A Woman's Dream

Chapter 1

The television in the bedroom was blaring with the voice of the commentator and the cheers of the spectators. It was the last game for the Bills this season, and they had better win because they needed to mitigate the humiliating memories of the last game. The Bills had been thrashed by the New England Patriots with a depressing result of 34-3, the worst score in the 2010 season.

In the sole company of the exciting voice of the commentator, Kid huffed and puffed as he stood before his full-length mirror. He was getting frustrated. It was the third time he did and undid his tie, and he was tired. He had never been very good at tying knots, and today he felt especially clumsy. Today he was supposed to attend a party that his boss was throwing. It was not the first time, and in the couple of years that he had been working in the company, he had attended a bunch of these parties. It was like part of the job, and even though these gatherings were not Kid's cup of tea, he just could not refuse to go.

Today the whole thing felt even less desirable. After spending New Year's Eve and Day in Buffalo with his parents, he had to cut the weekend short and drive all the way back to New York, just to attend his boss's party. He was very tired despite being off work since Thursday, but he wished he could stay at home and rest. On New Year's Eve he had gone partying with Jimmy and his now worn-out body told him that he was not as young as he used to be. He would really welcome some relaxing time by himself. Besides, it was too cold, and it was raining right now, which put him off even more. In the shining surface of the mirror, he could see his figure and his face, which showed signs of tiredness. He looked haggard, and his unhappy expression made him appear worse than he actually was, so he better cheer up before getting to Mr. Barnes' place. Otherwise, the night would feel much longer and more unbearable.

The phone rang in the living room, and Kid quietly went out to answer. "Hello?" He picked up the wireless receiver and returned to the bedroom where he could keep an eye on the game of his all-time favorite team on TV.

"Hi, handsome," a female voice replied to his greeting.

Kid's forehead creased into a frown. It was Natasha, Mr. Barnes' niece. She had started working in the company a couple of months ago as a research assistant. Natasha was an attractive, young woman with incredibly long legs, a slender figure, big black eyes, and a generous mane of shiny black hair. She had been assigned to the same department as Kid, the only woman in a section composed of eight men. Natasha was quite amiable, and she and Kid got on quite well. Kid really welcomed her presence in a team of which everybody else was at least ten years his senior. He and Natasha were close in age, and had similar tastes, and sense of humor.

However, Kid had noticed that Natasha constantly threw very subtle hints, which clearly showed that she was interested in going beyond the line of mere friendship. Kid always pretended he did not get her hints, and responded to them in a naïve, innocent way. Even though Kid admitted Natasha was any man's dream, he was determined not to get romantically involved with her. His first reason was that she was a colleague, and after a past foul experience, he had sworn long ago he would never get in a relationship with a coworker , Natasha was his boss's niece, which would complicate matters much more. And apart from all these reasons, Kid was not really interested in her in a romantic sense. She was very attractive, that was sure, and of course he was not made of stone, but for some reason she did not appeal to him.

"What's up, Natasha?"

"Are you getting ready for my uncle's bash?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, and as soon as I subdue my tie, I'll be on my way."

Natasha laughed a jingling kind of laughter, the type that was unmistakably flirtatious. "Oh man. A brilliant biologist, a Stanford graduate, can't be beaten by a poor, defenseless tie. You face bigger battles every day, and you always come up victorious. Don't tell me something so small can win you over."

Kid grinned amused. "I'm just not good at these things."

"Because you need a woman in your life," Natasha said in a soft, sugary tone. "You could make a woman very happy and you'll also win in the deal. It's really a waste you remain single, cruel man."

Kid started to feel uncomfortable. Lately, Natasha's hints were becoming less subtle and more direct, which made him awkward. He cleared his voice, and then said, "I already have a woman in my life, my dear mother."

Natasha laughed again. "But she's too far to help you with your tie," she said, stopping before she said something too obvious. She was getting frustrated with Kid's thickness. She had used every other way to let him know without being too direct what she wanted, but he acted as if he did not understand. Natasha had plans for tonight, and if her hints did not work, she would spell it out for him if that was what it took. But today she would score.

"Anyway," Natasha continued, "I called you because I thought you could pick me up, and we could go to my uncle's together. You know my place is on your way there, and it makes no sense for both of us to drive, especially when it's so hard to find a parking space in that part of the city."

"Uh… yeah, sure," Kid replied unenthusiastically. He did not like her suggestion because it would give their other colleagues the wrong impression about him and Natasha, and speculations would start.

"Good!" Natasha exclaimed happily. "And if you can't beat your little friend, Mr. Tie, just bring it along and I'll help you with it."

After a brief exchange of 'see you later', Kid hung up and threw a look at the television. The Bills were losing today again, but even so, he really wished he could stay at home and watch the rest of the game. He was not in the mood to socialize with the people he saw every day at work, and from his other times in this kind of events, he knew it would be too boring, a night to go to waste, with nothing at all he could look forward to.


"Louise! Your order!"

Lou shifted her eyes from the television screen, hovering at the end of the diner over the customers, and focused her attention back to the lady at the counter. "Thanks, Rosa," she said as she placed the plates brimmed with food and the drinks on her tray, and then she walked to the table, balancing the heavy tray on her hands.

Once she served the customers, she walked back to her previous position before the counter and directed her eyes to the television again. Today the restaurant was not very busy and she could relax. Some days were absolutely maddening, and she could hardly stop for a single minute. Time flew by when she was that busy, but in fact, Lou preferred those days to the ones when there was little to do because then the hours dragged endlessly. Yet, from time to time she welcomed a break from her usual heavy workload, especially when she could have a look at the game on the television.

"I really can't understand how a New York girl like you can support a team like the Bills."

Lou turned round to the voice and smiled. Rosa was the manager, a middle-aged woman of Hispanic origins, but born in the heart of Queens. Rosa was the best boss Lou had been working under over the years. She was quite laid-back, friendly, and one could hardly feel any authoritative pressure from her. As long as everyone did their duties, Rosa left them alone. But if that did not happen, she knew perfectly well how to address the matter. Lou had never had any problems with her, actually she considered Rosa a friend other than a boss. "And why not?" Lou simply said to Rosa's comment.

"Because they always lose," Rosa remarked teasingly.

"Not always," Lou defended the team.

"Maybe not, but I imagine that it's not because of all their victories that you are such a big fan of them."

Lou shrugged her shoulders. "I… I don't know. They kind of remind me of somebody I used to know."

Rosa stared at Lou, expecting her to explain the thing further, but when the younger woman did not elaborate, she added, "So tell me, do you still have that pile of junk you call your car in the garage?"

Louise nodded. "They told me they'd have it ready today, but they were still working on it this morning."

"Honey, you should get yourself a new one. That car of yours is at the garage more often than with you."

"Oh yeah, I wish," Lou replied. "I can't afford it, Rosa. My current account is trembling… literally, especially in these difficult times we're living. Everything's so damn expensive, and I can't really save a single cent. The last time I managed to have some savings was about five years ago. I could have bought a car, but then Mark was born and all that saved money vanished."

Rosa made an unhappy face. "Yes, I know the story. I just hope that Mark's father appreciates all that now," Rosa added pointedly, feeling positive that her words expressed just the opposite of what she really thought.

"Rosa, don't be so mean. They're my family, and I couldn't do anything else," Lou retorted a bit annoyed. She knew that her friend and boss was right, but it stung when somebody else criticized those she loved, even though Rosa was totally right.

"Please forgive me. I shouldn't talk, because I have my own long record of tomfoolery. We women are so naïve and stupid sometimes," Rosa remarked. "Anyway, I asked you about your car because Carlos is picking me up later when we finish our shift. We can give you a lift to your place."

"Thanks, but I'm not going home after work. I'm doing a little job for the Barnes, so I'll take the subway to Manhattan."

"They're throwing one of those fancy dinner parties again? My, they really like boasting about their money," Rosa exclaimed.

"It's the first one of the year. How can they not celebrate New Year's?" Lou replied ironically.

"Oh dear, if I had to do some more work after spending all my hours here, I wouldn't be able to leave my bed the next day."

"It's not so bad," Lou replied indifferently. "They pay good money for just four hours, and I don't have to deal with their stiff guests. I just stay hidden in the kitchen and the dirty crockery and cutlery aren't too fussy."

New voices resounded on the premises, and the two women saw a group of youngsters making their entrance in the place and taking over one of the table in Lou's section. "Back to work," she said, placing her tray under her arm, and straightaway she directed her steps to the table. She plastered a smile on her mouth, and jotted down the order in her writing pad. As she did so, her mind was somewhere else, replaying the conversation she had just had with Rosa. She was not feeling right about something, and talking to her friend had reopened some of her wounds.

Lou knew she had a pitiful existence. She was lonely, broke, unhappy, and lacked a purpose in life. What was the point of living so pathetically? What was the aim of working her fingers to the bone when she didn't even have some joy? She had fought too hard, and at the end of the day she had nothing, nothing at all. Right now she wished she could go on a very long journey, see other places, other faces, other colors. She needed a change in her life. Every day was the same as the other hundreds she had already lived. She needed to break up with her life, but no, she could not do that, not now, and maybe not ever. She was stuck here, living her poor existence. But one could always dream, and sometimes dreams came true.