The four friends simply brushed off the odd woman and went about their night of clubbing. Which proceeded as it usually did. In a drunken, flirtatious blurr.
-
Come Monday morning, Laura couldn’t help but dwell on the strange encounter as she prepared for work. She shared a tiny downtown apartment with her hopelessly untidy half sister, Janette. And so their overpriced and very limited living space was a constant disaster.
Not that it mattered too much. It was mostly about having somewhere to bring boys after successful dates. And they never seemed to be bothered too much with the state of the place. Today the mess seemed particularly daunting as Laura looked herself in the mirror.
She was pretty, if a bit plain. Without many curves to speak of. But fuck boys tended to be thirsty and she got along just fine in the romantic arena. She wondered how long this lifestyle could be for her though. Being stuck in a dead end job waitressing and having no real education to speak of didn’t bode well for the future. And it surely couldn’t always be about partying and getting laid.
Such thoughts would have to wait for another time, as work was rapidly approaching.
Janette was happily unemployed and so she slept on through the hangover. Which Laura had long since resigned herself to powering through.
-
The bus ride to work was interminable as ever. Laura knew she kinda looked like shit after last night’s festivities. Luckily she had caked on enough makeup to hide the bags under her eyes. Though, nothing would be capable of fighting the headache that she had developed.
She tried to avoid eye contact with the other unfortunates who were on their way to their, no doubt tedious jobs. It all seemed so pointless today. A lifetime of drudgery, and for what? Being poor sucked.
That odd woman, Circe. Was still lingering in her mind. She didn’t believe in anything supernatural. But somehow the fantasy had wormed its way into her imagination. It kinda sounded like a disney movie. The kind where the princess lived happily ever after and gets everything she wants in the end. Like that was going to happen.
-
Work was work. As it always was. Being a woman in a man’s world was its own tribulation at the best of times. But being a waitress, Laura was basically paid to be friendly and hospitable no matter what. And men seemed to think flirting with her non stop was an ok thing to do. When really, it was her job to be polite. It was all just so horribly wearying.
And that was before even getting into the long hours and overtime she was pressured into working. Or the way she always had to wear a smile and how her fucking feet felt after wearing heels for an entire shift. Which was infuriatingly, inhumanely mandatory.
“Wow, you look like shit today”
The only bright spot about her job were the days where her shift overlapped with Manuel. The very handsome and very charming young man that she fancied.
“But I guess I should see the other guy, right?”
Ok, maybe he was more handsome than actually charming. But with a face like his, he could really, really get away with it. Laura didn’t think she was quite ready to give up her slutty phase. But she could definitely see sitting on this guy’s face for the rest of her life. There was one complication however. He was just tooo fucking good looking. Way out of her league. A girl could dream though.
“Ha ha, uhhh. You know I’m always hungover on Monday. Don’t rub it in”
“I would never”
Manuel whistled absentmindedly as he got about his work without any qualms. Seeming to relish this gig which was only a step on his way towards a bright future as an artist. God, he was perfect. Laura groaned inwardly.
-
Many monotonous hours later, Laura found herself performing the last of her cleaning duties as she prepared to close up shop. The hangover had warmed over into a full body exhaustion and sleep was blessedly close at hand. Just one more bus ride away.
She jumped as she heard a knock on the window.
Turning her head, her heart ran cold. It was that woman from last night. Circe. Had she been followed? Cautiously, Laura made her way to the door.
“Sorry, we’re closed” Hopefully the strange woman’s sudden appearance was merely an astronomical coincidence. But she was prepared to scream, like. Super loud if it wasn’t.
“Don’t mind me, darling” Her voice came in muffled through the transparent barrier. “I was simply in the neighbourhood and thought we might have a little chat”
That had sounded distinctly ominous. Laura carefully considered the thin, semi-sinister woman in front of her. Could it really hurt to let her in…?
-
“Smoke?” Circe casually offered Laura a cigarette. Which the waitress eyed pensively. Not yet willing to take anything from this stranger. “...Fine, suit yourself. We should really get to business”
“Business?”
“Yes, the business of wishes”
There it was. This woman whom she had never met in her life was talking about wishes once again. Like that was a totally normal fucking thing to do. To say nothing of following her to work. And there was something else. Something almost supernaturally off-putting about her. Like all of one’s parents lectures about the danger of strangers incarnate.
“Ok, listen. Let’s say for one second that I buy this wish thing. What are my options?” Laura felt stupid for letting her in at all and hoped humouring her would get her out of this situation faster.
“Oh, you poor, poor thing. You’re just a bundle of nerves. I’m not here to hurt you. I just see you here, working your ass off for nothing. Let Circe help you, Darling”
“By granting my wishes?”
“Precisely”
“Come on. You’re pulling my leg. T-That’s not real”
Circe seemed to be suppressing a smirk as she leaned in conspiratorially close.
“It can be. How about I start you off with one little wish. What could it hurt?”
“...Fine, you know what? Fine. I wish I was just a little prettier. So I could get ahead in this shitty, man’s world”
“Just a little?”
“Yeah, whatever. Now I have to go home so I can get ready for work tomorrow. Can I go, please?”
“Wish granted, darling. See you soon”
-
Laura slept on the bus. Glad to have put the incredibly unnerving incident behind her. She had been cursing herself for even letting Circe into the restaurant. Who trusts somebody with the same name as the bad guy from game of thrones?
Thu May 20 19:48:23 2021