Petit Romance

Poppy held the small sheet of paper in her hands anxiously. It had the address of the place she found on the newspaper when she was looking for a new job. She didn't know much of her way on this part of the city, which was ironic because this was the part where you could see almost every race hanging out. That included Asians, such as herself. She just preferred to hang at the spots where better food businesses were located.

Still, she had no choice. She just lost a job, and she did not intend to lose her apartment.

Poppy looked down at the address on the paper again and looked at the store in front of her. She stared at it with a look of distaste on her face. Starting to walk towards it hesitantly, she stopped and turned right back around to try again. She kept walking in circles, back and forth before the store. She passed the antique shop two stores away from it and stopped again to look at the paper. It fit the address.

“But it's...” she began. “This is a...”

She decided not to believe what she wanted to say and headed towards the store.

There was a loud ring-ring above her as she opened the door to the food business.

A food place, Poppy thought incredulously, that sells sushi.

A sushi place.

And it was full of Asians.

Poppy stopped abruptly before the door, dumbfounded. She looked around the store, her soft lips slightly parted open. Next to the door on her right was a big tank full of koi fish and a sort of desk where a set of napkins and menu lay. On her left were posters of the most popular dishes and─a “HELP WANTED” sign.

“Well, that crushes my hope...” Poppy muttered, eyes becoming flat in disappointment.

As she turned back to the restaurant, she remembered she was not alone. Taking the empty seats in front of her were around seven people, all Asians. For some reason, she could not tell from where they were from. They almost seemed the same. Dark, almost black hair, almond shaped eyes, and a small variety pale skin tones. In fact, she knew she was the only one in there with red-brown hair, and especially with blue eyes.

Maybe I am freak, after all, Poppy thought, turning around slowly to leave.

A female voice stopped her from turning around completely.

“Are you here for the job?” she asked her, leaning curiously towards her from where she sat.

Poppy stared her down rather unnecessarily. She didn't like snoops that asked questions, but she couldn't just ignore her. Instead she nodded in response.

The woman waved her over, gesturing towards the empty seat next to her.

Poppy stared at her for what seemed the longest ten seconds of her life. She gave up reluctantly and walked over to sit next to her, making sure their shoulders didn't touch. Physical contact was also a big no-no. She had too much of that with creeps like her old manager.

“I saw the ad on the newspaper, and I decided to check it out,” the woman began, smiling like someone with secrets.

Poppy only stared at her.

“To tell you the truth...” The woman looked around the room suspiciously and leaned closer to her, making Poppy lean away from her. “I'm pretty sure they already hired someone. They're taking a while in there. He's probably already been hired. I heard a yell of joy or something.”

Well, Poppy thought sarcastically, that's a disappointment.

“Awww,” the woman smiled. “Don't look discouraged. I know somewhere you can find a job more suitable for you.”

Poppy perked up at this.

“Is it...like this one?” she asked hesitantly.
“No, no. It's good, it's good.”
“Oh. Okay. Uh...thanks.”
“No problem, hon. Here, let me give you the address.”

Poppy nodded enthusiastically as the woman reached into her purse and pulled out a notepad. The woman took out a pen that was stabbed inside of her bun and with a click began to scribble down the address on the paper. Ripping out the paper from her notepad, she looked up at Poppy and handed her the paper with the address.

“Now, off you go! Go, go, shoo!” she said as she waved Poppy away.

Poppy couldn't have been more happy to get out of there.

Ring-ring went the little bell at the top of the door as she stepped out hurriedly, clutching the paper with the address tightly in her hand. She started jogging down the sidewalk towards the direction she came from until something caught her attention at the window of the antique shop. She approached the window, leaning over to get a closer look.

She'd get an even better look if she went inside.

Poppy looked at the address on the paper for a moment. She thought about it. The store would still be there after she came back out, right? She wouldn't take long. She smiled at the obvious logic in her thoughts and opened the door to the antique shop.

Poppy stepped out of the antique shop, smiling a pretty smile that lit up her face. It was evident she had enjoyed her time inside of the shop. In fact, she would like very much to visit it again. It was a lovely place. She actually enjoyed it so much she'd decided to purchase some items she carried in her box, and a pen she had in her hair she'd thought was cute.

She sighed in content and began walking in the direction of the address on the paper.

The sound of her boots as they hit the sidewalk was steady, as she had a consistent stride, full of confidence. She felt this could be it. She could finally get a job she could keep without getting fired for insubordination, or in reality translation: refusing to sleep with the manager. Poor sleazebag was going to regret ever firing her for that. She would succeed and make them all regret.

She was sure of this as she walked back and forth with a very alarmed expression on her face that shattered the last remains of the smile she had worn when she started the course.

Poppy had started glancing in confusion at the address on the paper at first. The glances turned to blank stares as she still could not make sense of what was happening. By the end her blank stares had turned into pleading gazes that made her eyes sting. Was she lost? No, it was the address on the paper, that was definite. But where was the store? Where were the signs, and the customers, and the tables and the employees? Where was...everything?

Why couldn't she find the food business where the food business was supposed to be?

The realization hit her as if she'd been hit with the force of pile of bricks. Or even with the force of the impact she'd had earlier as she bumped into that rude stranger. Her head reeled and deep disappointment seeped into her bones, making her sag and slide down to the floor against the wall─the wall of the abandoned restaurant she'd been looking for. It'd been closed down, perhaps even weeks before she even got the job at the pastry shop.

Poppy sighed in despair, resting her face against her palms. She released a deep and heart-breaking groan from deep inside of her, all the way down from her soul. She was in pain.

What do I do now? she thought.