Olivia cradled the cool bottle to her chest, rolling it diagonally from her right shoulder down to her left hip. It was the biggest bottle of booze she had ever held in her two hands. The condensation left a wet print across the faded white crop top she was wearing. Her belly prickled, her right nipple poked, painfully-erect through the tattered material. "Ahhhhhh." She sighed, feeling a little cooler, as she hoisted the bottle back up in front of her face.
"Abre-Coração Ouro Cachaça U.P." She read out-loud, reverently. Noting for the second time that if the label were to be believed, the contents of the bottle had been aged in a barrel for over two-thirds of her life. The dust still evident on its dark shoulders seemed to corroborate the narrative. Squealing with delight, she carefully slipped it into her sling pouch, which she clasped crosswise over her bandoleer.
The work buzzer sounded loudly. Olivia glanced up, looking through the main gate into the factory. She'd been waiting for Maithri. A steady torrent of workers filtered through, it was harder to recognize them now that most were wearing the unfamiliar shield-shaped masks. Not that Olivia had bothered to make many friends, it wasn't really that kind of place.
Blushing slightly, when she realized that she had recognized her rapidly approaching friend by the size of her generous bust, Olivia waved emphatically before Maithri even had the chance to jump down the last few steps of the steel catwalk. They ran to meet each other, laughing. After a moment, Maithri pushed Olivia back and cocked her head. "Why aren't you wearing your mask?" She asked.
"Oh. Well I met my mom for lunch today, and..." She paused as she noticed Maithri's mask twitch in apparent alarm. "No, no... nothing like
that
, she insisted. We just had cricket burgers at... McDiddles!" She laughed. "Anyway, she told me a few things. Like, you see the colored bar at the top of the display?" Maithri's head tilted back comically. "Just look up with your eyes, dummy." Olivia chastised her friend playfully.
"Ahh, yes I see it now. Kind of a cobalt blue, like the tile baths of Marrakesh." Olivia snorted, she had no idea what Maithri was talking about, but the color was right. Although she did feel a slight stab of alarm, the bar in her mask had been much lighter, mere hours ago.
"Yeah. Blue is good, that means the air is still safe. But if it starts to turn purple, then we're in trouble." Maithri reached up under her chin and thumbed her mask back and onto the top of her head. She took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose.
"Oh my, you really do not notice the foul odors until you have gone all day without smelling them." She said this so matter-of-factly that in moments they were both laughing uproariously. The few remaining workers milling about them, on their way towards freedom, gave them a wider berth. This only made them laugh louder.
"It is good to see you again!" Olivia chirped, taking her friend's hands and pulling them both towards the archway. Soon they were part of the stream of bodies, trickling down the main road, peeling off in ones and twos, disappearing down various unmarked paths cut into the surrounding jungle. All too soon they were alone again. It was disturbingly quiet.
"It feels like a storm is coming." Maithri whispered. Olivia could hear each letter of every word, clearly enunciated, seeming to snap in the humid air. She nodded solemnly, feeling it too, a kind of overbearing atmospheric oppression. Hoping to shake it off, she jostled her sling pouch which made a suspect sloshing sound.
"I got the hooch!" She crowed, glancing over and giving her friend a big mischievous smile. "Have you ever had cachaça before?" Maithri shook her head sadly.
"I was not allowed to drink. It is considered unladylike." Olivia crossed her eyes in disbelief.
"Well I never..." She herself was hardly a heavy drinker, but even as a child there had always been booze of some sort or other floating around the villa. Not wanting her friend to feel even more abnormal, she quickly regained her good humor. "What luck! I have here in my rucksack, what is quite possibly the most noble of all alcoholic beverages, aged for 15 years in special barrels until it turns a beautiful amber-gold, a liquor so fine that one sip turns filthy street urchins into the finest of ladies."
Maithri laughed nervously. "Oh yes. We're going to make a lady out of
you
tonight." Olivia cackled creepily. Then they were both laughing again, the afternoon's doldrums banished, forever. "Speaking of which. We should probably have a strategy session. It's supposed to be a party to celebrate my promotion, but of course I have ulterior motives."
Maithri nodded appreciatively. "That is my Olivia, always having a plan. Just tell me what it is you want me to do, and I will fulfill it to the best of my abilities." Olivia almost thought she might cry, her friend's sincerity and unquestioning loyalty, moved her in ways she could barely comprehend. Taking a moment to regain her composure she cleared her throat and continued talking.
"It's very simply really. We're going to get my mother incredibly drunk. You and I will be doing some drinking too of course, but, in moderation.
We
will pretend to be getting drunk. I specifically will be acting the fool, drinking so much that I inevitably pass out.
You