Free Fairy Circle by Johanna Frappier

stock the cooler.”
    Saffron sighed. It would be such a relief to get Coco’s mouth into a small, insulated place. As they shelved milk from crates and Nesquick from boxes, Coco told Saffron about her big plan. Periodically they peeked between the cooler shelves for incoming customers.
    “ Ya’ know Busties, right?”
    Saffron shook her head ‘no.’
    “ Yeah ya do; that’s the strip joint down near the new green gas station.”
    Saffron frowned and put another gallon of 2% up.
    “ Well, those girls in there are makin’ a lot of money. I mean a lot. ”
    Saffron wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her sleeve.
    “… but you know who’s makin’ more? Busty his own self!”
    Saffron wiped down the next shelf, moved on to the Tropicana.
    “ I went down there to apply, for a job ya know, and Busty told me my jubs didn’t cut it…go get the mop by the back door.” Coco scowled at the orange juice Saffron just spilled all over the concrete cooler floor.
    Saffron scurried out. Coco’s frown cleared and she started to follow Saffron, to hold the cooler door open so she could continue her story as Saffron retrieved the mop. She had to yell, of course, to be heard over the engines in the back room. They were wicked loud. “So all I have to do is save enough money at this job so I can get the operation.” Crash! Crash! Coco ran toward the noise. “You okay? What are you doin’?”
    Saffron appeared from behind a stack of cardboard boxes.
    “ Lemme see that.” Coco took the mop handle. She pulled, then pushed at it to roll it with its bucket into the cooler. Saffron picked up the juice jug and gawped at the cap that had blown off when she had dropped the thing.
    “ Bring that up front when we go, we have to account for it.”
    Saffron nodded.
    “ They don’t mess with your nipples or nothin’”
    Saffron overturned a milk crate, fell into a sitting position, and ground her fists into her eyes.
    “ You got itchy eyes?”
    Saffron didn’t answer.
    Coco didn’t care. “So if I have a kid later, and wanna breastfeed they said that’s still possible.” She snorted. “But then again, I know this chick that went down to South America to get it done cheap. Oh, my God, you shoulda seen what they did to her nipples…” Then Coco went on to discuss.
    They moved out and on to sanitize the coffee pots. They made fresh Hazelnut, Columbian, French Vanilla, Caramel Cream, and Chocolate Raspberry brews. When the coffee was done, they each filled a cup for themselves. Saffron liked it with so much cream she had to put it in the microwave to bring it back to hot. Coco drank it black.
    “ Because Busty is like in his late seventies and he ain’t gonna live forever, I figure,” and here her eyes actually gleamed, “that I’m gonna do a real good job dancing, keep on Busty’s good side, save my money…and buy the joint when he goes to sell! Pretty good, huh?” She smiled and she was beautiful, almost angelic. “I’ve got it all up here.” She tapped her forehead. “I can support myself.”
    Saffron cleared her throat. Her pipes were rusted from having been silent for so long. She leaned forward and triple-checked to make sure the store was really empty. “Aren’t you afraid of what people are going to say about you?” She whispered to make sure even the cockroaches couldn’t hear her.
    The corner of Coco’s mouth pulled up as her eyebrows lowered. “I only care what I think of me. I’m not out there sellin’ drugs, stealin’, killin’, hurtin’ anybody.” She poked her chest with one red, lacquered thumbnail. “I’m a good person.”
    Saffron didn’t blink.
    Coco gave her a funny look. “Anyway, we forgot to switch out the whipped cream - that entire row is expired. Be right back.”
    Saffron turned to even out the tails of the rolls of lottery tickets and restock cigarettes. While she was considering dusting the candy, a small voice scratched out behind her. Saffron made a little