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Chapter 3 - Lily: Hire Me
I stood outside of Enchanted, the little boutique downtown. This was the fifth establishment that I had visited. Every place I had visited had shut the door on me.
This was Amber Whitaker’s store. She and I used to go to school together. We had no problems back in the day so, hopefully, she would have mercy on a girl down on her luck. I needed to find a job, and I needed to find one soon.
Hell would freeze over before I moved back in with my mother.
I stepped into the store. I walked up to the reception and rang the little silver bell. After a few seconds, Amber walked out from a door in the back with a rather swollen belly. I knew I wasn’t in tune with the town gossip but when the hell had that happened?
“Hey Amber,” I smiled. I was going to have to do a lot of ass-kissing.
“Lillian?” She waddled to the front. This woman wasn’t just pregnant she was heavily pregnant. She looked like she was ready to pop at any given moment.
“How are you?”
She settled into the chair in front. She pointed down to her swollen belly, “I’m fat and tired. How are you?”
“I’m alright,” I gave her my best smile. I sucked at small talk, and I was worse at being friendly. I shifted my weight awkwardly unsure of how to approach this situation.
“So what brings you here?” She leaned into her chair and rubbed on her big belly. She reached for a packet of opened sour worms. She threw her head back and shook the packet, so the worms fell into her mouth.
Is this what pregnancy did to a woman?
“I’m just going to be real with you, Amber. I need to find a job so that I don’t move back in with my psycho mother who drives me up the wall on a daily basis. I have gone to five different stores, and no one wants to hire me.”
“I wonder why,” she said sarcastically. “Need I remind you that you were one of the town's biggest tyrants in high school? You vandalized things for fun, Lily.”
“I know but obviously I’m older now, and I know better.”
She scoffed, “Are you still with that no-good boyfriend of yours? What was his name again? Matthew? Madden? Moose?”
“Max,” I corrected her. “No, I’m not with him anymore. We broke up a while ago. I have no more ties to him or to that life. I’m newly reformed.”
“Sure.”
I placed my hand in the wood of the reception area. “Come on, Amber. Didn’t we used to be friends back in the day?”
“No. We weren’t friends, Lily. You were more or less my personal bully. You were a literal tyrant in school. You hated authority, and you thought everyone was your enemy. It was a wonder how you even managed to graduate with all of us.”
The dig was annoying, but it didn’t hurt. I was used to seeing people view me as the loser and outcast. To be fair, I had branded myself that, thanks to my after-school shenanigans. I was not exactly the easiest kid to deal with.
“Look, Amber. I just need a job. I saw the help wanted sign outside. I swear I will be your best employee yet.”
She rolled her eyes. “As much as I would like to have you on board, I’ll have to say no. I’m closing. With the baby on the way and Matt making more than enough for us, I don’t feel the need to work. Even if I were to say yes to you, you wouldn’t even get a full month’s pay.”
My heart shattered.
“No worries.” I backed away from the reception area. “Congrats on your baby, by the way.”
She smiled down at her belly, rubbing it lovingly. Amber looked so at peace. She looked content. I envied that.
“Thanks, Lily. Good luck with your job hunt.”
I nodded and exited the store. I was in such a rush to get out of there that I didn’t notice the person speed walking down the sidewalk. We collided with one another. Her drink fell to the ground along with her handbag.
“Shit,” she cursed, “of all the fucking luck.”
“Sorry about that.” I picked up the woman’s bag. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
