Chapter 4

Valerie was awakened by a dreadful sound, also known as an alarm clock. It didn't help that sleeping in the same bed as Emma gave her bruises. Emma, dear, darling Emma, failed to mention just how much she moves in her sleep. Her arms and legs were flailing everywhere, and Valerie ended up being a punching bag.

"Shut up, you damn thing." Emma apparently wasn't a morning person, concluding from her curses.

Valerie laughed and pushed Emma out of the bed. "C'mon, let's get up."

"Five more minutes." she could hear Emma's muffled voice under the covers. "No, get up now. We need to telephone Simon and quit our old jobs." That was what woke Emma up. "And how do you propose we do that? Since we really don't want to run into your father."

"Well, I thought we could telephone Maxwell's and just tell them to shove it." laughed Valerie. "That's my girl. Since, when have you become so un-lady like, miss?" Emma said as she went into the bathroom to wash her face.

"My mother always told me you were a bad influence, maybe she was right." Valerie barely dodged the hairbrush flying her way. "Who is violent now, miss Emma? What would your father say?"

"He would say that I have to work on my aim." laughed Emma as she retrieved the brush and put on some music on the radio. "I love this song." exclaimed Emma just as 'Will you still love me tomorrow?' by The Shirelles started playing.

"C'mon, Val." Emma dragged her out of the bedroom. "Let's dance." Valerie and Emma laughed and twirled around the room when they heard loud knocking on the door.

Scared that it could've been her father, Valerie went to hide in the bedroom, while Emma turned down the radio. Then the knocking became more apparent. "I'm coming, hold your horses."

In her pink bathrobe and bed-hair, Emma opened the door to reveal a woman, about 5.7 standing in front of her, wearing night clothes and having perms in her platinum blonde hair. "Don't you know what time it is?!" she yelled.

"I'm really sorry, Sophie." Upon hearing that it wasn't her father at the doors, Valerie left the bedroom to meet the new neighbour. "We kind of got carried away. See, my friend Valerie finally decided to come and live with me, and…" as always Emma got carried away with the story, until she was interrupted by Sophie.

"Listen, I don't care, for you or your friend. I have worked a horrid night shift and now I want to rest. So, quiet down." with that she got into her apartment and slammed her door.

"Well, isn't somebody a sunshine in the mornings…" commented Emma, closing her own front door.

"C'mon, let's telephone that dump we work at." said Valerie. "Not for long." laughed Emma. After they called the dinner and said they won't be coming back ever again, they basked in feeling of joy of leaving that place. They decided to telephone Simon next and if he couldn't help them, they would call Mindy.

"Hello, Simon?" asked Emma when she heard a voice on the other side of the life. "It's Emma. Emma Thornbridge." As Simon recognised the girl, he was keen on he started to sound more cheerful through the telephone. Emma quickly explained him, hers and Valerie's predicament.

"Oh, is that so?" she suddenly sounded glum. "Well, thank you, anyways. Yes, we should really catch up." And then she hung up the telephone.

"Mindy it is then." she looked at Valerie.

"What happened with Simon?" asked Valerie. "He doesn't work at the University anymore. He decided to marry his childhood sweetheart. I mean good for him, but now our only hope is Mindy."

That got Valerie thinking. Of course, their plan would come to a stop, it wasn't even a good plan, just a childish fantasy. "Okay, let's try Mindy and if that fails, we can try movie theatre or someplace like that."

They found Mindy's number in the phonebook and gave it a rang. It wasn't that the girls weren't particularly good with Mindy, but sometimes her behaviour did hurt other people. She often acted as entitled and had rubbed it people's noses. Because of her father, she could've afford going to University and studying Medicine, which many other women had hard time getting.

After three rings, Mindy Earl answered her phone. "Hello, Mindy?" asked Emma. "This is Emma Thornbridge, yes, the redheaded waitress."

The nickname Mindy gave to Emma, "redhaired" always bothered her but not because she was insulted, but because she could hear the rude connotations associated with redheads. Valerie stood by her friend and tried to hear what Mindy was saying. "So, listen. My friend and I, decided to move our careers further." Emma sighed. "No, not in waitressing, Mindy."

Valerie gestured that Emma gives her the phone. "Hello, Mindy. Yeah, Valerie, exactly." she smiled at Emma. "Yes, well, we wanted to get a job at the University, precisely the Library, and we though who better to ask than you, since you are the most popular girl there and so well connected." Valerie faked a laugh.

"Of course, we have experiences. Emma worked at the University of Manchester before and when I visited England, last year, I worked with her." Valerie looked at Emma, who had a scaring look in her eyes. 'Don't worry' she mouthed at her friend. "Recommendation letters? Yes, of course. We will send it by the end of the week."

Valerie smiled triumphally. "Okay, so you will talk with your father. Oh, he is right beside you?" Valerie put on the most fake voice she could muster. "Good day, sir. Yes, we could come for an interview on next Friday. Yes, sir, we will bring our recommendation letters."

Emma still looked like she would go crazy any moment. "Thank you, have a good day too." Valerie hung up the phone. "Are you crazy?!" yelled Emma at her friend.

"Where will we find recommendation letters from Manchester Uni?" Valerie smiled at her friend.

"Didn't you mention that somebody's father is pro our cause?" then it clicked to Emma. "Yes, yes I did. But we must tell him today so that he can arrange everything by next Friday. Let's go send him a telegraph, it will arrive faster."

They got to the bedroom and decided to take turns in bathroom to freshen up and change into good clothes. Emma combed her red hair in the bombshell style, which added to the controversial look. Valerie put her dark brown hair in simple ponytail, not really wanting to attract attention to herself. They both decided to wear beige taupe high-neck dress with black heels. Valerie decided to wear her baby blue button up blouse and slim black pants.

Unlike some feminists, Emma liked to put makeup on, she would always wear black kohl eye pencil and mascara, her plump lips often painted with dark red lipstick.

"Val, can I put some makeup on you?" she asked Valerie as she emerged from the bathroom.

When she saw that Valerie was indecisive, she added "Just a tiny bit, how about mascara only?" at that Valerie smiled "Well, a little mascara wouldn't hurt anybody."

When they were finished, they gathered their purses and left for the post office. As usual Emma was walking down the street with her head held up high, unbothered by the stares, showing off her body and makeup. When Valerie walked with Emma, her confidence always got a boost, so she would always make herself look relaxed as she would raise her head and straighten her back. Only thing Valerie could see as a problem was her father finding her, even though she was currently in another part of the city, far from her house.

"Let's go, Val." tugged her Emma.

"I just remembered." said Emma suddenly. "There is going to be a meeting tonight, around eleven at the Old Brewery. Should we go? And then maybe go dancing later?" Valerie smiled at her friend.

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it? Go to a meeting, rile somebody up and then find cute guys to dance with you?" Emma's couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Well, you did get me there. But you know me, what would I do without entertainment?" as they continued to laugh and walk towards the postal office, they discussed what to have for lunch and buying groceries.