"You girls were this close to losing your jobs. For the third time this month." Gideon fumed at us. His short finger wagging in our faces, spittle flying everywhere. I almost roll my eyes at his theatrics, as if we all did not know the guy. A woman simply looking in his direction confuses the poor guy, so I tend to send him into a frenzy.
I clap both my hands, trapping his wagging finger in place. The top buttons already popped from my earlier ordeal with Mark; our landlord. So it was pretty easy to get this guy to stop talking.
All movements seized the second my hands touch his finger, you can literally see him go red in the face. Poor guy. Makes me wonder when last he had some action.
"You know how terrible the traffic is like in the mornings?" I pout slightly. It does not matter that the traffic on Wednesday mornings are not terrible, he was not listening to any word coming out of my mouth anymore. His eyes were doing the same thing Mark's eyes did earlier. That is until Tommy cleared his throat really loudly.
"Yeah well, get up earlier then. Consider this your last warning." He says before storming away.
"Gurl!! How many last warnings he done give you these past few days?" Mya says as she sauntered into the locker room.
I laugh and turn around to face her. She was dressed like she was going for a job interview, but that is just her style. Even if we were meant to wear office looking clothes, Mya always looks like she has an interview scheduled for later.
"What can I say? Sexy is the new currency." I say as I button my shirt back up.
"Ain't that right." Mya agrees with me. We do a little high five to that. Despite the fact that she was married and in a very healthy relationship, she agreed with me more than my own best friend.
"We have work to do, some of us are lacking in that currency." Krystal snaps at me before walking out of the locker room.
Mya blinks at me in confusion.
"Did y'all fight some more?"
I laugh a little and wave it off dismissively.
"Same old, same old."
Her confused expression gives way to one that I can't really explain.
"She is benefiting from it though. She's not the one doing anything. Her morals and her remain untouched while you are willing to do what you have to do and doesn't harm your morals to survive."
Mya understands me simply because she had it rough growing up. Her life is better now but she shares the same pain. Krystal too had it rough, but somehow she picked up morals along the way and has not let go of them ever since.
"She is angry at herself mostly.." Tommy interrupts us. I almost forgot he was here, that is how he was, quiet and almost always invincible. When we turn our attention to him, he blushes beet red. Mya coos. I agree it is cute, he is cute but he is.. him. He works in the same store as I do, only difference was he basically did everything Gideon tells him, from arranging the packages to be delivered to delivering them himself, I have no idea what he was actually hired for, I think he forgot too. The main point was, he was not enough for me.
"She can't do anything to help, and her best friend is doing what she hates the most for both of them to survive. She hates that Sally has to seduce men for things to swing in their favor. But she despises herself even more for being unable to help it." Tommy finishes his explanation.
We all go silent after that. Soaking up Tommy's words. I know Krystal means well, that is one of the numerous reasons I remained friends with Her, even after everything. I appreciate her for everything, except the judgements, she does not have to push her morals on me. I can handle myself just fine. I always have.
"Whose side are you on lover boy?" Mya asks him.
Tommy turns beet red at the question. Cute like I said, but not enough. The main reason I started to work at a departmental store for very rich men was to find the Mr right, and sitting in the locker room won't help me find one, so I walk out of there.
"It is almost pay day. We can pay off the rent for last month. And the rest can go towards the remainder of the debt." Krystal pointed out to me as soon as I clip on my name tag.
"The water, phone, electricity bills then?" I ask as I briskly wall to my position, the closest to the door, Gideon was hell bent on milking all I had to offer to the store. Of course men shopping for their clothes was not an every day occurrence, when it did occur, me who turned the most heads could lure them in before any other store had the opportunity.
"I was thinking we do it like last time. I pay for the water, phone, electricity and gas bills, plus groceries, if anything is left I add it up to the rent money." She bit her lips again. She was making up for the fact that I had to use my body to get what we needed.
"Why? I thought you said we should never do it that way again."
I shoot a smile at the customer that walked in, he almost breezed past us but stops at the entrance. He smiles in satisfaction after his eyes rack down my body. My eyes access him too, he looked like he had money. Else he wouldn't dare shop here, but he was short and balding. I can't complain.
"Let's discuss this later Krystal. I might be unto something here." I say as I slip out of my booth and walk towards him.
I can feel Krystal's disappointment. It does not matter though. This man probably has a credit card that will be mine soon.