Ratios Tell A story assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ratios Tell A story assignment - Essay Example However, it is very difficult for one to examine the whole financial statements of a company. Ratio analysis makes it easier for everyone to understand the profitability, solvency, and efficiency position of the firm. Ratio Analysis is a tool used for quantitative analysis of the information from the financial statement of a company. In spite of the advantages, ratio analysis has several drawbacks too. It consider only historical data, the future performance of the company cannot be predicted. It helps to evaluate firm’s financial status on the basis of past and present financial data of a company. In this study, comparisons of ratios have been made on different companies according to their financial indicators. A ratio analysis has been conducted to compare the profitability, solvency and efficiency of Wal-Mart and Safeway. Ratio analysis helps to effective analysis of the financial statement. The financial status of the companies can be easily understood by the help of the r atio analysis. Safeway vs. Wal-Mart Safeway Inc is a supermarket whereas Wal-Mart is general merchandise. Wal-Mart can also be classified as hypermarket. Hypermarkets are similar to big-box stores. The business of hypermarket is decisive on high volume, and low margin of sales. Wal-Mart is a typical supercenter covers around 150,000 square feet to 235,000 square feet area. It is the combination of supermarket and departmental stores, mainly situated in suburban or out of town locations. More than 2 lac brands can found here. Whereas Supermarket is a store based upon self service. It presents a huge range of food and household merchandise, divided into sectors. The range of foods and products are limited here rather than supermarket. There is a huge difference between the inventories of these two companies. It is because Wal-Mart sells more than 2 lac of different type of products whereas Safeway is limited with its narrow range of food and household products. Net PP&E are almost sam e (60%) in case of both the companies, because both of them are involved in retail business. The cash of Safeway is also less than Wal-Mart is due to the size of the business. Wal-Mart is more capable of generating cash in a higher volume to its variety of products. Adobe vs. Hewlett-Packard Adobe Systems Inc. is a software development company and Hewlett-Packard Company is a computer manufacturing company. In a computer manufacturing company, heavy processes are driven for manufacturing new products. The workers are needed to perform a specific task. After the completion of one task the next task can be performed by the next worker. A software development company includes research, development of new product, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, and maintains of other activities. Hewlett is having fixed assets near about 2 times higher than Adobe. As Hewlett is a manufacturing company it needs more instruments and equipments than Adobe. In case of both short term and L ong term debt, Adobe has none of these two because it is a service based company. It does not need extra money to run its business. In case of Hewlett the value of both short term and long term debt is higher. As the company runs factories, it needs money from outside to run its business. Amazon vs. Consolidated Edison, INC Amazon.Com is an internet retailer and Edison Inc has its business on electric utility. When a

Importance of Colonial Newspapers during Revolutionary War Research Paper

Importance of Colonial Newspapers during Revolutionary War - Research Paper Example John Adams, the US president during late 17th century stated that mechanism such as newspaper and pamphlets drove the willingness of Americans to revolutionize and brought together the perception of people, which eventually made America an independent nation. Colonists used the newspapers as an effective tool of communication during the 17th century in order to ensure that printed and handwritten materials were exchanged among thirteen colonies. This in turn played a huge role in creating unity among the colonies, which thereby led to its national independence. In fact, the communication tool was so effective that numerous towns and cities in the US used printed materials and newspapers to declare its nation’s independence. It will be worth mentioning that, revolution in the US would not have transpired in the 17th century if newspapers, mail and other communication were not introduced by people in the US. This is because these tools were effective for colonists in exchanging views among people in various colonies that instigated mutual cooperation and understanding. Therefore, colonists through the use of newspapers increased the extent of conversation amid colonies that led to its unification1. During the colonial American period, it was a mandate for newspaper printers to be authors so that they could indulge into printing activities. Benjamin Franklin started writing articles under James Franklin’s newspaper publishing company ‘The New England Courant’. Benjamin Franklin wrote letters during night time as an imaginary widow known as ‘Silence Dogood’2 to hide his identity from his brother. In the year 1729, Benjamin Franklin purchased the ‘Pennsylvania Gazette’ and started publishing newspapers on his own. Subsequently, Franklin’s newspaper became highly successful in various colonies, which played a huge role in initiating revolution in America. Franklin was a writer as

Human Resources Management Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Management Essay Proper management of human resources is vital to being a successful business. Human resources are one of the critical departments within any organization. The purpose of this essay is to emphasize the basic principles of Human Resources Management. EEO and Affirmative Action, Human Resources Planning, Recruitment, and Selection, HRD, Compensation and Benefits, Safety and Health, and Employee and Labor Relations are the six areas of Human Resources Management that will be the focus. All of these Human Resources Management areas should be working together and should correspond with the overall business strategy. According to our text, â€Å"Human Resource Management is specifically charged with programs concerned with people the employees† (Ivancevich, 2007). It was observed by Edward L. Gubman, in the Journal of Business Strategy, that â€Å"the basic mission of human resources will always be to acquire, develop, and retain talent; align the workforce with the business; and be an excellent contributor to the business. Those three challenges will never change† (Gubman, 2006). In today’s world the terms human resource management and human resources is called personnel management or a personnel manager. â€Å"In simple words HRM means employing people, developing their capacities, utilizing, maintaining and compensating their services in tune with the job and organizational requirement† (Storey, 2007). The recognition of the importance of Human Resource Management extends to small businesses also. There for some time they did not generally have the same volume of human resources requirements as the larger organizations, but they too face personnel management issues that can have a decisive impact on the business’ health. In The Small Business Handbook Irving Burstiner stated â€Å"hiring the right people and training them well can often mean the difference between scratching out the barest of livelihoods and steady business growth personnel problems do not discriminate between small and big business, you will find them in all businesses, regardless of size† (Burstiner, 2008). The proper management of a company’s human resources is vital to the success of that company. People within an organization are the most precious and vital resource. They should be treated as such. It is important that the managing of human resources should be done correctly as it affects the overall business plan of any organization. As a person that plans to own an accounting business, this course has made realize that human resources are a very important and vital part of a company. This course has given me the tools to ensure that I have proper Human Resource Management and my employees are taken care of. There are many employers that consider themselves to be equal employment opportunity (EEO) employers. There may even be an employee within the organization that is an EEO officer or they could simply make sure they have a personnel manager, and/or other managers who understand and follow EEO. Our text stated â€Å"the human resource manager plays an important role in showing by example that each employee is important and will be treated ethically and equally† (Ivancevich, 2007). This usually means: †¢ That the employer is following the anti-discrimination laws and is ensuring that everyone within the organization understands these laws and abides by them. †¢ That the employer is preparing and implementing equal employment opportunity management plans or programs designed to ensure that everyone really does get equal opportunity within the organization. Most people know affirmative action as having to do with the development of equal opportunity plans and providing special help for minority groups with a disadvantaged past. Affirmative action programs also help give previously disadvantaged groups the skills they need to compete on equal terms with all other employees. This is a way of ensuring that there is truly equal opportunity between all potential and existing employees. There is a full-time EEO officer within my organization. It is my understanding that our EEO officer has never had anyone come to her about any discrimination that has taken place within the organization. An analysis of the job to be done, written into a job description should be written so that selectors know what physical and mental characteristics applicants must possess, what qualities and attitudes are desirable and what characteristics would be a decided disadvantage. Human resources planning usually refer to classic human resource administrative functions. The evaluation and identification of human resource requirements should meet organizational goals. Effectively, selection is essentially ‘buying’ and employee, the wage or salary multiplied by probable years of service being the price. Bad employee buys can become very expensive for any organization. For this reason, for particular jobs, some organizations may use external expert consultants for recruitment and selection. The ‘cost’ of a poor selection is a reason why those who recruit and employ should be well trained to judge the suitability of all potential applicants. The main sources of recruitment are as follows: †¢ Internal company promotions †¢ Appointment boards †¢ Agencies for the unemployed †¢ Advertising or the use of other local media. The businesses vacancy numbers should determine what line of recruitment should take place. It is important that an organization have a background check done to verify experience and statements about qualifications thoroughly before hiring a potential employee. To ensure a good recruitment process it is important to have training in interviewing and appraising candidates. This type of training usually teaches interviewers how to draw out the interviewee and how to rate the candidates. This is probably one of the most important parts of human resource management. Human Resource Development (HRD) helps employees develop their personal and organizational abilities. Opportunities for employee training, employee career development, performance management, mentoring and organizational development are included in Human Resource Development. Human Resource Development mainly focus is the development of the best employees possible. The reason for this is so that the organization and its employees can accomplish the organizational goals. Human Resource Development can be formal, such as a classroom setting or informal, such as an employee mentoring session by a manager. Organizations that are healthy believe in Human Resource Development. They also believe that the development of their employees is what makes the organization prosper. Unfortunately this is not something that takes place within my organization. It would be nice to be able to receive training that would improve my knowledge and skills and allow me to help in other areas of the organization if possible.

Developing Consumerism through Design

Developing Consumerism through Design Consumerism All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume. Consumerism is a way of life and an ideology which is developed further by mass phenomenon. In Singapore, consumerism has become very much a way of life with the popular Great Singapore Sale, major IT Exhibitions, perpetual discounts in most retail outlets nations wide and many delicious restaurants with culture involved. Thus, it is important for us to recognize the value of consumerism that is within and around us. People are consuming in different aspects, and Food Beverage is taking a big part in the society. However, people need to consume, people consume also because of the thousands of designed space which attract them to go and explore more for their life. In another word, consumerism is becoming design driven. According to dictionary, the meaning of consumerism is that the movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest packaging and advertising, product guarantees, and improved safety standards; the theory that a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial; and attachment to materialistic values or possessions: deplored the rampant consumerism of contemporary society. Consumerism is known as an action where people purchase goods, which are more than necessary for their lives, but it can affect more than buying habits and personal and family life. Sometimes, it may even make people less aware of their own emotional reactions, as they seek to buy yet another item that will distract them. On the other hand, consumerism also keeps people up-to-date and modern as consumerism globalized. In fact, consumerism has been around human civilization at the first place. It had a great turn in consumerism arrived just before the Industrial Revolution. In 21st century, consumerism is one of the arguments of scientists, and researchers, they try to find out how and why do people waste money in such expensive things, such as clothing, electronic items, cars, technological devices etc. One of many reasons that makes consumer spend lots of money for their consumption is advertisement. According to research, Billions of companies throw their commercials into market as many ways as they can. They will show their brand names on TV, magazines, in movie theaters, malls etc. To attract consumer, companies have million ways to entice people by advertising. If a company wants people know about its name or products, they then try to make an attractive poster or a nice page in magazine to advertise their products to the public. Containing a nice explicit picture and attractive colors, the poster is made to send an implicit message -the key- to consumers; this key convinces people to buy products. This has become a trend internationally. Indeed, a company advertised themselves is a way of designing themselves looks better and sounds greater to sell the product. From a design perspective, will a good design bring more consumers to the place? The answer is definitely yes. Designing a place is designing an experience, and how to leave people with a memory. It is the atmosphere that provides for the customers, which has a significant impact on them, and make them want to come back and hang out. Moreover, consumerism is not only happened in the fashion world as motioned before, Consumerism is also applied for other industries as well. For Singapore, tourism and food beverage are the most important industry which makes the income for the whole country. Food beverage industry is the basic needs for people, how good the basic industry is, and it reflects how well the country has developed. In another world, the fundamental shows all. However, food beverage is not lonely the food and drinks, it is a place where provides the feel of gathering; the atmosphere and the environment which design dress them up together. For some of Singaporeans, they consume on food beverage as a lifestyle to eat fine food at well designed restaurants. Based on research from Singapore Tourism Board, the busy life that Singaporeans have, the among of tourists come to Singapore keep growing year by year and the mixed culture background, all of these determine that there is a demand to open more fine dining restaurants. Singapore especially has a strong influence of western culture, the percentage of Singaporeans who drink wine has grown over 214 present during last 10 years, so that it is a potential to open a wine shop here as well. . As a result, the proposal for the Utopia project is to design a wine appreciation club and fine dining restaurant which aims to add on more value to the Singapore society, to adopt a wine culture to Singaporeans. According to the chosen site at South beach building which is located at the CBD area, the target market would be businessmen, tourists and local Singaporeans. The design intention is to create a space which carries the knowledge about the wine culture, the process of making wine and history of wine etc. The design concept is based on the process of making wine, the three key steps are harvest, crushing and ageing. The idea behind these three key words is that: harvest is a place to gather people and collection of grapes, it will become the reception and welcoming place at first when people get into the space; following by the crushing step, it is translated to the whole design language of the entire space, after reaching welcoming space, the crushing step forms a wine process gallery, normally, a gallery should be open and big space, yet in this case, in order to feel more about the crushing step of winemaking process, the space is designed to be narrow and low-volume space; Now ageing, this key word is designed as a journey in the space, why? The reason is ageing is a matter of time, a space that is changing or transforming like the wine making process, from grapes to wine, form sugar to alcohol; As people walking in the space, the space is able to speak and lead people through the designed journey. The space will be changing in term of volume, proportion, scale, lighting and different materials of the space. Through designing the space to bring peoples attention and draw people into the place to purchase and enjoy, it is a way of consumerism. Indeed, consumers come to the place not only to dine, but to also engage with new things, to experience the space, to add on value to them, to spend time with friends in the atmosphere of wine knowledge. Leave a wonderful memory to the consumers.

Figuresof The Early America :: essays research papers

Thaddeus Stevens-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The U.S. Representive from Pennsylvania who was the creator of the 14th amendment was a big figure in the young United States. He was born in1792. His schooling was very impressive and he became known for his background in law. Mr. Stevens practiced law in Gettysburg and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was a very hard and definite person when it came to justice and he even helped defeat a bill abolishing the state’s public school system and was a proponent of a protective tariff. When Stevens was in congress he was a Whig but also was totally against slavery. He was one of the leading organizers in the Republican party coming about and a very powerful figure in the American Civil War. Stevens really didn’t have a lot of love for the south because Stevens in the House and Charles Sumner in the Senate were totally against President Lincoln’s plan for reconstruction. In Steven’s eyes, the Southern states that were won needed to be the center and treated as â€Å"conquered states† as he stated. Not only this but he was a big advocate in bringing up charges to impeach Andrew Jackson. Finally, he was one of the persons responsible in getting many rights for African Americans rights by creating the 14th amendment which states â€Å"that all people born or naturalized in the United States are American citizens and citizens of their state of residence...† Andrew Carnegie-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This great Scottish man was born in his native on November 25, 1835. Mr. Carnegie was an iron/steel manufacture and a Philanthropist. Many people do not know that he was friends with some of the elite Americans such as Matthew Arnold, Mark Twain, William Gladstone and Theodore Roosevelt. In 1848, Carnegie’s family immigrated from his native to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from there he went from a regular boy to becoming a telegraph operator. There after he helped in the Civil War by helping to drastically improve the Union Army’s communication. He was the creator of the Keystone Bridge Company which made iron and steel. This man came from nothing then became something in the land of opportunities. By the 1900s the Carnegie Steel Company was making one fourth of all steel in the United States, there after he sold his company for $250 million. When he sold his company he retired and just began writing books and dona ting a lot of money.

Hurtful Love and Foolish Hope in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death S

Hurtful Love and Foolish Hope in Death of a Salesman A father is an important role model in a young man's life; perhaps the most important. A father must guide his children, support them, teach them, and most importantly, love them. In the play Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, an aging salesman of 63, Willy Loman worked all his life for his children. Happy and especially Biff, his two sons, where his pride and joy and his reason for living. Willy tried as hard as he possibly could to provide for them, to support them, to mold them into men; but he failed. Willy's greatest fault, perhaps, was his inability to see his sons for what they really were. Biff and Happy were never destined to be great men, yet Willy always believed in them. Although Willy's hope is touching, it is also foolish. Willy Loman's blind faith in his son Biff's abilities destroyed Biff's sense of moderation and modesty. Despite Biff's obvious incompetence and mediocrity, Willy vehemently refused to accept his son's failure to "make the grade." Biff "stole himself out of every good job since high school!" (131), yet Willy cannot accept that his son is a "dime a dozen" and declares that Biff is merely failing to spite him. "I want you to know...where ever you go, that you cut down your life for spite!" (129). By blaming Biff for his problems, Willy clears himself of all guilt. Willy cannot realize that it was his ineptitude as a father that created Biff's character. If Willy was a little more aware of his son's situation, his true character, Biff may have realized sooner that he was not "a leader of men." When asked whose fault it is that he never accomplished anything, Biff answered "...I never got anywher... ...r looked up to was nothing more than a "fake", and Biff lost all reason to his life. Everything that Willy taught him was destroyed on that one night. Every rule, every piece of advice, was nulled by that one act of adultery. Willy Loman tried his best to be a good father. He encouraged his sons, he worked all his life for them, and he tried to help them in any way he could. The only problem was, although his heart was there, Willy just wasn't a good father. Willy did his best to raise his sons, but tragically, the more he tried, the worse they became. Ultimately, Willy failed as a father, but he did try his best. He loved his children, in some cases, too much. He loved them blindly, and never once questioned their greatness. Although love like that is touching, it also harmful. Willy's delusions of grandeur for his sons hurt them more than it helped them.

The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 16

Current Day Ella I don't know why I'm in here. I started to run down the street with so much adrenaline lashing through me it felt like my chest was going to explode. The rain was pouring down and all I could think about was getting as far away from Micha's house as possible, but my mind caught up with me and I pulled myself back somehow. My clothes drip on the bathroom floor, which is still stained red from her blood. I sit down and hug my knees to my chest, staring at the bathtub. Something died in me when I found her, but I'm not sure what. Maybe my soul. That night, I'd been so determined to go to that stupid party that I left her at the house alone, even though my dad had left me in charge of her. There was one simple rule: keep an eye on mom. And I couldn't even follow it. â€Å"Ella, what are you doing in here?† Micha observes me from the doorway, his clothes and hair drenched with rain. I cuddle my knees against me and squeeze my eyes shut. â€Å"I saw you go to your bedroom with Naomi.† â€Å"Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he sounds confused. â€Å"Why do you sound upset, though?† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† I say. â€Å"None of this matters.† â€Å"Of course it matters.† He sits down beside me and drapes his arm over his knees. â€Å"Otherwise you wouldn't be in here.† â€Å"You're right, it does matter.† I run my finger between the cracks in the tile. â€Å"I don't want you to be with Naomi.† â€Å"Wait a minute. Do you think I hooked up with her?† â€Å"Isn't that what you normally do when you take a girl back to your room?† â€Å"Naomi and I were just talking,† he mutters quietly. â€Å"And I haven't taken a girl back to my room in months.† Hearing him say that makes me feel better and I start to face the inevitable. I can run all I want and try to shut myself down, but my feelings for Micha will always be there – they control me. â€Å"You know, you scared the shit out of me that night,† he says, staring at the bathtub. â€Å"The way you looked when I found you†¦ I don't ever want to see that look in your eyes again – that emptiness.† â€Å"It was my fault.† I let it fall off my chest and crash into the world. â€Å"I was supposed to watch her that night, but I was selfish and thought that stupid party was more important.† He turns my head toward him and looks me in the eyes, so I can see how much he means what he says. â€Å"You're not selfish. You were seventeen and you made a mistake just like every other seventeen-year-old out there does.† â€Å"She died because of my mistake.† The words scratch at my throat. â€Å"If I would have just stayed home like I was supposed to then she wouldn't be dead.† â€Å"You have to let this go,† he says, his voice strained. â€Å"You can't keep blaming yourself for something that was out of your hands.† â€Å"I wish I could have a redo.† Tears sting the corners of my eyes. â€Å"I want to do it over again.† He covers my hand with his. â€Å"I think you might need to talk to someone about this. Otherwise it's going to haunt you forever.† I suck the tears back and wiggle my hand away from his. â€Å"You think I'm going crazy.† He shifts in front of me onto his knees, takes my face in his hands, and forces me to look at him. â€Å"Look at me. No one thinks you're crazy. You're strong, but you've been through a lot of shit and you might need some help working through it.† â€Å"I think I'm more fucked up than you realize,† I say. â€Å"I can't even look in a mirror anymore.† â€Å"That does sound crazy.† He tucks my hair out of my face and takes a good look at me. â€Å"You're beautiful.† I shake my head slowly. â€Å"It's not that. It's something else. Like if I look in the mirror I have to see what's really inside.† â€Å"What's inside isn't bad.† â€Å"Yes, it is. If you knew the truth, you wouldn't want to be with me.† He assesses me closely and then helps me to my feet, pulling me up by the arms. â€Å"What are you doing?† I ask as he steers me by the shoulders to the mirror on the medicine cabinet. I wince at the girl staring back at me; big green eyes, wet hair stuck to her head, and mascara running down her face. I begin to recoil, but he holds me in place and forces me to look at myself. His aqua eyes lock on my reflection. â€Å"When I saw you that night, I felt completely helpless. I loved being able to help you, whether it's if you fell off the roof and needed to go to the hospital or you needed help climbing up a tree. It has always been my thing since we were kids and I loved every second of it, but that night there was absolutely nothing I could do to help you. I never want to feel that way again.† He takes a deep breath and lets it out gradually. â€Å"I love you, Ella May and nothing will ever change that. You can push me away – run away – and I will still love you.† Hot tears pour out of my eyes and down my cheeks. My shoulders start to shake as I turn to him and bury my face into his chest. His arms circle around my waist and he lifts me up. My arms and legs fasten around him like he is my lifeline, and maybe he is. He carries me into my room as I continue to sob and he lies down with me on the bed. It's dark and the music from next door drifts through the open window. Tears spill continuously to downpour from my eyes, and I place my hand over his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. I keep crying years of tears that have been bottled up until finally my eyes run dry. Then I breathe again. Micha I wake up early in morning in a state of panic. Ella is fast asleep in my arms, her eyes swollen from crying, and she's clinging onto me like I'm everything to her. It's what I've always wanted, but something feels unresolved within me and I need to fix it before I get in too deep with her. She needs someone strong and until I face the thing plaguing me, I can't be that for her. But I will be. Carefully, I raise her head from my shoulder and slip out of her room. Her dad's snoring on the couch, there's a broken bottle on the kitchen floor, and the back door is wide open. I lock up and then jump the fence. My yard is trashed with beer bottles and cigarette butts and my mom's car is parked in the driveway. The inside looks just as bad and I feel like a dick for leaving it for my mom to clean up, but if I don't go right now, I'll chicken out. So I hurry to my room, where Ethan's passed out in my bed with his arms and legs hanging over the side. He still has on the clothes from last night and the whole room stinks of stale booze and cigarettes. I stuff some clothes into a bag and collect my keys from the dresser. â€Å"Are you going somewhere?† Ethan sits up from the bed, rubbing his eyes. I swing the bag over my shoulder. â€Å"I'm going on a little road trip. I'll be back in a few days.† He gapes at me. â€Å"By yourself?† â€Å"Yeah, this is something I have to do by myself.† He considers something. â€Å"You're going to see your father, aren't you?† I let out a loud breath. â€Å"Yeah man, but don't say anything, okay?† Ethan nods. â€Å"Alright, if that's what you want me to do.† â€Å"It is.† I open the door. â€Å"And hey, help my mom clean up†¦ and keep an eye on Ella.† He falls back into the bed. â€Å"Alright man, will do.† I grab my wallet and leave the room, wondering who I'm going to be when I come back. Ella I wake up to an empty bed, but try to stay calm. I text Micha and ask him where he is because I'm sure there's an explanation. â€Å"I'm sure it's nothing bad,† I say, but there's an unsettling feeling squeezing inside me. I slip on a pair of shorts and a tank top and go downstairs to head to his house, but Dean, Lila, and a girl with short black hair are sitting at the kitchen table with coffee mugs in front of them. There's a box of doughnuts on the counter and someone's taken out the garbage and cleaned the dishes. â€Å"Oh my God, it's so nice to finally meet you.† The girl with black hair stands up and meets me in the middle of the kitchen. â€Å"Likewise, I guess†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shake her extended hand, glancing at Lila and then Dean. Dean gets up and brushes crumbs off the front of his button down shirt. â€Å"Ella, this is my fiance, Caroline.† My mouth forms an â€Å"O.† She's not how I pictured her; short and slender, with tan skin and shoulder length wavy hair. She has a vest on over a t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. There's a butterfly tattoo on her wrist and her ears have multiple piercings. I pictured her more prim and proper, by the way my brother showed up looking. â€Å"Dean's told me so much about you,† she says with a genuine smile. â€Å"And I'm finally glad to have a face to attach to the stories he's been telling me.† My eyes wander to Dean and my eyebrows arch up. â€Å"Stories, huh? I'd love to hear these stories.† She doesn't miss a beat. â€Å"Like how you like to draw and how you love cars. He also said you attend UNLV, which is so cool because that's where I went.† â€Å"I thought you said you didn't know where I was,† I say to Dean. He shifts uneasily. â€Å"Dad told me once during like a five minute conversation. But anyway, it's not a big deal, Ella, for me to tell my fiance about my little sister.† â€Å"It kind of is.† My voice carries an underlying meaning that only he will understand. â€Å"All things considering.† Dean hisses through clenched teeth. â€Å"Ella, can you not start this shit. It's too early in the morning.† Caroline glances from Dean to me then back to Dean. â€Å"You weren't lying. You guys' relationship is a little intense.† Removing myself from the conversation, I pull my hair into a ponytail and pour myself a cup of coffee. Breathing in the aroma, I stare out the window, noting that Micha's car isn't next door. â€Å"Where the hell is he?† I mutter to myself. Suddenly, I'm being yanked by the arm out of the room. â€Å"Hey,† I protest as hot coffee spills onto my foot. â€Å"What is your problem?† â€Å"Look.† Dean says once we're in the living room. â€Å"I didn't invite her here. She just showed up to surprise me.† â€Å"So you don't want her here?† I take a sip of my coffee, hiding my amusement. He rubs the back of his neck tensely. â€Å"There's just stuff she doesn't know about me yet and I don't think I'm ready to tell her.† â€Å"You told her about me.† â€Å"But not dad. And not mom either.† I set the cup down on the table and wipe up the coffee from my foot with a towel. â€Å"Okay, so what do you want to do about it?† â€Å"Could you hang out with her for the day, while I pack up the rest of my room?† he asks. â€Å"And then I can get her out of here by tomorrow morning.† â€Å"You should just tell her the truth.† I toss the towel on the couch. â€Å"Avoiding the problem will only catch up with you.† He pulls an annoyed face. â€Å"You're one to talk.† â€Å"I know and I'm working on it.† My voice shakes a little and I clear it. His face is turning red. â€Å"Would you please just keep her busy?† â€Å"I guess.† I shrug. â€Å"But where do you want me to take her?† â€Å"For a drive around the lake or something,† he says. â€Å"I don't care just as long as you keep her away from here.† I collect my coffee and proceed for the kitchen, while he heads for the stairs to finish packing. â€Å"And Ella,† he calls out from the stairway â€Å"You look different today – happier.† I give him a small smile, and then I turn away, wondering what looks different.