Nina

So how did she leave you, Dave? You're saying that she just disappeared on you? Like you turned around and she was gone or she was like, okay, thanks.

Wow. Wow. So she really just, like, left. Is she, like, wanted?

Have you ever just peaced out on somebody in the middle of a date, Jubal?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, I'm just kind of curious what the reason would be.

Oh, hi, Carissa. My name's Nina. I'm also on The Jubal Show. Hi, I'm Victoria.

I'm just really confused how lying would have been better. So what actually happened, though?

Oh.

So you ghosted Dave and then your ex ghosted you? This art gallery is really genius.

Who's okay with somebody going, hey, pause. I'm going to go hook up with my ex real quick. Call me tomorrow. That's not okay.

You guys are a TV show. Yeah. I feel.

It's a free meal. Look out for the palumpas. Oh, shit.

So what was your last interaction with her? Was it a text? Was it a call?

Props to you for not sending him eight paragraphs. So what happened on the date, though? Like, what is it about him that makes you want to find out?

That's such a good point. We're jumping to all of these conclusions. It's been three days. There's a really good chance that just something else was going on.

Yeah.

You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.

Hi, Garrett. He hosts that show with some friends, and my name's Nina. I'm one of them. And mine's Victoria. Yeah.

If you just wanted to like hook up with someone, like concerts can kind of be expensive. Why not just go to the bar?

What would give you that impression?

So Kristen, if he would have said that up front, do you think that you would have wanted the same thing in that moment?

Man, it's tough in these streets.

Well, what if Kristen wants to sleep with you? Then would you be cool with it?

Oh.

Please be safe. You're welcome. Thank you.

Like, I just want to know what's going on. Well, after a couple days, I feel like you know you're getting ghosted if you've tried to reach out to them a few times and they don't respond. Did you try to reach out to them?

So the vibe feels like it shifted somehow. Well, let's talk about your date. How did that go? How did you guys meet?

No, like, I feel like, like, as a guy, as opposed to, like, other guys I've got.

Also, like, as in a good thing that he was different. Yeah, yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah, like, he's just, like, a different, different kind of dude, you know? Did you feel like he was vibing with you, too? I don't know. I don't know. Is there anything that happened?

But that feels like it also could be like, oh, she's clearly had some wine. This is fun. I don't know. But he made out with you after that or before that?

Hi, I'm Nina. Hi, I'm Victoria.

Yeah.

Decided to shoot yourself in the foot and get out of everything and be all by yourself?

It does sound like a super awkward situation, but when Natalie was texting you or whatever, did it feel like she wanted to confront you or something?

But if you thought she already knew, why don't you just say, hey, like, sorry for the awkwardness. Women are a little bit more forgiving than you think, especially with those things on a first date later. Maybe not. But in the beginning. Yeah.

I don't think so. I mean, if she didn't like it, that would be definitely grounds for ghosting.

Oh, man.

This really took a lot of turns.

Oh, that's cool. I don't know why this feels like a Jubal date.

Sounds fun.

Is there anything that might have happened on the date that could be the reason why she's not hitting you back?

That's kind of mortifying, actually.

Did she say anything about it? Yeah.

Would you really ghost somebody if they tooted? No. I don't think I would either.

That's just a little disrespectful. Like, step out of the room.

Okay. Hopefully it's not a toot.

Hi, Lila. The radio show likes to be here, too. So my name is Nina. Hi, and I'm Victoria. Oh, wow.

I feel like you could easily say all the adventures you've been on and not mention any other girls. But at the same time, you got to be thankful that he did mention all of these women's names because what does that mean? Like, are you just another adventure?

Did he say if they were somebody that he was dating? No, no.

All right. That is those vibes. A lot of the time, those F boys, though, that's their insecurity coming out. And they want you to think that they're so cool because all of these women have like spent. That's my feels on it. Maybe I'm wrong. But as somebody who spent a lot of time with F boys, that's kind of the vibe that I get.

Right. And it just doesn't. It doesn't like F boys aren't in anymore. P.S. Like at all. Yeah.

I'll speak for myself.

That's funny. Wait, but are you an F boy?

Yeah, congratulations, Aaron.

So what is it about Lila after two weeks that makes you want to get a hold of her now?

Und obwohl keiner danach gefragt hat...

Was heißt das?

That's the most expensive headset I've ever seen.

Ciao.

Hm?

After asking them a few questions to make sure they took in all the information, Miss Teak gives them free reign to try out riding on their own, but under her watchful gaze. Nina tries to ignore the one or two other girls who leap on their broomsticks and zoom around the clearing with ease. She's glad to see that several other girls are new at writing just like her.

She carefully gets on her broom and hovers a few inches above the ground for a few minutes, feeling the balance. Finally, she leans slightly forward and the broom moves. Nina starts slowly going in wide circles around the clearing and never too far off the ground. Miss Teak calls out encouragement to her and she begins to become braver.

Her slightly jerky turns become smooth and easy as she goes around. She climbs higher off the ground and builds up speed. Before Nina realizes what is happening, she is zooming around the treetops, laughing with joy. The feeling of the wind in her hair and the way the broom seems to respond to her every whim gives Nina a sense of freedom and power that she has never experienced before.

She slows down and watches a woodpecker hard at work high up in a tree enjoying the new perspective on the world around her. She looks down at the clearing, where her classmates are also getting the hang of flying. They laugh and giggle, chasing one another around the clearing. Mystique watches contentedly, her own broomstick in hand. She gets on and calls the girls back to her.

The seven girls hover in a line before Mystique. She gives them instructions to follow her and leads them out of the clearing over the trees. Mystique flies in large spirals and loop-de-loops, teaching her students some more complicated maneuvers. They follow her through the sky like ducklings follow their mother through water.

After an hour of flying, Miss Teak and her seven pupils land back in the clearing. The hens cluck together as if gossiping. The girls lean their brooms against the wall of the cottage and follow Miss Teak back into the cottage for some tea. Miss Teak gives everyone a cup of fresh mint tea using mint from her garden and a dollop of honey from a hive in the forest nearby.

The honey smells floral from the local wildflower pollen and the tea has a rejuvenating effect on the girls. They giggle and chatter to one another excitedly, already greatly enjoying their first day of school. Miss Teague smiles at them, answering questions and giving out compliments. Everyone finishes their tea and takes turns washing out their cups in a small, light-filled kitchen.

They hurry back to their benches, eager to find out what they will be doing next. Mystique comes out from one of the back rooms of the cottage with a large box. She places the box on the ground and the girls all lean closer to get a better look. One or two of them gasp as the box moves slightly. there is definitely something alive inside.

Ignoring the box, Mystique goes on to tell the girls about familiars. Familiars are animal companions that assist witches in their magic and rituals. Familiars can be witch feels a connection with, and they are most definitely not pets. The witch does not own her familiar, but offers it food and care in return for their magical partnership.

Miss Teak lists all the different kinds of familiars she's seen in her life, such as ravens, crows, toads, foxes, robins, rabbits, mice, dogs, butterflies, and dragonflies. She says there was even one very old witch who used to have a donkey as a familiar. Miss Teak goes on to say that the most traditional familiar is the cat.

With a flourish, she lifts the lid of the box to show seven mewing kittens The girls collectively gasp and squeal with excitement. Miss Teague takes the kittens out of the box one at a time to let them explore and tells the girls to sit on the ground around the room. They are to interact with the kittens... See which one they feel a natural affinity with.

Each kitten is a different color and seems to already have their own personality. There is a traditional black cat with orange eyes. She is lean and sleek with a look that says she probably knows how to speak. A little orange boy with green eyes scampers from person to person, full of mischief and energy.

A very fluffy gray kitten with orange eyes walks primly around the circle of girls, inspecting each one. There's a calico girl, so affectionate that she rubs up on every person she passes. The tabby cat's markings are so complex... She almost looks like they're morphing even as the girls watch. Piercing blue eyes come from the Siamese kitten as she blinks at the humans with mild interest.

The smallest kitten is a black and white fluffball with perfectly round yellow eyes that give her the impression of being surprised by absolutely everything. Kittens and young witches watch and tentatively get to know one another for the next hour. Relationships begin to form, and Nina finds herself with the fluffy gray kitten curled up in her lap, purring loudly.

Nina strokes her little body and notes how the kitten's fur reminds her of wispy gray rain clouds. One little orange eye opens and looks at her. The kitten mews contentedly at Nina and the deal is done. Miss Teak tells them that their kittens will now follow them anywhere and that a name will come to the young witches in due course. For now, it is time to move on to their study of herbs.

Mystique gives each girl a piece of parchment of drawings of herbs, their names, and a description of their properties. She then sends the girls out into the clearing and the surrounding forest to identify their herbs. Nina heads to the door with the others. Her gray kitten comes along, close at her heels. Some kittens, like the orange one and the calico...

join their witches, but others are content to stay in the cottage and nap. While other girls make a beeline for the forest, Nina instead inspects the plants immediately around the cottage, thinking that a witch like Mystique would surely have a lot of herbs growing as close as possible to her own kitchen. Nina is rewarded for her forward thinking by finding a handful of plants immediately.

In the herb garden, she finds basil, chamomile, fennel, peppermint, rosemary, sage, and thyme. As Nina marks off each herb, she recites their uses to her kitten. Basil is used for home, love, purification, and success. Fennel encourages courage, energy, and strength. Time bestows confidence, growth, and happiness.

The kitten is either unimpressed by her knowledge or already knows all this information and continues to hunt grasshoppers in the bushes. Nina finds ivy growing on the side of the cottage, as well as carnations, daffodils, gardenias, jasmine, lavender, poppies, and roses in the flowerbeds. Before she marks each flower off on her sheet, she pauses to take a deep breath of the sweet aromas.

She's just admiring a bunch of lilacs and violets when she notices her kitten lying lazily in a patch of catnip. Nina giggles and picks up her kitten, carrying the napping ball of fluff. A few of the other girls have come back towards the cottage, intent on asking Miss Teak for help because they are having a hard time finding some of the herbs.

Nina wastes no time in helping them, pointing out the places near the cottage where they can find things like clovers, dandelions, ferns, and wild garlic. Soon all seven of the girls are pointing out herbs and flowers to one another. Nina's gray kitten chases the orange and calico kittens around the yard as the girls finish their assignment.

Miss Teak comes outside as they finish bearing a tray of freshly made peach juice. The sun is high in the sky now, and it warms the clearing nicely. Mystique gathers the girls on a patch of mossy ground. All seven kittens join their witches, either napping in their lap, Mystique congratulates the girls on their successful first day of witch school. She smiles warmly at them around the circle.

Mystique wants to end the day by explaining to them exactly what the role of a witch is within a community. She tells them that it is an important role and one that requires patience, knowledge, and compassion. A witch is a healer which requires a strong knowledge of plants, herbs, and the human body. She can sometimes be called upon to help make important decisions within the community.

For this task, she must be fair, just, and unbiased. Everything she does needs to be for the well-being of the entire community she serves. Witches are the ones who speak up for those who otherwise go unheard. They live and work on the edges, never seeking payment or fame for their work. In return, the communities will care and provide for them. Witches are confidants and secret keepers.

They keep the secrets of their people, but also of the forest. Their duty is to care for the natural world as much as they care for other people. That is one of the main reasons witches have familiars to work in partnership with nature. Everywhere witches go, they always strive to bring with them peace and balance. The young witches take this information in with rapt attention.

The responsibilities of their roles as witches is not something they take lightly, but they also feel a sense of importance and duty. Mystique speech fills them with confidence and the desire to be the best witches they can be. Nina vows to work as hard as she can at her studies and strive to always bring compassion with her everywhere she goes.

Mystique smiles at them all and assures them that they will have plenty of training to teach them how to be good witches. she feels certain that they will all succeed. Miss Teak thanks them for their hard work today and bids them goodbye, promising to see them tomorrow. The girls wander off in different directions, each one leading or carrying their kittens.

Nina and her gray kitten walk back the way she came this morning. The kitten follows her, taking everything in with wide eyes. Nina's head feels full of knowledge after her first day. The sun is lower in the sky now, making the forest path slightly dimmer, but not in an eerie way. It's more like when a roaring fire in the fireplace burns down to embers. The light is comforting and calming.

Nina practices her herb identification as she walks. Geraniums for concentration. And there's honeysuckle, which brings optimism. On the left is yarrow, often used in protection. The kitten pads silently along next to her, seemingly not paying attention, but Nina notices the little cat glancing at the places she points to. Nina smiles to herself and scoops up her kitten's

She looks down into the gray face with orange eyes. Her kitten face is like two brilliant suns appearing against a sky of rain clouds. And yet, Nina knows the earth needs both sun and rain. Suddenly, a name pops into her head. Iris. Nina remembers her grandmother telling her that Iris was the name of the goddess of rainbows. Sun and rain together make the rainbow.

Thank you.

you

Nina has to resist the urge to skip down the forest path. Nearly every fiber in her seven-year-old body is telling her to skip, but she doesn't give in. She's going to witch school today, and she's pretty certain that witches don't skip. The bubble of excitement and joy inside of her grows with each step. Even the birds in the trees seem to be joyfully singing their songs just for her.

Her head buzzes with a plethora of thoughts. each one flitting around like so many butterflies. What will she learn? Will she make friends? Is her hat too big for her? She has a suspicion that the hat is slightly too big, but her mother said that she would grow into it.

It is the traditional black, but Nina and her mother spent the day yesterday picking flowers and weaving them into a garland that now sits on the brim. Daisies, buttercups, and snapdragons bounce merrily on her hat. seeming to shine even brighter against the dark black fabric.

The path Nina follows curves around bushes and trees as if it was made to make room for the forest rather than cut through it. Nina only knows the names of a few plants around her, but her mother promised that she would learn more at school. The sun filters through the trees, leaving puddles of sunlight on the path. Nina amuses herself by jumping from one to another.

A few curious squirrels watch her as she passes. They are a russet red color with little tufted ears which twitch this way and that constantly. Soon the path leads to a clearing dominated by a stone cottage. The cottage wears its fresh thatch roof like a hat. A small chimney pokes out of the top with a curling stream of blue smoke.

The cottage has little circular windows and a door that curves at the top. All around the cottage are flowering bushes and patches of herbs. As Nina approaches, she sees that the windowsills and doors are carved with designs of vines, flowers, and small animals. The door knocker is in the shape of a fox which seems to peer down at her with mischief in its eye. Nina hesitates before the door.

She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. Just as Nina reaches for the door knocker, the door swings open to reveal a tall woman with a warm smile. The teacher, Miss Teak, welcomes Nina in cheerfully. She too wears a pointy hat, although hers is slightly curved at the tip and is a lovely shade of forget-me-not blue. The other students are already waiting in the cottage.

a couple of rows of benches are set up on one side of the room facing a blackboard. The other half a dozen girls smile at Nina, looking as nervous and as excited as she feels. Nina takes an empty seat and looks around the cottage. The floors are paneled with worn wooden planks and scrubbed clean. The walls are covered in tapestries, shelves, and landscape paintings.

From the wooden ceiling beams hang bundles of dried herbs. One corner of the room is crammed with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and innumerable books. In the nook sits a large wingback chair, covered in a woven blanket, and on a table next to it is a candlestick. A large fireplace crackles merrily along one wall, with a copper kettle warming over it.

There are several rooms leading off from the main one, each door and doorway carved with beautiful designs. Nina can see a kitchen through one doorway and wonders if Miss Teak lives here. The smell of cinnamon wafts through the house, giving it a warm, cozy feel. All of Nina's nerves seem to dissolve in the comfortable and welcoming atmosphere of the cottage.

She turns her attention to the blackboard as Miss Teak introduces herself and welcomes her new pupils to their first day of witch school. She promises them that they all have what it takes to become fantastic witches and wonderful students. Nina expects to spend the morning in the cottage, but Mystique has the girls stand up on their feet and trotting out to the clearing immediately.

Around the side of the cottage, they find seven girl-sized broomsticks lying on the ground in a neat row. There is also a chicken coop with a group of fat speckled hens watching curiously. Each girl lines up next to a broomstick and watches as Miss Teak shows them how to properly perch side saddles. She goes through the basics of broom control and gives them instructions on safety.

We're jamming.

I hope you like jamming, too.

Latter-day Saints.

Not a Mormon. Make that very clear.

I don't know.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We ask the questions that make your eyes go wide.

They work so hard to provide for their families. They go to work. Bye, kids. Sorry I can't spend time with you all day. And they go to work.

And then the mother, she's just like, I don't know what to do right now. Your income was the only thing that was supporting us. I can't go back to work.

$141,908.

But towards the end, we slowed down a little bit, enjoyed life a little bit more.

30. 30.

and you're 30 years old pretty i love it and how much in your how much in your retirement nest egg already around 220 000 in uh 401k and then you know around maybe 35 000 in cars and you know a few 10 you know ten thousand dollars in various other assets yeah you're measuring towards the net worth he's reaching for it he's reaching for you're gonna be there easy by the slam dunk by 35 though you'll be millionaires

looking forward to it wow i'm so proud of y'all thank you well done so what in the world you weirdos what made you do this well it basically all started i was always into reselling on ebay and you know various things and my friend gave me a giant box of books and i was looking through them and the total money makeover happened to be in there your book and looked interesting so i decided to give it a read and the rest was history you know we had a little bit of debt at the time you know we were

new couple, you know, just trying to start life. And, you know, it was just a great, you know, just way to just, you know, be free and, you know, have financial peace through all of life's challenges.

Yeah, being patient and, you know, finding community and like-minded people were hard to come by where we were from.

And you need a new car.

What are you driving? Right now, Nina has a small Subaru Impreza, so we're hoping to get a bigger family car.

Yeah. Being consistent in every dollar every day, having budgeting meetings and just don't make excuses. You know, you can definitely do it and you just got to, you know, plan and talk to your spouse and communicate. And that's kind of the key.

Oh.