all we have left [ 2019 ]

[ 1 ]

CHAPTER ONE

ᵗʰᶤʳᵈ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒᶰ ᵖᵒᵛ

"Ma'am, you're holding up the line!"

Her quivering heart pranced a beat as she interlaced her fingers between one another. Her teeth sunk into her lip as she peered, fazed, at the menu.

"C-c-coffee. "

"Latte, Americano, Expresso?"

Falguni's eyes scanned the menu, searching for foreign words like, "cappuccino" or "frap," being spat out of the red lady's mouth.

"Just c-coffee."

"I SAID, Latte, Americano, or EXPRESSO!"

Running the palm of her hand underneath her nose, wiping the sweat off of her upper lip, she adjusted the rims of her glasses onto the bridge of her nose.

"You know what, I'll set you up with a fucking Expresso so you can wake the FUCK UP," the red lady's voice roared from the depths of her throat, echoing onto Falguni's pink face. The lady's face was a bright red, her eyebrows furrowed up against one another. Her complexion was a blinding white, covered in baby powder.

Falguni's fingers wouldn't stop dancing. They shuddered across the counter as she tossed her other hand into a loose bag, fishing for her card.

"$5.99 ma'am."

She wrapped her trembling fingers around a card and pressed it against the table, a nervous palpating began in her heart.

"It's not going through!"

Her palms clenched into fists, and she began slapping them against her cheekbones, pressing her eyelids together. There was a knot at the back of her throat, feeling the red lady's angry voice spat her.

"Do you have another card, Ma'am," the red lady croaked. Her tomato-red skin was glossy, beads of sweat running down her forehead. Falguni stared at the counter. studying the lady's reflection in the dirty marble.

"DO YOU HAVE, ANOTHER CARD?"

Falguni's fingers fished through her bag once again, trampling against the endless mess formulating.

"Y-yes,y-yes. I want my coffee, please," her heels danced back and forth, keeping her sane.

"You have to pay, you stupid idiot! New Yorkers don't give out coffee for free! GOD, FUCKING DAMN!"