"But... That's a lot."
"56$ more, yes... It's because of all the renovation we had to do on the building."
"You... You didn't do any!"
"Listen, Clara. You are a good tenant, but you have no choice here. You either accept the raise, or you'll have to find a new place. I'm sorry. You have until next Thursday to give me your decision."
"..."
It was ALWAYS the same; it was my curse. Every single time something good happened in my life, something worse followed to dampen my happiness. I was already struggling to pay my rent with my miserable salary, but they still increased it by 56$ per month, pretending they had done major renovations to justify a raise above than allowed by the law. It was a dirty tactic they used in the past to push people out so they could ask even more money from a new tenant. I wasn't good at talking, but I was not stupid.
I closed the door, and one of my tears dropped on my new lease agreement. Every month I had less money to spend, and the only place I could cut at this point was my phone or my food. Simply put, this was the last blow. I would have to move out and find a cheaper apartment, which also meant that I would have to live much farther and roughly double my commute time to work.
If it were only that... The worst part was that I would have to live so far away from my new friends.
A small pair of rubber arms wrapped around me from behind.
"Asha... What am I going to do? It's not fair!"
The small snow leopard petgirl spent the night at my place. While I was answering the door, she hid in the closet and heard my conversation with the landlord. She tried to comfort me with a hug, but this time I would need much more than that. My world was burning to ashes, and I didn't have enough water left to control the damage.
I dragged my feet back to my room and let myself fall on the bed. Asha followed me and kneeled next to me to rub my back with her paw.
"I... won't be able to go to Cakes & Pets nearly as often. I won't be able to bring you back home for the night. What am I gonna do, Asha? It's not fair!"
The petgirl probably wished she could talk right now, but her adorable mask prevented it. I could have released her, but it was unlikely that she would have found the words to make me feel better; rubbing my back was undoubtedly the best thing she could do.
It made me feel sick to think that because of a small 56$, a greedy landlord managed to destroy my entire life. My communication disorder was improving so much around my new friends; I was more comfortable around people every time Lucy forced me to experience new things. This feeling that someone cared about me was new and essential in my life. How come he had the right to take all of this away from me?
I spent the next thirty minutes cuddling and crying with Asha before we had to head out. We would drop by the café, and then another dull workday awaited me around the corner.
***
"A raise!? Absolutely not!"
"But... My rent... It went up."
"Ours too! Welcome to the continuously-increasing cost of living in the big city. I can't help you with that, Clara."
"If I can't pay... I'll have to move far away."
"That's a sad reality. Many of your co-workers have to commute for over an hour to get here. You'd not be the first to have to do that."
"... I... could find a new job, then."
As soon as I said that, a torrent of regrets filled up my head. Was I desperate enough to threaten my boss? I knew very well that I was expendable and had no special qualifications to do anything else. He stared at me and then shook his head in disappointment.
"Don't go there, Clara. I have a huge pile of candidates that are ready to do your job without complaining."
"S... Sorry."
"Keep in mind that you are not THAT good at what you do. And don't make yourself believe that you can do something other than packing boxes. You might end up living in the street before you know it. Now go back to your post. Your fifteen minutes break is almost over."
"..."
I turned heels and exited his office, scared and defeated. What did I think? They didn't care about me! I knew that! Why did I even think they would even listen to me? He could have fired me on the spot. And maybe that was what would happen now that they knew I was disgruntled; it was unlikely that they would keep a problematic employee around the place.
I returned to my working spot next to the conveyor. In a minute, the robots will bring me an endless number of stupid items to pack, and it would be like that, uninterrupted, for the next two hours until the end of my shift.
Today, more than ever, I just felt like a cow standing on her anti-fatigue mat, used as a tool to make a profit.
This was not a life.
***
"Clara! I hoped you would come. I need your help!"
"..."
It was a pattern with Lucy. Every time I showed up at the café and wanted to discuss something specific, she went ballistic and needed me to do something for her, nullifying my intentions in the process. When it was not an out of the blue pet sitting, she wanted me to act as an emergency pet.
I had no idea what she wanted from me this time around, but I knew I would have to put my problems aside for a moment and listen to her more pressing needs.
"So, do you remember where the pethouse is?"
"Yes."
"Good! Would you do me a HUGE favor? Misti and Trixie are still recovering from their cold over there. The thing is that Misti usually is my go to girl who runs all my errands, but since she is out of commission, could you bring this box to them? Do you have time?"
"... Yes. What is it?"
"It's a surprise for them. Oh, and since you are going there, can you give this letter to the commissionaires at the front desk for me. You must NOT open that letter, though. It's very private."
Lucy looked under her small reception desk, pulled out an unmarked sealed white envelope, and handed it over to me.
Since she mentioned the mysterious pethouse, which was, in fact, a luxurious penthouse located at the top of a big building hosting an insurance company, I thought I could risk asking some questions about it; not to be intrigued was downright impossible.
"Lucy... About the pethouse..."
"Oh... I thought you said you remembered where it was. I'm sorry, I can text you the address. Let me go grab my cell phone,"
"... No... no... I know where it is... I just..."
"Oh, good then! Hurry! They need this box asap. Thanks so much for doing this. Maybe next time you come, I'll let you take three pets home!"
"... Wait! No... That's not it!"
She turned me around and pushed me toward the door as she was obviously avoiding the topic. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the Cakes & Pets café with a small box in my hands and a white envelope between my teeth, which was another technique Lucy employed to prevent me from asking questions.
The door slammed close behind my back, leaving me alone with my mission.
"But... I wanted to know about the pethouse... Aww!"
This matter would have to wait a bit longer. At least this little task would distract me from my horrible day a bit longer. Seeing Trixie again would be nice, and maybe I would get to see Misti out of costume as well; that could be fun.
I headed toward downtown, chuckling a bit to myself. Not so long ago, I would have been terrified to meet a new pet out of costume, but now I was almost looking forward to it. All the time that I spent with Trixie as a human changed my perspective. It had not broken my relationship with the pets in any way; if one thing, it had improved it.
Improved it... By how much? That was another question. During my date with Trixie, which was not exactly a date, I ended up kissing her romantically in the spa's locker room. I knew it didn't mean that we were a couple or anything like that. I think it was just something we did instinctively to defuse a situation and show that we cared for each other. But it wasn't clear whether or not Trixie would expect more out of this.
