Scarlett Read Free

Scarlett as she drove down the road. “You’re looking real cute today.”
    “Thanks,” Scarlett smiled. She always thought Sheila gave her compliments because she wanted to help boost her self-esteem, but it never worked. Scarlett would say thank you, but in her mind, she was thinking, yeah right . She only put on decent clothes because she worked in an office now and dressing nice was mandatory. The best thing she liked about McDonalds was wearing a uniform, because it was never hard to find something to wear.
    Scarlett looked over at Sheila. “You look nice yourself.” As always, she thought. 
    “Thank you, Scarlett. I’ve had this old thang for about six months. I just decided to wear it.”
    Scarlett smiled, but on the inside, she frowned. “Why do you always say ‘ this old thang’ , when you just tore the tags off this morning?”
    Sheila looked surprised, and Scarlett immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry, girl. You know I sometimes say things that I only should be thinking.”
    “It’s okay, girl.” She tried to play it off. “That’s why I love you. You don’t ever care what you say, whether it’s good or bad. I just need to watch what I say to my bestie, because you know me better than anyone else. Now to others I can say, this old thang, but not to you,” she said and they burst out laughing.
    They pulled into the Grand’s Auto and Towing shop parking lot.
    “There goes my baby,” Scarlett said.
    “Yep, I see they done pulled her inside the shop now. That must mean that your part is here,” Sheila responded.
    Scarlett drove a 2001 red sport 2-door Cavalier with a rear end spoiler. It was the first thing she ever owned. Greg, Sheila’s daddy, had practically given it to her when the previous owner couldn’t keep up his part of the deal and pay off the transmission work that was done to it. It drove like a smooth running sewing machine, until someone put sugar in her tank and clogged up her motor.
    Sheila parked her car. The ladies looked at each other and in unison shouted, “Another day, another dollar!” They both laughed as they got out of the car.

Chapter Two
    Sheila walked ahead of Scarlett as they entered the office work area. Sheila went directly to her desk and sat behind it. Scarlett of course, went over to take a payment from a customer who was already waiting. The only paperwork on the counter was for an oil change and tire rotation.
    “So, this must be yours?” she asked.
    The guy smiled. “Yes, that’s mine. They just finished working on it.”
    Scarlett looked at the older guy with his gray goatee and smiled back. He was a decent looking man, but she knew he wasn’t interested in her. “That’ll be thirty-nine dollars.”
    The man pulled out his wallet and handed her his debit card. She swiped the card and handed it back, along with the receipt for him to sign. He signed the receipt, but also wrote his number down on it. “Give this to your co-worker,” he said flirtatiously, smiling at Sheila.
    Typical, Scarlett thought. Nearly every man that came into the shop tried to hit on Sheila. She handed him his truck keys and the man exited the building.
    “Did he leave his number for me?” Sheila grinned.
    “And you already know this.”
    Sheila giggled. “I saw the look in his lonely eyes. He wants a young bunny.”
    “Well, he’ll stay lonely if he’s waiting for you to call him,” Scarlett chuckled.
    Scarlett walked around the counter and straightened up the small contemporary office space. The layout was very nice, and she made sure it stayed clean at all times. The black leather sofa was spotless and the matching recliner leather chair was too. The glass end tables were squeaky clean, and the artificial dandelions in the glass vases added a little bright color. She turned on the fifty-two inch TV that hung on the wall and changed the channel to CBS so that she and Sheila wouldn’t miss The Young and the Restless, which aired at twelve-thirty.
    Finally,