Stressed Spelled Backwards

by Ivanova, Svetlana

  I snatched it from her hand and read.

  'You're beauty,

  You're grace,

  When will you sit on my face?'

  "Oh, Kaaarmeeeen!" I groaned. Elise came to my side and read it, too. Then she took the paper from my hand and ripped it into a million pieces. I was expecting Elise to jump all over Karmen in ten directions. Instead she just hissed and turned on her heels before going into her room.

  I glared at Karmen, who was giggling to herself like an idiot.

  "What?" she said to me.

  I rolled my eyes and got back to work.

  Now, the deli was dotted with tiny wooden tables, and seated well over a hundred that all the booths were gone, so were all the old fashion decorations. Everything was painted white, and from the ceiling hung a dozen of lush green plants. On the walls were framed posters of any European city whose consulate was giving them out for free.

  The menu, written in fluorescent chalk on a large black slate over the counter, was much more visible. My dessert had turned into some forty different dishes, depending on what combination of ice cream, cookies, fruit, and the topping was used. They were all packed with loads of bright and tangy flavor, all traditionally made with sweet goodness.

  For dinner, we had deli sandwiches, period. It was the only thing Celia had excelled at. And as a tribute to our sick landlady, Karmen suggested I raised the prices of everything. Her logic was that, naturally, people would expect to pay more in such a snazzy spot. My basic Azra's Secret started at $3.50.

  My main problem was space. The deli could seat fifty-five, including seven stools at the counter, which my upscale dessert fans stayed away from.

  And even the idea of people lining up outside was very good for my ego; they wouldn't fill our cash register unless they were inside and eating. I needed to bump up my seating capacity. Celia had a good bunch of classy china, so we got them out. We were not going to use them. We were going to display them for a classic touch.

  "Don't ever break anything," I warned. "Celia would ask you to replace it with your house."

  Elise stared at me. "Are you sure about this, Azra? What if Celia doesn't like the decoration?"

  "I doubt it," Karmen puffed. "All Celia cares about is money."

  The new and improved deli lay in readiness for the big opening, but there were still a few finishing touches to be put on the bathroom. So I left Ms. McHugh, Elise, and Karmen in charge, and went with Clarice to visit Celia. The blonde model said she wanted to come along since she had nothing to do at home. For me, I wanted to make sure that our landlady's daily newspaper didn't include the story of our disaster or the ad for the opening Azra's Secret. God forbids she should ever find out about it.

  All the months we lived here, I had never seen her so much as glancing at a TV or a newspaper, but I couldn't be too careful. Now, with nothing to do all day, she would have taken an interest in current events.

  At first, I was a bit worried that my two best friends would try to slay each other into sushi when I left, but Ms. McHugh reassured me that she would be a referee if the fight broke out.

  "Seriously, those two girls should just kiss already. They argue like old married couple," she murmured to me when we were waiting for Clarice to pick me up. The idea was unfathomable but I was too nervous about visiting Celia's to think about her words.

  When Clarice finally showed up at our deli, we left together. We got into the taxi.

  "Everything okay?" she asked.

  "Yeah, everything's fine," I said.

  "You seem on edge," she noted. I shrugged.

  "Well, I have never done anything like this," I told her honestly. "I thought I was going to be on the catwalk and enjoying being pampered, but now look at what I've done. What if it fails? What if Celia hates everything when she gets back and throws us out into the street?"

  "You've done amazingly well, Azra, don't be too hard on yourself," Clarice comforted me. "And I'm sure Celia won't do that. You're a wonderful person."

  I looked at her and she smiled. I smiled back. Clarice reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. And I wished I could turn back the time so that I could knock Clarice Kingsley unconscious in the club before Karmen.

  At the hospital, I put on my most cheerful face before we entered the room.

  Celia took one look at me and screamed, "What are you doing here, Miss. Kononovich?! Who's minding the restaurant?"

  "I closed up for an hour so I could come and visit you," I said.

  "Fine! You visited me! Now go back! There could be customers banging on my door right now!"

  "Don't worry," I assured her. "I told my friends to keep an eye on the place."

  "Oooooi!" she said. I didn't know the word "Oi" could have many syllables. "You might as well release zoo monkeys into my deli."

  Clarice and I looked at each other.

  "Hey, Celia, look! Azra brought you some flowers!" Clarice tried to comfort Celia. The landlady glanced at them and rolled her eyes.

  "Why would you waste your money on flowers? You think I would graze on them like a cow?" she said. "Get yourself and your girlfriend out of here, Miss. Kononovich! My business is going down the drain!"

  I was about to tell her that Clarice wasn't my girlfriend, but then I noticed that Clarice was smiling.

  "Okay okay! But before we go, can I ask if you have any visitor from our block?"

  Celia looked confused.

  "My relationship with people is strictly business. Why did you ask?"

  I shrugged. "Nothing, just asking."

  So that meant she was rotten to everyone equally, so there was no danger of any of our neighbors caring to tell Celia about what was going in the deli, which was good.

  We left the hospital afterward. Clarice and I walked down the same sidewalk, and I reckoned the incident when we both had to chase after the police's car. Looking back it was nothing sort of hilarious. Despite all the crazy drama we had, I was kind of amazed that Clarice Kingsley was still there with us through everything.

  "Hey, Clarice," I said. She turned around and gave me her trademark smile, which caused my brain to malfunction for a second before I recovered. "I...I hope you will come to my opening night."

  "Well, Azra..." she began and lowered her eyes to the ground. I felt my heart begin to deflate. "I'm going to walk for an annual fashion show this Saturday."

  "Oh, it's alright if you can't," I said and faked a laugh. "No big deal."

  She looked up at me again. Her deep green eyes sparkled as if she thought of something.

  "Will you come with me?"

  "What?"

  "Azra, it's a special event. You can meet a lot of people," she said. "It's a good chance to hand out your business cards."

  "We don't have business cards. We've only got flyers for now."

  "Oh great!" she said. "I would introduce you to some of the big names."

  "You think it's a good idea?"

  "Of course!" she smiled. "Just get yourself ready."

  Chapter Nineteen

  The former deli lay in readiness for tomorrow night's big opening. But today, I was getting ready for the fashion show with Clarice Kingsley. Both Karmen and Elise wanted to come along, but I insisted that the deli had to be looked after.

  "Besides, Clarice could get only one VIP pass to the event," I said. "And we don't want to risk coming back to a pile of wreckage in our deli again."

  The police still hadn't found any lead to the crime yet, so we had to be on high alert. And if Karmen couldn't come along, Elise was not allowed to come either, even she was officially invited.

  "It's only fair that you stay behind too," Karmen said. "You already had all the fun."

  "Remember, this is business," I said. "I'm not going there to have fun anyway."

  Clarice picked me up around two thirty. She had to be there early, so I could go backstage with her and brought my dessert sample along.

  I made the cutest tiny cakes ever. They were bite-sized cubic a
nd sphere-shaped delights. Each one was designed with a detailed chocolate coating, vanilla and butter-icing sprinkled with edible gold glitters. I imagined light shining from inside the box when I opened the lid. The luckiest sweet-tooth would feel like a pirate discovering the hidden treasure.

  "Wow Azra, they look so beautiful!" Clarice cried when she took a peek inside the box. "This is pure artwork! I don't know whether to eat them or display them."

  I laughed.

  "Let's hope that others would eat them," I said.

  "I'm pretty sure they will love these," she said. "What is this shining one?"

  "Oh, it's a galaxy coated glaze cake," I said. "It took me the longest to make. I learned it from YouTube."

  "Azra, you're like a baker version of a magician."

  I laughed again.

  "If we succeed tonight, I will need you to review all the desserts I make."

  "Deal," she said and smiled.

  We entered the building where they held the event. It was four in the evening, but the place was already packed with people. We went passed security guards and the photographers. Clarice and I were soon led to the backstage. It was where make-up artists and models were busy getting ready for the show. I dodged people moving racks of clothes and lingerie. There were girls walking around half-naked.

  "It's an annual lingerie and sleepwear fashion show," Clarice said when she saw my amazed face.

  "Karmen would kill to be here," I said.

  "You should find somewhere comfortable to sit. I'll be right back."

  "Yes, I'll be at the refreshment table then," I said.

  Clarice blew me a kiss before she left.

  At the refreshment table, I placed the box down and opened my phone to call my two best friends.

  "How's the show, Azra?!" Karmen screamed when she picked up.

  "It hasn't started yet," I told her. "Right now, I'm at the backstage. Clarice didn't tell me it was a show for a lingerie brand. Almost every model is half naked in here."

  "Oh my god, I wish I were there!" she said.

  "Where is Elise?" I decided to change the subject.

  "The Princess Peach is still in her castle, don't worry," Karmen said. "She's probably plotting to murder me for all I know."

  "Azra! Don't worry about us, enjoy your night!" Elise's voice came from a distance.

  "Alright, I'll keep you updated," I said but when I was about to hang up, I remembered I forgot to bring our flyers with me. "Oh damn it!"

  "What?"

  "I forgot to bring our flyers!" I said. "How stupid!"

  "Oh yeah, you left them on the counter," Karmen said.

  "Can you bring them here?"

  "Sure thing!" she cried.

  "I'm coming too!" Elise said.

  "No, you're not! You stay here and mind the place!" Karmen told her.

  "I don't take orders from you!"

  Then they started arguing. I rolled my eyes. In the end, we decided to ask Ms. McHugh to watch the restaurant while they came to bring me the flyers.

  "Ms. McHugh, if Celia calls, tell her I'm out to get some eggs," I said to her.

  "Alright, if she calls again an hour later and you're still out, I'll say you’re getting dinosaur eggs," she said then chuckled at her own joke.

  It took about fifteen minutes for the two girls to deliver me the flyers. I had to go outside to get them.

  "Azra, you must bring me inside with you!" Karmen begged. "It's a once in a lifetime chance!"

  "They do it every year. You're gonna get her in trouble," said Elise. "Oh wait, I actually can get in since I'm invited."

  "Do you like to rub it in my face that much, Peach!?" Karmen yelled. "You're the worst human being on the planet!"

  I groaned as these two started to give me a migraine.

  "Alright, Karmen, I'll try to sneak you inside, but if we get kicked out, I'll kill you," I said. "Don't try anything funny, okay? Some of the girls are still underage."

  She nodded vigorously with a wide smile.

  To our surprise, no one stopped us. I guess it was because they saw my VIP pass, or that they probably thought Karmen was one of the models. Elise was quite a familiar face that everyone just smiled at her as they passed by. Everything went smoothly.

  We got inside the dressing room again. Girls walked around the place in their sexy underwear.

  "Oh my ovaries," Karmen breathed as she looked at them. "This is how lesbians get pregnant."

  But there was a bunch of models oohing and aahing around the refreshment table. I felt the color drained from my face. They were surrounding my cake box!

  "Oh no!" I cried and quickly went to rescue my goodies. "No, don't eat them! Don't eat!"

  Karmen and Elise tried to help me get through the slender bodies of those half-naked girls, but they were like piranhas. In just a blink of an eye, my desserts were nonexistent. What left from my beautiful tiny creations were crumbs and gold glitters.

  "Oh my baby cakes!" I cried. My shoulders slumped. Karmen and Elise helped me sit down afterward. Elise held me as I was mourning over my loss.

  Everyone looked at us. Some of them tried to console me. A moment later, Clarice reappeared. She was groomed and her makeup was freshly done. If I wasn't in a state of turmoil right now, I would've been blown away by the sight of her in a black sexy lace-up bustier. She looked surprised to see us three there, but even more so when she saw the empty box on the table.

  "Azra, what happened?" she said and kneeled down to look at my pouty face.

  "Well, these god damn hot angels just ate all her cakes," Karmen told her.

  "Aw, seriously guys? Look at what you've done to my poor girl!" Clarice scolded the bystanding models.

  "Sorry, we didn't know," a brunette girl said, licking her manicured fingers guiltily.

  "Yeah, but if it's of any consolation, your cakes were the bomb," another girl said.

  I just wanted to burst into tears.

  "Azra, don't you have the extras at home?" Elise said. "We'll go and fetch them before the show ends."

  "But they're the rejected, not even decorated," I said dejectedly.

  "Oh come on," Karmen said. "Who cares about the outside looks if you've got that sweet yummy thing inside?"

  "She's right, Azra," Elise agreed. "We will go and get them for you in no time. No prob."

  It was weird, but a good kind of weird that Elise and Karmen were united for the first time in the effort to cheer me up. A surge of fresh hope entered my heart again. I had no other options now.

  "Alright, at least, it's better than nothing," I said.

  All the models who had tasted the forbidden cakes said they would help advertise my dessert business. They loved the flyers we made and thought the description was so funny. Some even said they would love to come by at our deli's opening tomorrow.

  I felt a lot better. Clarice sat beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders after Karmen and Elise left again.

  "Don't worry, it'll be fine, Azra," she said, but I doubted that even the magic of Clarice Kingsley, the Elven Princess, could put my mind at ease.

  Then the show started.

  The stage hands and assistants called for all the models to get in line. I could hear music from the live band starting outside. People applauded for the opening.

  "I have to go now, Azra, I'll see you later," Clarice said, and I nodded back, but before she got up to leave, she planted a kiss on my cheek. It caused my heart lurch forward, and I no longer felt sad anymore.

  When she was gone, I waited for Karmen and Elise.

  A few moments later, a man in a glittering white suit and tight pants walked into the room. He was screaming in hysteria.

  "Where is Melissa? She's supposed to be here! Where is she?"

  I recognized him as the casting panelist from our first audition. His flamboyant hairdo was hard to forget.

  "What? Stuck in the traffic?" he cried to his employees. "I told everyone to come here early! Now, where am I gonna get a rep
lacement? The show's already started!"

  When he went passed me, I tried to blend in with the furniture. I didn't want to be seen, but then he came back again and did a double-take when he saw me.

  "Oh sweet Jesus, what on earth are you doing here?" he cried. My eyes widened. I was about to explain why I was here when he came and grabbed me by the hand. "Everyone is ready to get on stage! Somebody! Somebody get this girl ready real quick!"

  I realized that he thought I was one of the models.

  "Oh wait! No, I'm not—"

  Before I could get another word out, several other makeup artists whisked me off to a dressing table. They sat me down and began to work their magical brushes.

  "Excuse me, I'm not a model," I tried to tell them, but someone turned on a blow-dryer, so it was hard to hear me.

  "Please keep your lips open, honey, and close your eyes," one of them said.

  After what felt like a whirlwind later, they finished turning my hair into immaculate waves and asked me to change into a set of lingerie. It looked like a red corset with a flirty miniskirt. The outfit came with a matching gloves and a pair of red knee-high boots. Two women helped adjust the straps for me, and I had to admit I felt like a legit Wonder Woman.

  "Oh my god," I breathed as I caught myself in the mirror.

  "Azra! We've got your cakes!" Karmen's voice cried from across the room.

  "Guys! I'm here!" I waved my hand. Elise looked up and nudged Karmen. They ran to me with their mouth open.

  "Whoa! Azra, you look hot!" Karmen said. "Damn girl!"

  "What's going on?" Elise said curiously as she looked at me. The other models finished their walk and returned into the room for another round.

  "I can't explain it right now," I told them. "Where's the dessert?"

  "Here," Elise said and handed me a plate. I lifted the cover and saw five tiny cubic cakes I made. They had not gold glitters or any decoration, but Elise must have drizzled some sugar powder over them, and they were actually not so bad. Well, simplicity is beauty after all.

  "Miss? Your turn is up in three," a staff with a headphone said to me and pulled me towards the entrance. "Coming up next in...one...two..."

  "Wait, wait!" I cried.