Two people sat around a small dining table, letters scattered across the surface of it. A woman with light brown hair sighed heavily as she slumped over the table upon seeing the bills.
"We need to get out of here," her voice muffled against the table, "This job is killing us."
An all-too-familiar woman sat across from her, shuffling through envelopes. The constant sound of cars honking and late-night partying slowly started to irritate our......farmer. I'm sorry, I meant to say our Joja Corporation desk accountant.
"Well," she took her eyes off the bills and looked at the younger sister, "What do you suggest we do?"
The younger sister hesitated, not providing an answer. She huffed and looked out the small window.
"Exactly. You can't think of an answer." She went back to sorting the envelopes. "That job is the only way we can keep living. Our food might not be great, our apartment looks like it's about to fall apart soon, and our clothes look outdated. So what?"
The younger woman shot up at that statement.
"So what?!" She angrily glared at her older sister, "Is this the life we wanted? To live off of scraps and second-hands? That job is making us work our asses off just to get us by for the month."
She paused for a moment to keep herself in check. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, sis."
"I don't blame you. Just go to bed, we'll be normal once we get some sleep."
The younger one complied and dragged herself to the futon on the floor.
"Goodnight, sis," she called out from under the thin covers. "Don't stay up too late."
"Goodnight, Amber."
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She typed away at the computer, eyes strained from the bright screen. Her desk with paperwork stacked into mountains loomed over her. Her chair gave off an annoying squeak with every move so her back ached as she slumped over in her chair. Her body begged for a break as she felt exhaustion slowly creep up to her brain.
'Wouldn't hurt for a small break, right?'
She stopped her typing and closed her eyes. Not even a second goes by and a sharp buzz caused her to jolt awake.
"Cube 2436, keep working or there will be consequences." A stern voice echoes through the whole building.
It felt like ages. Her fingers were strained and her eyelids are getting heavier. When will this all end? As if Yoba has answered her prayers, a soft alarm went off in the building. The constant typing stopped and breaths of relief surrounded her.
Stepping out of her cubicle, she headed down the aisle and picked up Amber. Linking arms, they did their best to guide each other to the break room.
Amber consciously walked over to the coffee machine and poured two cups for her and her sister.
She followed her older sister into the smoke room and set down one cup before heading back out to quickly drink hers.
The farmer....
ahem
The desk accountant pulled out her favorite brand of cigarettes and quickly lit one up. One quick puff and her shoulders relaxed. With the occasional sips of coffee, her mind was starting to slowly wake up.
The door swung open abruptly and in comes a short man with round glasses. Morris.
"I wanted that paperwork finished an hour ago. Why are you slacking off in here?" He said sternly, careful not to raise his voice.
"Just because you were promoted to accounting supervisor last week doesn't mean your orders are the top priority. She stood up and took another drag of her cigarette, "I've got other supervisors on my ass too and you're in here demanding your work to be submitted sooner."
She dropped the remaining of her cigarette into his mug of coffee and towered over him.
"Cry me a river, Morris." She stormed off, Amber following after her.
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She finally had a section of the paperwork done. But seeing more towers of paper made her triumph appear small. She reached for another section before her phone gave a sharp buzz. Picking the receiver up, she cleared her throat to answer.
"This is Cube 2436, Operator Segreti Sr. speaking."
"Report to the office immediately." The same stern voice from the speaker said.
She waited until her boss has hung up before hanging up herself. Breathing a sigh of defeat, she tiredly walked out of her cubicle and made her way to the head office. Every floor she walked through to get there, seemed to get brighter and brighter. Potted plants appeared more often and cheerful faces grimaced as she walked by. Their postures, their smiles, their workplace. It all represented happiness.
Why was she stuck down there where the colors were muted and gave a sense of prison. No greenery, no windows, no cheerful places, and no warm sunlight to fill that rotting lower floor.
Huh? Where was she going? Her feet kept walked as her mind kept comparing the things they didn't have down there.
Finally, she stood in front of tall, sleek doors that reached the ceiling. Oh, she remembered now. The office. She was called. For what? Opening the door, she instantly caught sight of Morris, that annoying control freak.
Before she could get a chance to sit, her boss's words gave her a sense of relief.
"You're fired."
"Alright," standing up straight and containing her huge smile, "I'll pack my things and go."
She turned on her heels and practically skipped out of the room.
The two men were left appalled at the reaction. They had expected her to cry and beg for her to stay, not for her to happily accept her fate and skip on out.
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"So you're fired?" Amber asked that night as they picked at their food.
"Yes."
"How do you feel?"
"Dunno. I feel great but at the same time, bad."
"Why?"
"It'll take a while before I can get another job. And the fact you make enough to provide for yourself."
The guilt felt heavy on her shoulders. She's happy, but at what cost? Amber's alone in there while she's over here finally free.
"Amber, I'm so-"
"Maybe it's time," she interrupted, her doe eyes softened at her sister, "To open that letter."
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The smell of eggs slowly had her open her lids. That's odd. Nobody else should be home except for her. Turning around, seeing Amber was the last thing she expected.
Happily humming to herself, she quickly prepared a decent breakfast and set the contents on the table.
"Oh. Mornin'! Made us some breakfast." Amber chirped cheerfully.
"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" Trying her best to hide her eagerness, she took a seat and waited until Amber took the first bite.
"I've decided," a smile spread across Amber's face, "I called in to quit."
