Nora for the Night

Finally, the end of my shift arrived. I took off my greasy Betty's Burgers apron and tossed it in the hamper with the rest of them.

"See you guys tomorrow," I said wearily, wiping the perspiration from my head with my forearm. My skin smelled like grilled onions. I clocked out at 5:00 p.m. on the dot and started my walk home through the streets of downtown Los Angeles. I passed by the high rise luxury condos, the designer retail stores, and the elegant restaurants that I could never afford. Working as a line cook certainly made things tight, but it was just a temporary situation; a lily pad to launch me to bigger and better things. In the meantime, I just watched the world I desired through a distant window.

A well-dressed woman about my age, late-twenties, stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of me from a tall, glass building. Sturgis & Walton Realty the large, chrome letters read. She marched with purpose ahead of me in her glossy high heels, a long Givenchy coat flowing in her tailwind. Her shiny brunette hair was the same color as mine, except not a strand was out of place, and it most certainly didn't have the salty sweat in it from standing over a hot deep fryer all day.

The woman's cell phone started to ring and she fumbled through her purse looking for it. She pulled it out with a few other items that got in her way. A little black notebook fell from the purse as she answered her call. She didn't notice. I hurried up to it.

"Uh, miss, you dropped your notebook!" I called, waving the Moleskine book in the air. But she didn't hear me. I curiously opened the notebook. It had a list of appointments, and a to-do list for today's date. Everything had been checked off except for the last item: Call blind date Jeremy, set up dinner tonight, and then a phone number. I flipped to the inside of the front cover and there was this mystery woman's name - Nora Cole. I suddenly had an exciting idea. I tucked the little black notebook into my tattered satchel and hurried home.

My hands shook as I dialed the number listed next to Jeremy's name. I needed to calm down if I was going to pull this off. I quickly hung up and grabbed the half-drunk bottle of wine off my counter. I took a swig for courage and then redialed.

"Hello, this is Jeremy," a deep voice answered.

"Uh, hi, Jeremy! This is- this is Nora. Nora Cole," I stammered.

"Nora...oh! Nora, yes, of course! Teresa told me about you," he chuckled. "How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you. I, uh, don't have plans after work and thought maybe we could grab dinner?"

"That sounds wonderful. How does 8:00 sound?"

"Sounds wonderful," I smiled. "Pick me up in front of the Sturgis & Walton building."

"Working late I see. I do love a woman who hustles!"

We hung up the phone and I hopped in the shower with an intense invorgoration and excitment for the evening. I was going to be the woman I had always dreamed of being, even if it was just for the night.

A couple hours later I stood in front of Sturgis & Walton Realty in high heels and the only somewhat-sexy dress I owned. It was silky black and went to just above my knees, with a slit on the side that went halfway up my thigh. I had left Jessica Fisher at home. Tonight I was Nora Cole.

Jeremy pulled up in a matte black Porche. I almost lost my balance on my cheap Payless heels when he stepped out. He was the perfect balance of clean-cut and rugged, charming but mysterious. He seemed pleased to see me.

"So great to finally meet you, Nora," he greeted and opened the passenger door for me.

A short time later I found myself in one of those elegant restaurants I could never afford with a man that was straight out of my fantasies and a bottle of wine between us that I couldn't pronounce. Nora Cole was living a dream.

"So Teresa has only told me a few things about you here and there at work. She's always trying to set this old bachelor up with someone," Jeremy laughed. "So please, fill me in the details she missed. I am dying to get to know you."

And with that, Nora Cole delved into an elaborate background story that I, Jessica Fisher, could only dream up. But it felt real. I felt like this person is who I was destined to be. Nora Cole was the future Jessica Fisher, the one who will eventually leave behind Betty's Burgers and follow her dreams.

The next day, I walked to work along the same sidewalk, in my same old plain clothes, on the way to my same old crappy job. But today, I had an extra bounce in my step. I had just had the night of my life, and I knew now more than ever who I wanted to be.

On my way, I stopped into Sturgis & Walton. It was time to return the borrowed notebook.

"Good morning, is Nora Cole around?" I asked the receptionist.

"Yes, just a moment," she replied as she dialed the extension. "Hi, Miss Cole, there is someone at reception here to see you."

Moments later, the same woman from the previous day walked into the lobby, looking even more stunning from the front.

"Uh, hi there, I just wanted to return this to you. You dropped it out front yesterday and didn't hear me calling for you," I explained, taking the little black notebook from my bag.

"Oh my goodness! Yes, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!" Nora exclaimed with immense relief. "I seriously keep everything in this notebook. It is my brain, it is my life, it is everything."

"It's no problem at all," I said, and turned to leave.

"Wait! Wait! Just stay here for one sec," Nora stopped me. She hurried down the hall and returned rummaging through her purse. She pulled out a checkbook and started scribbling furiously.

"You just don't find any honest people in this world anymore!" And then she handed it to me -- a check for $20,000. I could have died right there in that lobby.

"Oh, gosh, no, I can't accept this. Really, it was just a notebook, no big deal," I resisted, trying to hand the check back.

"Nonsense. I just cashed a $500,000 commission check on a house I sold for $10.4 million. You can have my change," she winked. And with that Nora Cole disappeared back down the hall.

I floated the rest of the way to work. Perhaps my leap off the lily pad was closer than I ever expected.

The End.