Lula

I was freezing by big, beautiful behind off and for what? Minimum wage and attitude from that skinny, white woman. This was the worst job yet. I couldn't even afford my own place, and my dumb ass boyfriend just got busted on a B&E. I'd have to find a new place by the end of the month.

I carried some more garbage out to the dumpster behind the store. I should be shopping in this store, not cleaning it. The back door was propped open, to carry away the smell of the floor wax.

Manuel was running the buffer, and he was in the zone. He had his earphones on, and I could see his mouth moving along with whatever Spanish stuff he was listening to.

He looked over at me, and shut off the buffer. "Hey, big girl, wanna salsa with me tonight? See what it's like with a lowrider?"

I flipped him the bird, and carried out another bag of garbage. This was no kind of work for a classy woman like me. I went back inside, and started looking through the lingerie. There had to be something for a plus sized girl here. It's not like New Jersey is famous for it's hardbodies. Fried food, donuts and beer contributed a lot to the typical Jersey shape. I was trying decide if I liked the sheer black number with rhinestones better, or the red one with the feathers, when I heard someone behind me. Uh-oh.

Sure enough, it was Miss Skeletor, frowning at me. She had her arms folded, and that look on her face.

"Lula, I'm sure I told you that the next time you were caught fondling the merchandise, instead of cleaning, that you would be fired."

Man, I hate her. I gathered together the shreds of my dignity, and looked her right in the eye.

"As a matter of fact, I have decided to pursue other opportunities, so I am resigning."

"You can't resign. You're fired."

"No. I quit."

"Fine. I accept your resignation. That way, you can't get unemployment."

Way to go Lula, now what are you going to do for money, I thought angrily. I gave her a death glare, and she backed up with a frightened look on her face. I stormed past her and got my purse, and headed to my car. It wasn't until I got there, that I realized I was still holding the lingerie. No way I was taking it back. I would consider it a bonus. It was crummy anyway. This place needed to get a new lingerie buyer. I got into my piece of junk car, and pulled out of the lot. Someday, I would drive a Firebird. A red one. Nothing but red Firebirds in my future.

I drove back over to my dumpy apartment on Stark street, and decided to go for a drink to celebrate not having to work I got dressed up in my best party outfit, strapless gold lame top and black leather miniskirt with three inch red high heels. I was smoking hot. Maybe I could find a new boyfriend with his own place.

As soon as I walked into the bar, my friend, Jackie spotted me and called me over. I squeezed through the crowd, and sat down next to her.

"What's up, Jackie?"

"I quit my cleaning job last week."

"What a coincidence. I quit my job today too. Have you got a line on anything new?"

"Yeah, my connection hooked me up with a new gig."

"Jackie, you're not dealing are you? You know that shit's dangerous."

"Nope. I got a much better way of making money, and so do you."

"What are you babbling about? What better way to make money?"

"You're sitting on it."

I looked at her with a confused look on my face. She winked at me, then opened her purse. It was stuffed with twenty dollar bills. There must have been a couple of hundred dollars in there.

"That's what I made tonight. It was getting cold, so I decided to come in here and get something to warm me up. Standing on corners can be thirsty work." She grinned at the dawning comprehension on my face.

"Meet me on the corner tomorrow night at dusk. Wear something sexy and I'll show you the ropes. Unless you prefer to starve or keep cleaning up other people's messes."

I thought about it for a minute, and then I decided to give it a try. Why not? I liked men, and I had a good imagination. I could pretend I was with Denzel or one of them fine football players. If nothing else, I'd pretend their privates were puppets or something. After all, I'd been giving it away for dinner or a place to stay for years. This way, I'd be the one calling the shots in my life.

Jackie was watching my face, and she could tell that I was going to agree.

"Are we gonna do this?" she asked.

"Damn skippy."