Madeline Wu waited patiently in the lobby of her office building. It was Friday night, and she was waiting for a pickup for some supposedly incredible plans. People from her office on the 12
th
floor were giving her greetings as they walked out, seeming as eager to commence their relaxation as much as her.
Madeline worked as the receptionist for an insurance company. She had recently been promoted, by title only, to office coordinator. The pay was modest, but she was planning to take some online courses. Accounting seemed like a safe bet for her. She pushed her little suitcase on wheels back and forth with the tip of her sneaker to pass the time. She decided to change her clothes in the afternoon so that she and her friend could get going.
Madeline's best work friend, Kiki Ho, came off of the elevator. Madeline heard Kiki's high heels clacking down the hall on the marble floor as she made her way over. Kiki waved and smiled as she got her umbrella out of her purse.
"Hi Maddie!" Kiki called. Madeline gave a friendly wave back. "Hasn't she shown up yet?"
"Oh, she's probably trying to find a parking spot," said Madeline. "It's Friday evening, after all."
"God, I'm jealous!" said Kiki. "A whole weekend at Lava Lake. She didn't give you much time to get ready, did she?"
Madeline rolled her eyes. "That's Ronnie for you. Everything's on a whim."
Kiki giggled. "She actually sounds kind of fun, maybe in small doses. Will I get to meet her sometime?"
Madeline was about to suggest a good time when they heard a high-pitched toot coming from the street. Madeline and Kiki both stepped forward, peering through the glass in the lobby. In front was parked a bright pink Volkswagen Beetle convertible. Kiki's mouth fell open upon the sight of it.
Ronnie hopped herself up out of the front seat and stood up to look around. She spotted Madeline and her face brightened up. Ronnie shot a fist in the air and bellowed, "Wooo!"
Kiki turned to her friend. "Well, she knows your name." Madeline made an exaggerated guffawing face at Kiki's joke.
Madeline scrambled to pick up her suitcase and purse, as she exited the front doors with Kiki. "Don't get too crazy, girl," warned Kiki as she popped her umbrella. She looked up at the sky. "I think the rain will be with us for a bit. Forecast says sunny tomorrow."
"A free trip is a free trip," laughed Madeline. Kiki laughed with her, then gave a wave to Ronnie. Ronnie gave a giant wave back. Madeline started her sprint to the curb. "Have a good weekend!" shouted Madeline over her shoulder, as Kiki made her way to the train.
Madeline ran up to the car and placed her suitcase carefully in the back seat. She climbed in the passenger seat and buckled up as quick as possible.
"Who's your sexy friend?" asked Ronnie, a huge smile on her face.
Madeline exhaled and tried not to smile. "That's Kiki, the one I told you about."
Madeline instantly felt self-conscious about her looks. She was by no means unattractive, but she had always felt so ordinary. She had smaller breasts than many girls, and her figure was not as curvy. Madeline also eschewed more feminine styles of clothes, sticking to the buttoned-down business formal while working, and sticking to slacks and blouses while at home.
Girls like Kiki and Veronica loved to show off, which made sense given their figures. Kiki was a tall, slender Chinese with legs that seemed to go all the way up. She loved to wear slimming skirts with extra-tall high heels, as if she was not tall enough already. She sometimes towered over poor Madeline.
Ronnie was also into wearing smart fashions for the office, preferring eye-catching bright colours over Kiki's greys and blacks. Veronica had much more muscular legs, thanks mostly to her love of dance. She was constantly taking courses on salsa, hip-hop, and for one week she learned how to do pole dancing. She also had amazingly long brown hair, while Madeline went for a simple shoulder-length cut.
Veronica was also always showing her cleavage, even in the office. She had told Madeline that she was the only woman in an office of fifty, save for the front desk receptionist. To prove it, Veronica showed her the website picture taken of the entire work staff. She and the receptionist were front and centre. Ronnie had laughed and said it was to show just how inclusive they were with their hiring. Ronnie said she hated her job, because they only sold copper piping. No, they did not manufacture itβjust sold it. If Ronnie's clothes and car were any indication, she was doing quite well at it.
Ronnie stared up at the darkening sky. "I swear, if it rains up there, I'll lose my shit," she said. She pressed the button to get the roof to come up on the car. She looked at Madeline and smiled. "Oh well! If we're rained in, we can make our own fun, right?"
Madeline smiled back, unsure of what she meant. Ronnie pulled out of the parking space and made her way out of the city.
"Siri, find route to Lava Lake," commanded Ronnie. Madeline jumped, thinking at first that Ronnie was giving her an order.
The phone found the route to the lake. Ronnie pulled off to the highway and turned on the windshield wipers.
"You do know the way, right?" asked Madeline timidly.
Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Of course! I just want to make sure we don't have to take any crazy shortcuts." Ronnie reached over and gave Madeline a gentle slap on the shoulder. "Have some faith, girl!"
Madeline had met Ronnie at Gold Bar, just a few blocks from her work. Madeline was there for her sister's birthday with some of her friends. Ronnie had broken up with her boyfriend right there at the bar, and walked over to offer a round of drinks for the girls. They could not pry Ronnie from the pack if they had wanted. Ronnie instantly latched onto the shyest member of the group, as if adopting a sad pet. The two were as opposite as could be, but Madeline found her energy and friendliness irresistible. They had been friends for only four months, but Madeline could see that hanging out with Ronnie could be a huge benefit.
"So we're at the Las Vegas show last week, yeah?" said Ronnie, going on about her own little world. Her conversations seemed to just spontaneously start. "And I'm working the floor, collecting cards and everything. I see that they're offering this getaway vacation for a trip up to Lava Lake! I walk up and say to the guys, holy shit, dude, I live just outside of Denver! So I throw my card in, and I win the prize!"
"You mean you got this cabin for
free
?" exclaimed Madeline. Some bitches have all the luck.
"Well, and not only that, but since I don't have to fly out here, I was able to cash in the tickets for a credit," said Ronnie. "It will make a difference for the next time I want to take a trip."
"That's nice," said Madeline, sounding sad.
"What's wrong?" asked Ronnie.
Madeline sighed. "I don't know if I'll ever get to take a trip for a long time. I mean, at least not like this one."