by 30%.]

[Items are available on a first-come, first-served basis due to limited quantities.]

It was the third time he had increased the price this year. Immediately after, my landlord and vegetable supplier also increased their prices as though they had discussed this in advance.

I was furious as I questioned them, but all of them gave me the same answer.

“Your profit on your new taco menu is high! We also need to benefit!”

I was trembling in anger. I went back to my hometown and sent them a group text message.

[From now on, I don’t need you to supply any materials to me. I also won’t be renting the place anymore!]

Chapter 1

After the SATs were over, I had just put on my promotional banner when I received texts from my suppliers saying that they were increasing the price for ingredients.

The manager from the shop next door, Ben Scott, forwarded their text to me.

[Gabe came out with a new menu item again. Whenever he comes out with a new menu item, it sells like hotcakes! He’ll earn thousands!]

[Now that we have increased the ingredients prices by 30%, we’ll earn some profit too!]

[That’s right! John, you’re so smart! We’ll earn big money because of you!]

[Nancy, make sure you increase the rent too. Otherwise, you won’t get much!]

When I read those texts, I was furious.

My father passed on Anderson’s Tacos to me. We had been operating in this remote alley for 40 years. Because of our unique flavors, we also brought in a lot of business for the other shops on this street.

Every time I came out with new menu items, my suppliers would immediately increase the price of the raw materials, as would my rent.

I clenched my fists. I turned around and looked at my taco station. Smoke wafted up from the food, and the minced meat was glistening. It looked delicious.

I had a lot of regulars, so whenever I needed to increase the price, I hesitated. This time, I really did not want to increase the price. The price for tacos could not be so high.

I made up my mind. Just as I was about to call John Reid, Nancy Duncan showed up.

“Hey, Gabe, is your new menu out yet? You’re a much better businessman than your father!

“What’s the new flavor? Is it good?”

In the past, I would give her a few tacos. This time, I only nodded. “Yes, it’s good. Do you want to buy some? I can give you a 5% discount.”

Upon hearing that, she froze. Then, she scoffed and said, “I can’t afford it because of inflation. Prices for everything are so high these days! I’m going to increase the rent by $1,000 starting this month!”

I took out my phone and showed her our previous conversation. “Nancy, you’ve already increased the rent once this year, and you increased the utility bills as well.

“I didn’t say anything about it then, but it’s only been two months! Are you going to increase it again?

“This shop’s only about 100 square feet, and you’re charging me $13,000 a month. It’s the most expensive place on this street!”

Nancy said indifferently, “Gabe, you need to know your place. If it weren’t for my shop, no one would know about Anderson’s Tacos!

“This is the best spot in this area. You get so many customers because of the crowd. $13,000 is considered cheap!”

Her voice was very loud. People from the nearby shops came out and started to voice their support for Nancy.

“That’s right! If it weren’t for this shop, would you be able to even sell tacos?”

“You have to be grateful. Nancy’s been promoting your shop for you!”

“You should know your place!”

When I heard them, I tried to hold back my rage.

The restaurant on my left did not have much business in the beginning. The owner used to whine about how they could not even fork out money for their daughter’s medical bill.

I helped promote his shop, and I gave free guacamole for every taco purchased if my customers bought something from his restaurant.

As for the cafe on my right, it did not have many customers when they first started. I promoted their cafe on my social media, and I did a bundle deal promotion with their drinks. It helped them find their footing.

After their business got better, they no longer cared about me!

I found Nancy’s words the most baffling. She really thought that her little shop was the reason why my taco business was bustling!

Nancy gave me an ultimatum. “Gabe, I need to survive too. I have already informed you that I’m increasing the rent.

“Worst case, you can increase the price of your tacos. You just have to balance it out, and the money will follow.”

I looked at her glittering eyes as she swept her gaze over my taco counter. I said coldly, “Please give me some time to think about it.”

After that, I turned around and went back into my shop. I shut the door but left the small window at my taco counter open.

Nancy sighed. She pasted the rental price notice on my door. “I’ll give you a day to consider. I won’t entertain anything past that deadline!”

Chapter 2

The surrounding business owners acted like they were concerned for me. They all came over to talk to me. I asked, “Since this shop location is so great, how about I swap with your location instead?”

They fell silent. Everyone knew that even though my business was the best, my shop was the smallest.

People would queue up almost every day for my tacos, and my regulars would call in advance to place their order with a deposit to my account. They knew that if they ordered late, the tacos would be out of stock.

My father operated Anderson’s Tacos for more than 30 years. I had worked on it for 10. I could not let this business collapse.

I created a fake account and asked Ben to add me to the group chat. He was one of the only ones who supported me.

[Ben, aren’t you afraid of getting fired?]

[Gabe, I wanted to quit for the longest time. These people are ruthless. They’ll reap what they sow sooner rather than later!]

I read the text and could not help but snicker. Ben was right. They were hopeless.

In the past, before we moved our taco shop here, my father and I went to visit many potential shops.

Nancy came to us. She said she was at her wits’ end, and she asked us for help. She needed the rent money to send her daughter to study overseas.

When I found out that she needed money for her child’s education, I immediately paid her one year’s rent in advance. It was $8,000 a month at that time. I rounded it up to $100,000 for her.

Back then, she thanked me profusely. She was less entitled in those days.

John was a meat supplier. Whenever I came up with a new menu item, he would stand outside my shop and count the number of people queuing up.

Then, he would say, “You’re earning so much! Look at you! You just wrap tacos and earn thousands a month, while we’re stuck doing hard labor for minimum wage.”

As for the vegetable supplier, Leonard George, he was always very afraid of unsold vegetables going bad. He went around selling his vegetables, but people did not buy much.

I was the one who bought most of his stock from him so he did not have to worry.

However, when they saw that I was doing well, they became jealous of me. They kept increasing the prices and thought I was a pushover.

My wife, Helen Anderson, was furious when she saw the price increase notice. “The rent has increased again! Do they really think we’re a walking ATM?

“Whatever we earn goes into their pockets! We work so hard all year long! I’ve had enough of this!”

I said reassuringly, “Don’t worry. Let’s just find a new shop to rent!”

She looked up at me. “Really? Did you finally consider it?”

“Yes. I no longer want to entertain them.”

Helen was excited. Customers started pouring in at 10 a.m., so we stopped chatting and got to work. We did not get a chance to catch our breath until 1 p.m.

When we were finally out of tacos, I took down the banner and uploaded an announcement on my social media page.

[Sorry everyone, due to the increase in rent and prices for the ingredients, we’re unable to sustain our business. We’ll be closed for a week. We’ll update you on when we’ll reopen. Thank you.]

Immediately, we received a lot of comments expressing their sadness. At the same time, someone sent me a link.

[Gabe, look! Some shops on the street near Gold Square are open for renting. They are giving a 50% discount on the first year’s rent, and there are a lot of perks too!]

[There are also two schools nearby, so the traffic will be good. If you move here, it’ll be a lot easier for me to buy your tacos too!]

[That’s right! I’ve been to that area before, and it’s a good location. There are many surrounding neighborhoods. The only downside is the parking, but the crowd there will be good for business. There is a morning market just behind the street!]

[You should go and find out more!]

I glanced at it and thanked my customer. Then, I immediately called the number of the shop for rent.

“Anderson’s Tacos? If you’re willing to rent from us, we’ll help you to apply for three years’ worth of rental perks!

“We’ll give you a 50% discount on the first year, a 40% discount on the second year, and a 30% discount on the third year! We’ll also give you a free advertisement space!

“Mr. Anderson, we welcome you to rent from us at any time!”

Chapter 3

I discussed it with Helen. We closed our shop and went over to have a look at the new shop.

Gold Square was just two streets away from my current shop. As I walked over, I could see the clean street and the rental banners hanging before the shops.

The rental agent, Ned Smith, welcomed us.

“Gabe, I’m a loyal customer of Anderson’s Tacos. If you rent from me, aside from the perks I mentioned earlier, I’ll also try to arrange additional rent relief for you. Come, have a look!”

He passed me a flyer and took me to the shop.

“This shop’s close to the entrance of a nearby neighborhood, and anyone who’s going to the market will pass by. When people walk to and fro from the market, they’re bound to see your shop!”

Helen and I were satisfied with the shop, so we signed the rental agreement on the spot.

Then, we went to the market located behind the shop. We found that the quality of the vegetables was really good, and it was a lot cheaper as well.

Helen grabbed my hand. “I told Uncle Daniel about this. He owns a farm, so we can get our meat from there. It would definitely be cheaper than what John offers us, and it’ll be fresher too!”

I made up my mind. I left with Helen. We were busy making arrangements until 5 p.m. When we returned to the shop, Nancy was there impatiently waiting for me.

“So? What’s it going to be, Gabe? What’s your decision? Also, why did you close your shop?”

“I ran out of tacos since I don’t have much stock left.

“I’ve thought it through. I don’t agree with the price increase. We agreed back then and signed a one-year agreement. You’re the party in breach of contract.”

Nancy looked as though she had heard the funniest thing.

She laughed and said, “Gabe, there was a clause in the agreement stating that any rent increase resulting from force majeure would not constitute a breach of contract.

“Given the current inflation and the rising cost of living, these circumstances are beyond my control. It’s both reasonable and legal for me to increase the rent.”

I knew she was trying to play dirty, so I sighed and pretended to be torn. “Nancy, you’re practically forcing me to shut down!

“Besides, I have two more weeks. If you want to increase the rent, you can raise it next month!”

“I don’t care! You better pay me for the difference in price for the next two weeks. Otherwise, you’ll suffer the consequences!”

Nancy gave me an ultimatum and spared me another day.

She had just left when John showed up. “Gabe, I’ve prepared the stock for tomorrow. Make sure you pay me in full. We’ll start charging you the new prices starting tomorrow.”

“There’s no need for that. I’m closing my shop for a few days. I need a break. I’m too tired.”

He was stunned. “What are you talking about? I made all the preparations!”

“That’s not my concern. Did I even order from you?”

John was stunned. I had never talked to him like that, so he was furious.

“Gabe, you just wait and see!”

He left. Very soon, they started texting in the group chat.

[Something’s wrong with Gabe today. I prepared a lot of stock, but he told me he didn’t want it anymore. He said he’s tired, so he wants to rest for a few days!]

[He lashed out at me earlier! He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with!]

[After this, I’m going to increase the price further. Serves him right for being rude!]

Nancy replied, [Don’t be angry. It’s not worth it to be angry over this. Maybe it’s because all of us increased the prices that he’s pissed. I’ll teach him a lesson soon. Just wait and see.]

I was puzzled. I wondered how she was going to do that when Helen yelled, “Our water got cut off! Gabe, what are we going to do about this?”

“So? We’re moving soon. She can have a taste of her own medicine!”

Nancy sent me a text. [Gabe, have you thought this through? I’m cutting the water off today, and the electricity is next. I already warned you.]

I did not reply to her. Instead, I called my brother-in-law and his friends for their help to move our stuff out tonight.

At 6 p.m., I worked along with some workers they brought. I took everything, including the floor tiles. We worked until midnight until everything had been moved.

It was fortunate that we were not near any residential neighborhood. Otherwise, we might have gotten noise complaints.

The next day, Nancy, John, and the rest came over.

A few of them gathered excitedly, but when they reached the shop, they were stunned.

Nancy saw her bare unit and screamed, “What happened to my shop? Where did Anderson’s Tacos go?”