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 it—just 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."
Ronnie scoffed. "I'll take you somewhere." It was a nebulous promise, but Madeline had a feeling she meant it. "Oh! And the package also included five hundred dollars spending money."
Madeline shook her head and pushed her lips together. Unbelieveable!
Ronnie licked her teeth and smiled. "Well, I know things were going a bit slow for you. Remember how we went to the shoe shop before I left? You had those FMBs you were looking at?"
Madeline put her hands to her chest. "Oh, those red boots with the special heels? They fit PERFECTLY."
Ronnie chuckled. "Well, I was going to tell you when we got to the cabin, but...what the fuck ever. They're in the trunk. I remembered your size."
Madeline's mouth was agape. She slowly turned to look at Ronnie. "No.
No!
Those were..."
"Nearly four hundred?" said Ronnie and nodded. "Yeah. I figured this was found money, and I couldn't have my sweet little friend walking around in Toms all the time."
Madeline was ecstatic. She wanted to hug her friend, but was keenly aware she was driving. She squealed and tapped her feet rapidly on the floor. The best she could do for an embrace was rub Ronnie's shoulder excitedly. Ronnie looked over at Madeline and gave her an air kiss.
The time to the lake seemed to pass quickly, as Madeline was now in a chattier mood. After arriving at the resort, Ronnie had grabbed a map from the roadside stand to find the proper numbered cabin, as well as picking up the keys. The lots were all numbered, and the navigation was easier with Madeline pointing out the way.
By this time, the rain was coming down in buckets. After the girls had parked in the driveway, they sprinted towards the door. Ronnie unlocked the door, and the two of them nearly fell over each other trying to get inside. Once they were in, they were rubbing at their arms, trying in vain to get the water off of them. Madeline's teeth were chattering and her glasses were fogging up.
Ronnie looked around, forgetting her condition. "Oh, my God," she said, amazed. "This place is so modern. When they said cabin, I thought, like, a moose head on the wall or something."
The cabin was modest in size but newly decorated. They were standing in the kitchen, and the doors led to a rather large living room and a bedroom. Ronnie ran into the bedroom and flipped on the lights. "Oh, two bathrooms!" she gushed. She ran back out to the kitchen and looked at Madeline. "I could seriously live here."
They went to the living room to inspect. The floor had a fine carpet, which they did not want to tread on too much as their feet were wet. The wall facing out to the lake was almost entirely glass, and there was a fireplace in the corner.
Madeline took in a quick gasp. "You can, like, walk right to the lake. It's right there!" There was a wooden deck at ground level with a fire pit, and the lake was within throwing distance.
Ronnie and Madeline looked at each other, then started to squeal and dance. Ronnie then grabbed Madeline and hugged her close. Madeline was unsure what to do, but reached around and felt Ronnie's waist with her hands. Ronnie then pulled away, still smiling broadly.
"Okay," she said. "I'll get the luggage. You stay here and get dried off, okay?" She bolted out into the rain, screaming as she ran. Madeline was having fun watching her go, so she just stood in the front doorway and watched as she hugged herself to try to stay warm.
Ronnie came back with Madeline's suitcase and a large shopping bag with what appeared to be a shoebox. "Maddie! Get yourself dried off," she commanded. She handed the suitcase to Madeline and set the bag on the counter. "Here. Go!" Ronnie shooed Madeline into the bedroom. Madeline set to work on removing her shoes and socks, now soaked. Fortunately she had a spare set of shoes, not counting her lovely new boots. Madeline was about to lift off her blouse when she realized that the curtains were open to the bedroom window.
