Carolina's POV:
"Carolina, you are 26 years old, yet you have no boyfriend or work. You cannot continue to eat in this house. Take your things and get out!" My mother, Lilian Edmond, shouted at me as I arrived home after an unsuccessful job hunt.
"Mom," I said as I stood in the doorway, looking at my mother as she refused to allow me entry into this rented apartment where we live in this city.
"Carolina, you are not entering this house tonight. Go back and look for a job. If you do not find any job, then do not come back. If your father and I had known that sending you to the university was a waste, we wouldn't have wasted our money and would have saved it for your younger ones. How do you expect us to continue to feed a grown-up woman like you? If you do not want to work, then remain outside there!" My mother slammed the door in my face and went back into the house. I stood outside the bungalow house, looking at the door that had just been closed.
I am Carolina Edmond, and I graduated with a degree in business administration three years ago. So far, I haven't been able to secure a job. This Mohills city is hard, and finding a job has been unsuccessful.
My parents have five children, and I am the eldest, having two younger sisters and two younger brothers. I am 26 years old, yet I have nothing serious going on in my life.
I wore a faded yellow top and an old brown skirt that I have had for ages.
Sighing, I turned to walk back to the road. My mother shoulders all our family responsibilities as my father is just a deadbeat. He doesn't truly care. He comes home to eat, and we might not see him for days.
As I stood by the road, I looked at the busy street. There's no agency shop that I haven't gone to, trying to apply for a job.
Shutting my eyes painfully, I reached for my phone to call my best friend, Lucy Campbell. She works in a clubhouse, and I am sure that she can help me get money to take care of my bills.
"Hello, Lucy," I said once she picked up her phone.
"Carolina. What's wrong?" Lucy asked me, her voice filled with concern.
"I am homeless. Can I come and stay at your place?" I asked her, trying to fight back my sob.
"Why? What happened with your family again? Your mom threw you out? This is 8 p.m. How can she send you away at night?" Lucy asked, and I tried not to sniff.
"I cannot blame her. The situation of the economy is too hard now, and Mom is trying her best. I need to get a job. If I can find any job for tonight, I do not mind," I replied, sobbing at last.
"It's alright, Caro. Actually, I am at work now. Can you come to The Blues Clubhouse? It's the biggest club in town. I will try to speak to my boss to see if he will accept you. But you must quit speaking big English and speak like a local, like me. That way, my boss can employ you. Also, you must be friendly with the male clients. You will have to endure their touch and how they interact with you," she said.
"Really? I must do all this if I want to get the job? Will it involve kissing or what?" I asked her, my heart pounding.
"No. What is wrong with you, Carolina? You will just have to put on a smiling face, that's what I mean. Well, you know that you're a pretty woman, so some of the men might want to ask you out," she said, and I thought about it.
"I do not have any problem with that. What matters is that I earn money. Even if it means selling my body, I feel like a failure right now," I said, as I sobbed.
"It's okay, Caro. You are not a failure. Where are you? Start coming over. Do you have your transport fare, or should I lend you some money? Although I do not have money to give you right now. My sister's wedding is next month, and I need to make preparations for it," Lucy said.
"Alright. I will pay you back. Please, help me, Lucy. You are the only best friend that I have," I told her, and she laughed over the phone with her contagious laughter.
"Don't mention that. I am sure that I am not your only friend. Anyway, I will send the money to you. Get here quickly," Lucy said, giving me a final ultimatum as she knew how I had been trying to get a job all to no avail.
I sighed, pacing about the road, and I got a message alert of 5000. I smiled. The money was more than I needed, but I knew that I had to pay Lucy back.
Looking ahead at the road, I hailed a taxi and told the driver, "To The Blues Clubhouse."
The taxi driver looked at me from head to toe.
"Are you sure that you are going to the Blues dressed like this?" He eyed me suspiciously, and I frowned.
"Why? I am going there to meet a friend of mine," I said, and he shrugged.
"Get into the car. All that isn't my problem. But your fare is 1500," the taxi driver said.
"Why? Isn't it 500?" I asked him, and his eyes darkened at me.
"No. You can trek. Why get on a taxi?" he said to me coldly, and I frowned.
"It's fine. Take me to the club," I told him, and he nodded as I got into the back seat of the car. He started it, and drove off to the Blues Clubhouse.
