Ashley, Pam, and I give a round of applause after watching the show where Sue was one of the actors. We hang out in their apartment to be able to watch it together.
“Wow! You were great back there, Sue!” exclaims Ashley as she gives Sue, who sits next to her on the sofa, a gentle push.
“T-Thanks,” replies Sue shyly and returns to her seat.
“Congratulations again, Sue,” I greet her. “You really got your first major role.”
She looks at me and gives me a bright smile. “Thank you, Betsy! Congratulations as well on your engagement.”
My cheeks warm and now all of their attention are turned to me. Ashley takes my hand and she stares on my ring. “How much will it be if you like…pawn it?”
I immediately jerk my hand away from her. “Stop it, Ashley.”
“Oh come on! I was just kidding!” Ashley laughs and rolls her eyes. Pam and Sue j
Okay. Calm down, Betsy. Take deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Remember, you are one sophisticated woman. Megawatts smile!Shit! How did I end up here again? Oh, right. Of course! It’s time to pay the rent. To avoid my landlady’s machine gun mouth, Petra, and to be able to afford Grandpa’s new false teeth, I definitely have to endure this!So here I am, inside a spacious conference room which has white walls. I am currently sitting on a very comfortable swivel chair in front of a big wooden desk. I am with the other business minded people in the corporate world. In front of us is this really big projector, as big as my patience. I am inside the luxurious hotel in the city of New York.“. . . so basically the length of the development . . .”“ . . . logistics . . . data . . . management . . .”O…kay…What? I don’t know, really. I can’t
I turn silent as I wait for their reactions. It’s like a slow motion as Amanda’s face changes. She is now staring at me with wide eyes. I risk a glance at Jack and sees him staring at me intently with an unreadable expression on his face. I don’t like the way he is looking at me because I feel a shiver down my spine and feel drowned with his intense blue eyes. I look the other way as I try to collect my thoughts. “Oh my God! That is so cool,” Amanda beams. I give her a confident smile. I guess it was . . .okay? “So what does it mean?” She adds after a moment. The smile freezes on my face. To be totally honest, I have no idea as well. But of course I will never tell her that. “It means My God,” I say calmly. The most important thing which I’ve learned from being a con-artist is to still stay as close as you can to the truth. So when all hell break loose, you can still find a way to stay alive. I think I d
“Pst! Betsy!” says a voice in my ears. “Shut up,” I murmur and continue closing my eyes. I lean the opposite side of my cheek on the desk and ignore the annoying voice. “Hey, Betsy!” persists the voice. Now, it gets sharper than before. I slowly open my eyes and lift my head. Darkness consumes me upon seeing the hovering face of my best friend, Pam. “What is it?” I ask, irritated. “Let’s go out later after work. There’s a newly opened restaurant in the city.” She is chewing something. I can obviously hear a crunchy sound from it. I stare at her suspiciously. “Are you seriously chewing something right now? Do you really want to get busted again by Pat?” “Who cares?” she says rolling her eyes. “He’s just probably jealous since he is incapable of gaining weight. Whatever he does, he’ll remain as thin as a twig.” I can’t help but give a swift glance at her body. They are the exact opposite of body figure. Lik
I am sweating profusely after getting off the ferry. The yellow blouse I am wearing is also soaked with my sweat. Luckily, I am wearing some pants, I feel a bit comfortable. The seaport is too crowded since it’s Friday. The pink suitcase I am carrying is still heavy. It’s really hard to get home to Sequim, a beautiful small town with about 65 miles west of Seattle. The port was also too crowded. It’s five o’clock in the afternoon and rush hour. I have already booked a car rental but for some reason it has not arrived yet. A few minutes later, someone stops in front of me. A burly man, who looks like he is just my age, comes out of a white van. Heck, he is quite easy in the eyes. The man smiles as he approaches me. Does he know me or is he really just obsessed with my beauty? Oh well, maybe he is just really like this to his potential passengers. As I continue staring at him, he starts scratching on his forehead. “Betsy, it’s really you! It’s me
I feel like I am floating in nothingness as I stare at the very familiar man in front. I unconsciously pinch my left arm just to make sure that this is not a dream. While doing this, someone else is pinching my other arm as well. I turn my gaze and find Pam as the culprit. “What is wrong with you, Betsy?” she whispers. “Why are you self-abusing?” I try to open my mouth but no words come out. My emotions are a mess. I try to speak once more but is only interrupted when our supervisor starts giving his announcement. “Excuse me, everyone! Finish your current calls and then take a short break,” Benny announces in a formal tone. Everybody nods and acts normal. It’s as if a bucket of cold water with an ice from Atlantic Ocean poured into me. I am even trembling in fear. Without putting my thought into it, little by little I squeeze myself into Pam who is standing next to me. She is busy gawking at our guest. I bow my head and try to h
I am left speechless with his question. I did not expect it. I thought he’d say, “Oh, so it’s not Yuri Haruko?” or “What are you doing here, you freaking liar?” I can also see the mixture of shock and astonishment on my colleagues faces. I know that his question is not innocent and that there is something else lying behind it. But still, I have to give him an answer since the others are looking at us and waiting for my response as well. “Well. . . I think they’re great people,” I manage to say, trying to save myself. The corner of Jack’s lips mysteriously rises. He adjusts himself on his seat and leans on the backrest of his swivel chair. “Of course,” he says, nodding in agreement. There’s a sudden spark on his eyes. “How about their language?” Of course he remembers! “I . . . Er… I,” I struggle to find the answer to his question. It seems like he has a plan of where this conversation is going. “I’m sorry,
With long strides, I quickly make my way inside the elevator. I am glad to see that nobody else is inside it. I gasp for air. Goodness! That was close! I’ve been trying my best to avoid Jack Wills for the entire day. I don’t want to be confronted by him and face his verdict. I am not ready yet. I need time to come up with some kind of a strategy. I can’t let him ruin my career now. I fall down on the bed when I reach my apartment. I sleep all day that I almost forget to eat. Aside from my tired body, I guess my internal organs are tired as well due to intense nervousness because of Jack Will’s presence. Even when I am sleeping, my mind is still active plotting on how to avoid Jack Wills. It’s like I am playing hide and seek with him. And he is playing ahead of me. I am able to wake up with a clear mind though. I guess I am already prepared for work later on. I am anticipating the worst case scenario. If I ever need to leave and escape, I
I don’t understand what he’s trying to say. I heard him but it hasn’t fully registered to me. “I don’t understand,” I say slowly, confused. “I’m not the real Jack Wills,” he repeats patiently. It makes me even more confused. Thinking that it’s all a joke and that he is currently making fun of me, I cackle with laughter. I laugh so hard that I have to hold on my stomach. I look at him again and is stunned to see that he is giving me a serious look. I stop laughing and lamely stare at him. “I don’t . . . understand.” “Jack Wills is my brother. My twin brother,” he says. I want to faint. I take a hold on the chair which he offered earlier to support myself from fainting. I am so not prepared with his revelation. Jack is watching me closely. My throat feels dry. I help myself and slowly take a seat on the empty chair. My gaze lands on his desk. I notice the untouched bottle of water on it. Without asking