“Thanks, but we both know that’s not true. I’m a brunette, and you’re the blonde bombshell. Your pictures are the most stunning I’ve ever seen, and I would know.”
“Thanks. You’re always such a sweetie. I guess starting out isn’t so easy.”
“It’s a little rough. Once you get established with some big agencies and a few connections, you’ll be okay, but my dream is to be a fashion photographer. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I was a kid.”
“Living in New York City can sure be tough,” she said. “Where’s my prince charming?”
“We don’t need those. We’re strong, independent women, taking Manhattan by the horns. Anyway, I’ll bring home dinner after work…and don’t worry about the rent. We’ll figure it out.”
“Okay. I’m gonna go ruin my stilettos pounding the damn pavement again, I guess. I have the entire day, so maybe I’ll get lucky.”
“Get lucky, huh?” I said, laughing.
“With a job, I mean…although the other kind of lucky sounds pretty good right about now too.”
“Girl, you know you need to let that hot mess of a boyfriend go. If you decide to head over to his place just because you have the day off, remember that he’s jobless and about to be evicted. If you keep hanging around losers like him, you’re gonna end up in his shoes.”
“I already am in his shoes,” she whined.
“You won’t b
e jobless for long.”
“Speaking of him, do you think he could stay with us for a week or two, just until he gets on his feet?”
“With all those screaming matches you two have? Absolutely not.”
“Yeah, I know he gets really excited, and—”
“I’m talking about your fights, goof.”
“Oh yeah. We do fight a lot, but our make-up sessions are beyond steamy, and then we get to screamin’ again.”
I laughed. “On that note, I gotta run. Good luck today.”
She let out a long sigh. “I don’t think anyone takes me seriously.”
“They do, Kate. Just give them time. The world just hasn’t discovered you yet.”
“Yeah? Remember back in January, when it was freezing? I took that long subway ride and passed out samples of lotion to participants of the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge.”
“Hey, you saved them from getting sunburn.”
“They were jumping into freezing water! Sunburn was clearly the last thing on their minds.”
We both laughed.
“Just remember, it can be worse. Remember when you had to wear the big, fluffy wedding dress and hand out flyers in the hot, scorching sun for hours?”
“I sweated off all my makeup, and that bridal company had an absolute fit. See? That’s my point. It seems like those gigs are the only jobs I can get. I didn’t expect to be a top model overnight or anything, but come on! It’s been a while now. I hate struggling so much. Maybe I should peruse acting. At least Ann has a gig, even if it is just a scream queen part that makes her flop her boobs all over the place while she’s running from some guy with an axe.”
“Just give it a little more time. We can’t give up on our dreams. I’m struggling as well. Sometimes my boss goes a week before assigning new shoots to me, and that hurts, since I’m not salary or hourly.”
“We just have to fight harder,” she said.
“Exactly. We won’t let New York City eat us up and spit us out.”
“Okay. Well, thanks for the pep talk. Have a great day. Catch ya later.”