MELANIE
I let out a loud cry, sobbing as I lay bundled on my couch, watching Titanic for the fifth time this week. It was the only movie that made me cry no matter how many times I saw it. So it was perfect for the mood I was in.
"Oh, Jack," I muttered, cramming a handful of chips into my mouth. Ice cream would have been the obvious choice, but I was too broke to get any. So I settled for the cheapest bag of chips I could find. They weren't even good, which wasn't surprising for their price. But however tasteless they were, I still stuffed them in my mouth. I just needed my mouth to be busy.
It had been four weeks since I punched my boss in the face. I had spent the first two weeks job hunting. When I hadn't made any progress I had kind of given up. I just wanted to eat, watch Titanic, and cry. But the universe was so cruel to me. I couldn't even afford the ice cream.
"Why is my life so shit!" I wailed in frustration. "What is this? Karma? I know I'm a bad person, but seriously?" I looked up at the ceiling as if I would get an answer.
Suddenly, my phone began to vibrate. I had put it on silent because the incessant ringing had been disturbing my ears. I peered at the caller ID, sighing when I saw it was Emily. Yes, I loved my best friend, but I didn't feel like talking to anyone. Since I had lost my job, there hadn't been a day that passed when she didn't call to check up on me and see how I was doing. I hated the gesture as it had pity written all over it. But I swallowed it back because I knew she meant no disrespect.
About thirty minutes later, the sound of my apartment door clicking open made me look up. I groaned. I had just restarted my movie. My tired eyes met Emily's narrowed ones.
"Don't worry, I haven't committed suicide." I greeted her, waving.
"Yet," I added, offering a forced smile.
She rolled her eyes, making me scoot over on the couch so she could sit next me. "That's not funny, Mel."
I only shrugged.
"How are you?" She asked, smoothing my disheveled hair back.
"Hopeless."
Emily gave a small laugh. "My poor baby," She cooed, wrapping me in a tight hug. "It's okay... it's okay."
I still didn't know how she managed to smell like chocolate all the time. Reminding myself to ask her if she bathed in confectionery, I melted into the hug.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, pulling away all of a sudden. Reaching to the floor, she pulled up a brown paper bag I hadn't seen in her hand when she had come over. She pulled out a medium-sized cup of ice cream, making me jump up in surprise.
"You got me ice cream?" I asked, jumping on her and giving her a bear hug.
"Down, girl," She laughed.
I quickly dug into the ice cream, moaning as it hit my taste buds. "I think I just had an orgasm," I sighed, making Emily erupt in laughter.
"You're crazy," She giggled, taking off the coat she wore and dumping it on the floor. She sunk deeper into the sofa. "This was a bad idea."
I cocked an eyebrow, licking my spoon. "What?"
"I rushed down here as soon as my break started. Now I'm scared I won't ever want to get up. I'm exhausted," She groaned.
I chuckled. "Life tip, don't lose your job."
"Yeah yeah, I'd hate to lay in bed, eating junk and smelling like death," She deadpanned, innocently keeping a straight face.
"Bitch," I shot back, laughing. "Don't judge me, man. I'm exhausted."
"As you've been for most of this year," She said, giving me a sad smile. "You are the strong, baddest bitch I have ever met. And believe me, I know a lot of bad bitches."
I found myself snickering.
"You've been through a lot, Mel. I know losing your job sucks, especially at this time. But you did the right thing by punching the shit out of that scumbag. I know you, and I know you would never let any fucker get away with something like that. I would have done the exact the same thing. So don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you'll land a better job. It's just a matter of time."
I sighed, nodding. She was right. But I still couldn't help but feel so tired.
"And your dad, Mel. We need him okay, right? To stop all that pain. You need to get a good job, okay?"
The mention of Dad made my heart clench. I just wanted him to be okay. Taking a deep breath to remind myself to focus, I stood.
"Thanks, Em."
"For what?" She frowned.
"Always being there for me."
I had met Emily four years ago at a shopping mall. We had both picked up an item we had wanted to examine at once, then spent two minutes glaring each other down. A shop assistant who had tried to intervene was yelled down by us both. Neither of us had ended up buying the item. We had met the same day at a coffee shop. It turns out that her frustration also stemmed from the fact that she couldn't afford the item either. It had been bliss ever since.
"Yeah, I can't imagine what you'd do without me sometimes."
"One more word from you and you're out."
She raised her hands in surrender. "It's normal to be in denial at first," She joked, slapping my arm playfully.
I rolled my eyes.
"So what's our next move job hunting-wise?" She asked.
I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I sent out some applications to a few companies already. But I'll go out tomorrow and search as well. Who knows, someone might recognize my talent."
Emily giggled at my joke. "That's the Mel I know. I have to get back to work now," She added checking the time on her wristwatch. "Break has been over for five minutes."
"Okay, hurry back. I love you." I said as she hurried out the door.
I felt so much better now. Maybe things weren't looking so shitty anymore.