Working in Fashion

An Incident at Fashion Week

"Decorator? For what? Parties?" O'Hare scoffed.

"She decorates the office for holidays and special occasions. Last Christmas, she went all out. Trees, lights, carolers, everything. And I must say that I was very impressed."

"Really? That's a new one. You're never impressed, Johanna."

"Well, what can I say? Martha May is... full of surprises."

"You know, Martha May is such a beautiful name." O'Hare took a few steps closer to Martha, which only made her more uncomfortable than she already was.

"I have a boyfriend." Martha quickly said, taking a step away from the small man; she was glad she could finally use that to her advantage.

"Oh... that's a shame." O'Hare said, trying not to sound angry. He snapped his fingers and one of his bodyguards handed Martha a small tin can with O'Hare written on it in big bold letters. "Have a breath of fresh air." He winked at her. "It's on me."

"Uh... thanks?" Martha said uneasily, looking at the can in confusion; it was a simple, empty plastic bottle.

Heather nudged her in the ribs and whispered in her ear, "It's a can of fresh air. Don't take it for granted."

"...Okay, then."

It was then that two women approached the group. One was slim with fair skin, almond-shaped hazel eyes, and short jet black hair and wearing a deep red cocktail dress and the other had a slightly bigger frame with darker skin, gray eyes, and braided brown hair and wearing an auburn dress with a slightly longer skirt. Johanna turned her head and smiled at them.

"Ah, Esmeralda, Desiree. How lovely to see you again." Johanna said, shaking their hands. "I was starting to think you wouldn't be able to come this time."

"Are you joking, Johanna?" The woman in the red dress, Esmeralda, said with a laugh.

"We wouldn't miss this for the world." Desiree added.

"So how've things been for you girls?" Johanna asked.

Martha stood next to Johanna in silence before she felt something big behind her. Then she felt she was being pushed away from Johanna and Heather; she looked and saw it was Mr. O'Hare's bodyguards. They were leading her away from the party and she had no idea why.

"Uh, excuse me? What are you doing?" She nervously asked. "Where are you taking me? What is going on?"

The guards pushed her to another corner on the other side of the room where nobody can see what was really going on. They looked down at her and stepped aside to reveal Mr. O'Hare approach her. Martha took a step back.

"Mr. O'Hare? What's going on?" She asked. "Johanna is going to wonder where I am."

"Not really." O'Hare answered. "She'll be talking with those girls for a while. From what I can tell, they'll have a LOT of catching up to do." He scooted closer to her and gave her a sly smile. "So, you say you have a boyfriend, huh?"

"Uh, yes. I do."

"And does he know you're out here with Johanna?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't he come with you?"

"He has important work back in Who York. Plus, he wasn't invited."

"Ah, I see." He gently nudged her in the leg with his elbow, which made her even more nervous than before. "Since your boyfriend's not here, why don't you and I get a little..." His guards lifted him up so he was at eye-level with Martha. "...close?"

This made Martha grimace in shock, horror, and disgust. She took a few steps back, nearly dropping her can of air in the process.

"Are you out of your mind?!" She screamed. "NO! Not in a million lifetimes!"

Martha's sudden outburst had caused most of the guests turn their heads in her direction, including Johanna and Heather's, but Martha didn't seem to care. O'Hare paused before his shocked expression slowly twisted into an angry snarl; Martha furrowed her brow, folded her arms, and glared at him as he was placed back on to the floor.

"Listen to me, missy." He hissed, waddling closer to her. "You've just made the biggest mistake of your life. If you ever do something this stupid again, I'll be your worst nightmare. I'm Frankenstein's head on a spider's body!"

Martha scoffed. "Do you seriously believe that's going to scare me? I've seen and felt worse."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. And just for the record, Whoville is a much better place to live than Thneedville will ever be."

"Whoville? You mean that dingy, dirty, remote town in the mountains way up north? You're joking. Why would anyone want to live up there?"

"Because everything there is real and everyone is genuinely happy. Oh! And one more thing, Mr. O'Hare." She picked up a stray cup of punch from behind her. "...I'd rather kiss a diseased webbed-footed batula than you ANY DAY." She splashed the cup of punch into O'Hare's face and stomped down hard onto his foot before storming off.

O'Hare cried out in surprise and pain as everyone in the room gasped in shock. Johanna and Heather watched as Martha briskly walked away from everyone and out the door, unable to figure out what just transpired.

"What was that all about?" Desiree asked.

"Someone's either having a bad night or being a poor sport." Esmeralda commented.

Heather and Johanna looked at each other in confusion and remained silent, not sure of how to respond.