Wipe Your Tears

She sat at the bar with an elegance that could not go unnoticed. The classic black dress that hugged her figure, her long raven hair that fell to the middle of her back as if it were silk. Her black stilettos with the notorious red on the sole of her shoes. She held her Dirty Martini with her perfectly manicured hands. I approached her with admiration. I was dying to know how she was going to change my life.

“Hi” I said as I struggle to stand tall next to her.

“Hello” she replied with a voice that matched her look.

“Hi” I said again and I immediately felt stupid. She smiled as if she understood exactly how inadequate I felt next to her.

I sat down next to her and ordered a Dirty Martini just because she was drinking one. I’d forgotten that I hate martinis.

“Let’s skip the small talk.” She abruptly said after I was handed my martini. “You want to be happy?”

“Yes” I answered almost under my breath.

“What’s your idea of happiness?” Her question stunned me. What did she mean? Happiness is happiness I thought.

“Money” I answered. “Having lots of money. I mean look at you. You look like wealth on stilettos. I would love to walk in your shoes.” I added unable to contend my excitement.

She looked disappointed in my answer. It made me question my delivery. Did I accidently call her ugly?

“You think that what makes me happy is money?” She asked with a half-smile.

“I think that was a good start. I mean, I’m sure your ability to grant wishes also makes you feel powerful and power can make someone happy too.”

“Well to be fair I don’t grant the wishes; I just facilitate them and we’re here to talk about yours. But before we move forward, since I think I know where your wish is going, I want to tell you about the last few wishes I’ve facilitated.” She pulls out a little black book and continues with her story after glancing at the last few pages of the book.

“My clients all wish for the same things. Money, jobs, titles... and believe that their lives are going to be drastically different. Better. And they do get better. A lot better but not for very long. My clients begin to realize that the titles are not as important in the long run, that the jobs they wanted consumes them and takes their time away from their loved ones. And money, well, money fixes a lot of things but it’s true when people say it does not buy happiness.”

“Well of course someone that has it all would say that. Money means freedom and freedom leads to happiness.” I interrupted her since she clearly didn’t know what she was talking about.

“I grew up dirt ass poor and thinking that this was just going to be the way my life was going to be because I was never good at school. After all everyone thinks that to be successful you have to go to school, get good grades, get into a fancy university, find a good corporate job that pays you well enough to start a family, buy a house, raise good kids that will learn and repeat.

What a load of crap! I don’t want that. I don’t want the cookie cutter life. Who said that was ‘happiness’? I want something else. I want something greater than the job, the house, the family. I want to have my own business. I want to call the shots. Be my own boss.

“I couldn’t agree more about the fact that we are sold a lie. I know that having a cookie cutter life is not happiness that’s going to last forever but what’s next? What comes after the business, the money and the power? What happens after your life is set financially?”

“Listen, I have love in my life. I’m not completely empty. I come home to wonderful person that makes me feel cared about and wants to see me happy. But what happens after that? What happens after the love dies?” I paused but didn't wait for her to answer. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll wipe my tears with money.”

She continued to look at me as if feeling sorry for me. I didn’t know why. I felt like I made a compelling argument.

“You already know how this works.” She stops looking at me and glances at her little black book again. “You have a choice between meeting someone that will improve your views on life or $20,000. Whatever you chose I’ll write in my black book and your wish will materialize in the next 48hrs. But nothing is free in this world” She said while flipping to a blank page in her book.

“Of course, nothing is free. What’s the catch? My soul?” I replied sarcastically.

“Your soul is not yours to give.” She replied with a smile on her face. “But you shouldn’t worry. The one I work for only takes what my clients don’t value.”

“Oh. That’s it?” I answer with disbelief.

“Yes. That’s it. So which one is it?”

“I think you know.”

“I think I do. But you must say it before I write it.”

“I want the $20,000.”

She took her pen and wrote my wish for $20,000 on the blank page of her little black book and then she simply walked away.

I got home not feeling any different. I checked my bank account and didn’t see a large deposit. I remind myself that I have to wait 48hrs. I entered my bedroom where my boyfriend was, waiting for me to come home.

“Hi.” He greeted me with his usual smile. “Are you ready for bed?”

I simply smiled back at him and began to get ready for bed.

The next morning was the worst of my life. He just didn’t wake up. He had gone in his sleep while my head rested on his chest. I couldn’t grasp what was happening. I didn’t understand.

It turned out he had a life insurance policy and left me as the sole beneficiary. It was $20,000. I soon got a text message from an unknown number that read “Enjoy your $20,000. So you can wipe your tears.”