Strange Things

[Akari Miyakawa]

Ana laughed at Sergei and pouted at being demoted.  He’d get no sass from her though, it was his shop after all...well his NOW.  Oh, Lucas.  It would be in very poor taste to talk trash in front of customers anyway.  Ana just wasn’t that kind of girl.  She disappeared briefly behind the counter to retrieve her tank top and tugged it on like nothing at all had happened.  No bra though because honestly, the girls needed to breathe.  If she had a dime for every bra she’d left in this shop…

A polite expression met the menfolk and as a student of human nature, she took note of their very different reactions.  It was her own private game but it had gotten her through college and beyond.  Kept life interesting outside work too.  Subject A exhibited a standard reactionary response and was enabled by her own permissive behavior.  Subject B on the other hand...would require further study.  Damn if she wasn’t wearing her glasses too.  Otherwise she’d be able to see if his pupils had even dilated.  Hmm.  Well.

She offered a pretty smile and shook Jerry’s hand girl-style.  “I’m Ana.  So you two aren’t dating then?  And not partners because really you look like, good cop, bad cop.”    Now, strike one was the scruffy facial hair.  “My bad.”  Of course one strike was not enough to kick you out of the game but stray hairs in the mouth or tickling your face in the moment...that was distracting.  And she couldn’t see his upper lip.  In any case, it was hard to argue with the umpire when you didn’t know a man’s personal hygiene habits.  Maybe he’d be here long enough to have to pee.  The soap here was pink.  Why was she thinking about baseball?  “I’ll come back to you in a moment, dear, although it looks like you're up.”

Science distracted her.  “Bay-toe.”  She regarded the man; an interesting specimen.  “Ana.”  Sure she’d just told Jerry but why did he get her name and Beto get the dregs?  He admired her work.  She smiled at the complement.  “Why, thank you!”  Her eyes flashed flirtatiously at the man’s double entendre.  That’s more like it!  “Sweetie," she made a disappointed sound with her lips.  "That’s not where a kitten goes.”