Write A Prisoner

New York City. What people can possibly think about this place?

The place dwells by most of superficial people; business people, lawyers, artists, even taco bread sellers with their glam food truck.

Starts from the superficial life, a person may need a good establishment of lifestyle in order to be able to stay in the city. Some says you don’t need a huge effort to stay if you can manage to rent for a moderate living place, and perhaps a cheesy couch potato. Ones can stay longer, perhaps for a few years in the city.

But sometimes, what a person needs can be very tickling as a matter of fact; such as a pair of precious Gucci shoes, and a little bit of Prada bag, plus the adornment of black and white Chanel earrings. Without these belongings, a person may as well die from a simple snap of a heart attack. As if there’s nothing can make their day better without looking sharp with bling-bling outfit and glam look.

Also, remembering there’s a shopaholic group based in New York addresses their circle as an eligible socialite, and much worse to everyone’s knowledge, they even put a bold label on their socialite house, exactly on the front door, “Entrance: For Cool People Only”. What people can possibly think about something like this, anyway?

But truly, the reality check?

Ones need money. A lot of mountain money to make it here. And perhaps, many slot of credit cards before getting their hands on paycheck every end of month.

That’s why the place is well-known as the most metropolitan city in the world. If ones can make it big, they can make it huge here. Any dreams may as well be possible—just like what they said, if you believe in your own miracle.

But for one girl, her days may differ from anyone else’s in the city.

Meet “Messie Denver”, the girl who always dreams of living superficially in a big city. She wants to dream big, earn big. Until she hit the button, and the destiny put her in a perspective of life. With a little bit of twist, her life may as well be surprising, even for herself to perceive.

Messie always likes to win a great lottery of life, she’ll go to the extra miles for just being superficial. Shoveling thunders will mean nothing to her, because she believes of being part of the YOLO people, yes, “You Only Live Once.”

Until the day everything is going to change for her. Luxurious life may seem impossible for her to achieve. The wheel of fortune may not be on her side this time, but destiny is all there. Even it is about fortune of money, or love. Anyone can meet destiny in unlikely places.

And this is her story:

***

It’s the busiest day of the week—Monday seems last longer than any other day when it comes to regular life. Apart from what other people do in their daily basis, Messie Denver needs to catch the train before 8 a.m. and she does this every time she has to go to work.

She strides herself toward the alley, cloaking aside her premium cashmere of thick blue coat between the passenger’s seats. Usually, she always likes to wear fancy clothes, but most importantly, it needs to be good quality fabric. But these days, Messie has to dress moderately since she still tries adapting with her new life in New York City.

Surely, she has changed over the past few years.

Back in her hometown, England, other kids used to call her the redneck, because of her flaming red hair that looks irresistibly puffy and long, also obvious freckles on her skin made her looked geeky. But today, all the past is in the past. She already knows how to put up with a proper style for herself, at least for a standard normal looking young girl in town. Nonetheless, she’s still able to live with her long red hair, which she uses a flat iron to make it straighter. As for her skin, she uses all the best option of body cream available to make herself look flawless.

Now, she’s the new Messie Denver, who will be living independently, and eagerly in this big city. However, she thinks she’s all ready for the future, at least managing her look and style is the first step to change.

All the train seats are occupied, and so the only option for her is to stand still among the crowd of passengers. Besides, her phone keeps on ringing since this early in the morning. The beeping sound annoys her so much, especially when some people start looking at her, weirdly, and annoyingly too.

It’s her mom again on the phone. She knows her mom will ask whether she has already got up from bed, or whether her breakfast is ready or not. Her mom always calls every morning to check up on her. But here’s the thing; she is no longer mommy’s girl or daddy’s girl. Messie feels mature enough to take care of herself in the big city.

The last thing she would do, is answering her mom’s call as fast as possible. Some grannies on the train stare at her, possibly astonish that Messie can talk like she’s gargling liquid in the mouth. That would be the most awkward opening scene before she arrives at the office.

Monday, 2nd May 2016, today.

The working hours feel boring and lazy, but she needs it the most for money. All she can ever think is how many days left for the paycheck time, which she has to wait for twenty-nine days later.

Although she has been working in this office for a month, it feels like forever for her. It’s just like love and hate relationship, she doesn’t hate this job nor the employees, it’s just the amount of salary here is very small compares to the executive people who work in a skyscraper building.

She does still dream about working in the most elite group, like being an employee of any kind in the top fashion magazine in town. Everyone’s standard dream job at her age is all about goes in and out a skyscraper tower, no matter what the job description is.

Since the age of fifteen, she has already been drooling herself with a bundle of fashion magazine for women. She sees that bling-bling stuff, the glamorous outfits and purses, or even the great visionary of living in the lap of luxury. She wants everything.

And now what’s left for her would be blinking her eyes from seeing the runway show on television these days, since it can deliberately remind her with the pain of her early failure.

The most embarrassing and yet annoying memory that she can recall; it is the failure of applying for her first job as a fashion journalist. She was successfully invited for the interview, then she attended the appointment as scheduled by the human resource. And boom-! They rejected her, because of one small thing. They said she needs to appear more superficial, and more boldly to be part of the family. And so Messie thought; Seriously, who would think of you as a family in a place full of people posses with superiority complex?

Two years after college graduation were enough of time for pain and failure, and before she fell into another rocky road in those years, she got an ad landed on her laptop that rainy day full of desperation and emotional retrograde. She wanted to get it all mapped out before graduation, but here’s life, finally offering her a nice cup of tea after all the hard effort she had endured.

The ad written boldly on her screen laptop:

“WE’RE SEEKING FOR PEERS WHO ARE CAPABLE OF GIVING LOVE AND AFFECTION, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AS YOU CAN SAY IT. HERE’S THE JOB AVAILABLE FOR YOU AT TALKPEERS, OUR WEB-BASED COUNSELING START-UP; BECOME ONE OF OUR TRAINED THERAPISTS, AND SEE THE BRIGHT FUTURE HERE. CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE MORE FROM TALKPEERS.COM…”

As simple as that, which the advertisement written informally on the online site listing vacancy’s most searches by job seekers. And it was the only vacancy among other listing jobs that everyone was disinterested to join. It was not hard to believe whatsoever, since society’s standard measurement about having an office job is firstly, looking pretty superficial and glamour. But there you go, nothing’s fancy at TalkPeers. Messie almost lost hope, and so that infamous vacancy was the last remaining of her effort in order to make a living.

By the next daylight, she’s finally able to walk on the pavement road that surrounding by the city view, and officially she becomes the online peer therapist. Who knows that she finally passed in so easily, and it happened so fast.

Here’s another week in this small office fills with warmhearted, kind, and loving employees. Everyone is super friendly in this place. Messie usually shows her resting-bitch face to everyone, but from now on, there would be no reason not to smile all the time.

“Hey, bitchy…”

Yes, that’s super intended, and normal when a person calls her that way, because Messie naturally has that sort of sarcastic facial archetype on her face, and she doesn’t give a crap about it since she wants to live based on a reality check starting from now on.

And of course, she returns the favor, “Hey, Foolie, Foolie… what’s up?”

That’s her colleague, sitting right next to her table. On her first day of work, Messie quickly makes best friend with this girl everyone calls as Libby the Fool. Yes, among all the employees, Libby known as the girl who tends to talk without given much thought to what revolves around her, which makes her literally look stupid from the outside, and sometimes her speech or action can go wrong. In fact, no one has ever bothered on questioning Libby’s capability in working as an online peer therapist when she possesses that kind of personality trait.

In here, as long as a person is being decent, then he or she shall pass the test. However, this web-based counseling start-up doesn’t require any perfect working skills, which is so unlikely in the eyes of social majority. And that what makes Messie feeling comfortable with this job, at least for a while.

Besides the quirky part that Libby has, she’s a pretty girl, appears with shoulder-length black hairstyle and bangs, fair white skin, skinny body and not too tall.

“You know why they’re giving emotional support for a client that is way more important than having your lunch serves on time?” Libby starts out the conversation.

Messie rolls her eyes for a second, underestimating what she would say, which probably another ridiculous joke before they starts working in front of the flat screen computer.

So, she takes the bait instead, “Umm, why?”

“Because it’s the happy time, they said,” Libby speaks, shaking her head delinquently. “That’s why this start-up company needs someone like us—the warmhearted people.”

“You mean, the charity time, huh?” Messie snaps. “Honestly, giving an emotional support is such a waste of energy. You gotta hear what everyone says on the site TalkPeers, on my hotline number, especially.”

Libby bulges out at her, implicitly asking whether Messie’s joking or not.

“They’re talking shit,” she adds.

“For God’s sake, Messie. Why are you even here in the first place, if you’re not so into this stuff?” Libby wonders. “Don’t say it’s about paycheck.”

“Well, isn’t everyone into money these days?” As Messie’s resting her elbows on the table, she says smoothly, “You gotta make a living.”

“Don’t let our Haitian boss knows what you think about her start-up business,” Libby whispers cautiously to her, and then she cringes, “you may not want to lose your job.”

“Or should I be terrified with Lisa the Voodoo Woman as everybody calls her?”

As Messie talks daringly, the eager sound of clapping hands behind them surprises everyone in the room. A woman in her forties appears boldly with the kind of Jamaican haircut. She wears eyeglasses and sleeveless dress, showing her exotic black skin so transparently.

“Ladies—” she spoke while staring solemnly at Messie and Libby. “Ain’t gonna pay you for gossiping in the office. Remember why you’re here for, ya’ll.”

The office day begins and ends with their boss always motivating them with a frequent reminder of why they are working at TalkPeers. Libby is right; anyone should be focusing with the happy time, instead stressing out about the job of talking affectionately toward random clients, no matter how quirky it may get. It’s all just about the perspective of life.

Here we go; Welcome to the real world.

*** *** ***

NOTE:

This is my first time writing love story! Much about the world in WRITE A PRISONER represents reality, like nowadays social media phenomenon, fashion industry, and etc.

Thank you so much for reading this story! Don't forget to vote and comment <3

~ Love always, Keefe R.D ~