-- BEGINNING --
Somehow, Octavia found herself surviving in the rush of the city for one more quick trip, and much to her surprise, she had ran into the building just on time. She noticed the clock strike exactly one when she sprinted in through the back door of the bakery, indulging the smell of sweet treats the moment she entered.
"Hello there, Bonbon, I-"
"Oh, thank goodness you showed up! I've been getting catering gigs left and right and it's not easy keeping the crowd pleased either!"
Octavia winced as she noticed her normally overly kind boss freak out.
"Here," Bonbon instructed, shoving an frilly apron and a notepad towards the other woman. "Take down some orders and whatnot, I need to keep baking." She shuffled over to the kitchen area, and shouted over her shoulder. "Also, if you see that wife of mine, tell her she's got to start pulling her weight around here!"
A frown made it's way across Octavia's expression.
Well, it looked like she wasn't the only one having a bad day.
She tied the apron around her waist and rushed out of the back, into the cafe part of the bakery, where patrons sat at the tables, awaiting their orders.
For the most part, it was rolling along as smooth as silk. The messes were fewer than usual, people actually bothered to use manners, and nothing seemed to cause any sort of bumps in the road. The afternoon flew by, moment by moment, as if someone had turned on the fast forward button. Octavia almost felt as if she was flying across the floor as she dashed from table to table, and from the kitchen and back, taking orders and giving out dishes to everyone.
Before she knew it, the clock had spun forward and it was now six 'o clock.
Everyone had left, and now, the sign on the front door was flipped over to read CLOSED.
A deep breath of relief escaped Octavia and a tired smile was on her expression.
"Do you need any more help?" she asked as she peeked into the kitchen.
Bonbon was now wiping down the counter. "I'm done for the day as well," she sighed.
Octavia gave a small nod. "Well then, I guess I'll be off for the night," she said, as she untied her apron and hung it up on one of the hooks on the wall. "I suppose you'll need me around the same time tomorrow?"
"Most likely," Bonbon replied, as she dried her hands off on her flour-covered skirt. "And-" The heartwarming smile she was known for was back. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"I'd hate to be a burden-"
"-oh, come on, Octavia, you're a good friend."
"Is that the only reason you hired me?" she teased.
Bonbon rolled her eyes, and Octavia chuckled.
"I'll have to decline," she said politely.
"I'm not taking no for an answer," Bonbon pressed.
Octavia now genuinely laughed. "You're the worst sometimes, you know that?" she joked.
The other woman smirked, and put her hands on her hips. "If that was the case, you wouldn't be getting a paycheck from me," she playfully shot back. "Besides, when was the last time we hung out after work?"
Taking this into consideration, Octavia pursed her lips.
It did look awfully cloudy outside, and walking out in the rain was never fun...
"Just this once," she said.
"You say that everytime," Bonbon trilled.
The smile on Octavia's expression slightly grew. So her day had dragged on and crashed towards the middle of it all, but in the end, so far, it seemed pretty sweet...
"Lyra! You're poisoning our daughter's mind!"
"C'mon, Bonnie, give it a chance! It's an educational show, for crying out loud!"
"Educa-? Pfft, more like fuel for nightmares!"
Octavia laughed as she listened to her two friends bickering. She shook her head playfully, and smiled as she watched Bonbon carry a toddler out of the living room, with Lyra right behind.
They both sat back down at the kitchen table, with Bonbon scowling.
"I swear, sometimes, it seems like I have two children," she muttered.
Lyra stuck her tongue out, and stabbed her fork into her salad.
"You're the one who puts up with me," she argued.
Bonbon let out a sigh. "Yes, and I often wonder why," she mused, shaking her head as she looked to their mutual friend. "So, Octavia, what's been happening with you? It's not often the three of us get to spend time like this, just friends."
Octavia gave a small half-hearted shrug. "The usual," she said simply. "Nothing I can report."
"Aw, c'mon," Lyra urged. "There's gotta be something."
"It's life, not a film where there's action at every moment," Octavia pointed out.
"I don't like your fancy metaphors, now tell us your day," Lyra said bluntly, as she reached forward and poked her friend in the arm. "There's probably something I can laugh about. You know how other people's misery amuses me."
Octavia smirked. "You're a strange one, Heartstrings," she laughed.
Lyra returned the grin. "What - did you just find this out now?" she replied.
"Unfortunately not," Octavia teased. "And as for my day, well-" Her expression slightly fell and she hesitated, twirling a lock of hair around one of her fingers. "Like I said, life."
"There's more to it," Bonbon quipped. "I can tell."
"You're not a mind-reader-"
"-but I know when a friend is upset."
Octavia let out a sigh of frustration. "Today decided to beat me up with no mercy and then it kicked me to the curb," she admitted. "And to be honest," She bit her lip. "I was thinking about asking you for more hours to work."
Bonbon's grin was sweeter than the treats she made for a living. "Of course!" she beamed. "I always need help." She winced as her young daughter began tugging on her curly hair. "Ow, Tootsie, honey, please don't yank on Mommy's curls." She looked to Octavia and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want more hours anyway? What about the job you have?"
"They closed the place down," Octavia sighed. "I've been laid off."
"That sucks," Lyra said, as she laughed while watching the entertaining scene that was her wife fighting against their toddler. "I guess you don't have a back-up plan?"
Octavia shook her head. "Sadly, no," she muttered.
"Well, we're always willing to let you work at the shop," Bonbon assured.
"Thanks," Octavia said, with a small smile. "I just don't know if it will be enough. Do either of you know a place that's hiring?"
Lyra snorted. "In this city? With this economy?" she retorted.
Octavia scoffed. "You're right," she sighed. "But, at least I have one job."
She noticed the neon green clock on the wall, and took note of the time - which was a quarter after eight. She gave a half-hearted smile and looked to her friends.
"I should be going now," she said simply. "It's late. See you two tomorrow?"
Lyra and Bonbon shared a smile, and Octavia got up from her seat, bidding them a farewell as she left their apartment. The city welcomed her with it's usual loud ruckus, and she let out an annoyed groan. Away from the nice, warm home to this.
She was really starting to dislike the city...
Sitting down on a nearby bench to wait for the bus ride home, Octavia breathed in the soft calming air of the Springtime evening. For a minute, if she closed her eyes, she could imagine her hometown. It had dirt roads, it was a small place, where everyone knew each other and-
-"Hey, lady!"
Octavia shot her eyes open, and looked back, noticing a young girl no younger than thirteen dash up to her with an armful of newspapers.
"Ya wanna buy one?" she asked, blowing her bright red hair out of her face.
Fishing a dollar out of her pocket, Octavia gave the young girl the money and took the paper. She opened it to a random page and sat back, her eyes gazing over the pages. Dim light from the street lamps made it possible to read and nothing seemed to be interesting enough.
Music from nearby clubs could be heard from outside, and it made the issue of reading even harder. But, finally, when Octavia skimmed to the next page, she felt her heart stop. Normally, the JOBS area in the paper was full of ads, but not this time - and with the never-ending beats she could hear, pieces in Octavia's mind clicked.
It was risky, it was a last resort...
...but with no full-time job to rely on, it was all she could do.
Advertise Here!
555-363-6346
Octavia pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number.
"Ad Services, what can I do ya for?" a shrill voice on the other end of the line said.
"Yes, hello, I'd like to place an advertisement," Octavia said.
"What for?"
She smiled brilliantly. "Music lessons," she declared.