CAROLINA'S POV:
After an unsuccessful job hunt, I returned home and met my mother, Lilian, at the front door.
"You useless girl. You are 26 years old. Yet, you have no work or boyfriend. You cannot continue to eat in this house with us. Take your things and get out!" my mother shouted.
"Mom," I said, standing in front of her as she blocked the doorway and refused to let me in.
"Carolina, you are not entering this house today. Go back and look for a job. If you don't find one, then don't come home again. If your father and I had known that sending you to the university was a waste, we wouldn't have wasted our money and saved it for your younger siblings. How do you expect us to continue feeding a grown-ass woman like you? If you don't want to work, then remain outside there!" My mother slammed the door in my face and went back into the house.
I stood outside the house, looking at the closed door.
I had graduated with a degree in business management, but so far, I hadn't been able to secure a good job. The city was hard, and my job search had been unsuccessful.
My parents had five children, and I was the eldest, with two younger sisters and two younger brothers too. I was 26 years old, yet I had nothing serious going on in my life.
I was wearing a faded yellow top and an old brown skirt that I had had for ages.
Sighing, I turned to walk back to the road. My mother shouldered all our family responsibilities, as my father was just a deadbeat. He didn't truly care. He came home to eat, and we might not see him for days.
As I stood by the road, it was Friday, and I was looking at the busy traffic. There wasn't a single agency shop that I hadn't gone to apply for a job.
Shutting my eyes painfully, I reached for my phone to call my best friend, Lucy Campbell. She worked in a club, and I was sure she could help me get money to take care of my bills.
"Hello, Lucy," I said once she picked up the phone.
"Carolina, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm homeless. Can I come and crash at your place?" I asked her, trying to fight back a sob.
"Why? What happened with your family again? Your mom threw you out? This is 8 pm. How can she send you away at night?" Lucy asked, and I tried not to sniffle.
"I can't blame her. The economic situation is too hard now, and Mom is trying her best. I need to get a job. If I can find any job for tonight, I don't mind," I told her, sobbing at last.
"It's alright, Caro. Actually, I'm at work now. Can you come to The Blues Club? It's the biggest club in town. I'll try to speak to my boss and see if he'll accept you. But you must quit speaking 'big English' and speak like a local like me. That way, my boss can employ you. Also, you must be friendly with the male clients. You'll have to endure their touch and how they interact with you," she said.
"Really? I must do all this if I want to get the job. Will it involve kissing or what?" I asked her, my heart pounding.
"No, what's wrong with you, Carolina? You'll just have to put on a smiling face, that's what I mean. Well, you know that you're a pretty woman, so some of the men might want to ask you out," she said, and I thought about it.
"I don't have any problem with that. What matters is that I earn money, even if it meant selling my body. I feel like a failure right now," I told Lucy as I sobbed.
"It's okay, Caro. You're not a failure. Where are you? Start coming over. Do you have your transport fare, or should I lend you some money? Because I don't have money to give you right now. My sister's wedding is next month, and I need to make preparations for it," Lucy said.
"Alright. I'll pay you back. Please, help me, Lucy. You're the only best friend I have," I told her, and she laughed over the phone with her contagious laughter.
"Don't mention that. I'm sure that I'm not your only friend. Anyway, I'll send the money to you. Get here quickly," Lucy gave me a final ultimatum, and she knew how I had been trying to get a job all to no avail.
I sighed, pacing about the road, and I got a message alert of 5000, and I smiled. The money was more than I needed. But I knew that I had to pay Lucy back.
Looking ahead at the road, I hailed a taxi and told the driver, "To The Blues Clubhouse."
The taxi driver looked at me from head to toe.
"Are you sure that you're going to the blues dressed like this?" He eyed me suspiciously, and I frowned.
"Why? I'm going there to meet a friend of mine," I told him, and he shrugged.
"Get into the car. All that isn't my problem. But your bill is 1500," the taxi driver said.
"Why? Isn't it 500?" I asked him, and his eyes darkened.
"You can trek. Why get on a taxi?" he barked at me coldly, and I frowned.
"It's fine. Take me to the club," I told him, and he nodded and started the car, driving off to The Blues Clubhouse.