Kohl's Pin

Yellow cake batter spilled on her crisp baby blue apron as Lea’s head swooped and wept. Another birthday gone by with not a well-wisher in sight. Twenty-eight years alone. Have another one, she thought to herself, as the burning tequila begged for what little saliva lined her esophagus. Gus, her shitzapoo staggered in drunk from his own water-diluted tequila bowl and silently vomited on Lea’s kitchen rug. The stripper was due in one hour and Lea had not even set out the cheese plate – what was Dynamo to think? Lea popped in the greatest of Bel Biv Devoe and went upstairs to make herself pretty. She tucked her boobs into her big-girl panties and hummed a Mel Torme song to herself as she French braided her mousy brown locks. An obsessively perfect packaged box sat on her bed garnished with a gold sparkly bow. Lea silently prayed that it contained all she ever wanted - a single sheet of paper with mere ink in sweet shapes. But, in the back of her pathetic mind - she knew. As she yawned, she stretched down to pick up the weightless package that felt like two tons to her frail arms. It was the gold dog-shaped faux-pearl-encrusted pin she had picked up at Kohl's earlier that week as her sole birthday present. With the weakest smile she could muster, Lea flimsily pinned the upper left shoulder of her navy blue and sunflower-drenched dress. Dynamo would be pleased with her presence she thought as she picked up the glimmering silver cheese platter...