I had to clean up another mess, yet again. This rating site was probably getting tired of my E-Mails. It was pure harassment at this point, but I couldn’t afford a lawyer so what could I do but this same song and dance, over and over again.

  “Please delete the review dated May 22nd. This account is most likely a disposable account set up by an estranged family member to harass me. They are not paying customers of Amanda’s Alterations. I have not yet done any business for someone to be unsatisfied with.”

  And didn’t that just sting. Bill and George didn’t need the rent money I was behind on paying them, and they were up-front about letting me stay while I got my feet under me. Woo, LGBTQ+ solidarity and all that, but it didn’t make me happy that I was still only getting a part time paycheck from the local branch of a national bookstore.

  I needed customers, and for that I needed my family to stop tanking my ratings before I could even get started. I poked at the mouse and checked the other review sites I had set up. Those were still clean, but I had maybe a few hours to a few days before my mother left hurtful messages all over those too.

  I switched back over to the private chatroom.

  “OK, I sent the form again. It should be down in a day or two. Thanks Iere.”

  “Got nothing better to do right now. I’m stalled out on this asignment. Coffee and doom scrolling seem to be the order of the day.”

  My phone rang. Unknown number and it wasn’t a local area code. Quickly looking it up, I saw it was Washington DC. I was running out of time until it went to voice mail… I pressed the answer button.

  “Amanda’s Alterations. Amanda speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Oh good.” said a woman’s voice. “Hi, My name is Ashley Robins. I am looking for someone who can make some significant changes to some store bought clothes for my pri-, er, employer and can be discreet about who the client is. I would rather not give details over the phone.”

  An assistant to a mid-tier model? A really big name would have their own ride-or-die, and someone who hadn’t made it yet wouldn’t be worried about secrecy. Or have an assistant, for that matter.

  “I would of course need measurements. Can you bring this person to my workroom?”

  “When and where?”

  I had work tonight and tomorrow afternoon, which killed my available time. Saturday.

  “I am available at 9AM on Saturday.” Was that too early? I wanted to sound professional. Oh god I am screwing this up. Get it together.

  “That’s great, where are you at?”

  I gave her my address and she assured me she would be there. I had to clean up this disaster now, I had a customer coming! I went back to the group chat.

  “I have a job, maybe! They are coming Saturday morning! My place looks like a bomb went off in here!”

  Dave and Dawn came to my rescue.

  “You have work tonight, right? Leave your key under the mat and we will come tidy up while you are out. Tell Bill not to shoot us.”

  “Bill doesn’t shoot my friends, dork!”

  I had to go now. The bus wouldn’t wait for me. I grabbed my purse and phone and checked my fit on the way to the door. Sun dress, cute shoes, nothing out of place. I pulled my house key off the key ring and tossed it under the mat and ran to the main house.

  “Hey guys, are you there?”

  “What’s up, pumpkin?” asked George from the kitchen on the other side of the door. It smelled like he was experimenting with bread again.

  “Dawn and Dave are going to come over tonight to clean up while I am at work. Customers coming on Saturday morning! I have a job! Maybe!”

  “Good, we will keep an eye out for them. Have fun at work!”

  OK, bus bus bus bus… bus. Made it. Boring part. And work!

  “Something must be horribly wrong out in the world.” quipped Nancy, my boss. “You are on time.”

  “Turning my life around, Nancy. It’s a new day!”

  “You’re just lucky being ten minutes late every shift isn’t hurting your metrics and your task list gets done.”

  “Speaking of, off to shelve the books!”

  I started with the returns. And then moved into my designated sections to find and reshelve all the books that the customers left laying around.

  This early on a Thursday there weren't too many interruptions from customers, so it was relatively quick. Then it was time for the gulag of register duty. Karen, Soccer mom, don’t chew bubblegun when you are talking to people Highschool Girl, oh, cute guy. Buy the stupid rewards program, all of you. And don’t interrupt me, I am required to pitch it or I get fired.

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Break time. Clarissa sneaks me a pastry. I like Clarrissa. Cute, but I like guys.

  Unpack new books, reset a display… and time to go home.

  Bus bus bus… Match three on the phone.

  The gang was waiting for me, except for Alisson. He went to the University, and it was far enough away that we only really had time to meet up with him in person on weekends. Dave and Dawn were obviously messing with me, since they were both in the maid dresses I made for them a few months ago. Irie was Irie. They were in jeans and a T-Shirt that read something about my other ride is a phone booth.

  “How is everyone today?” I asked as I dropped my purse on the sofa.

  “Fabulous!” “The dude abides.” “Being excellent.”

  “So what’s going on?” asked Dave. Dawn, as usual, let him do most of the talking even among friends. Irie just nodded eagerly.

  “Some woman called on the phone to set up an appointment. I see them Saturday and I don’t know who the person is that I am doing measurements for. The woman said she needed it quiet about who the work was for. I won’t find out until they arrive.”

  “You’ll tell us though, right?”

  “If they don’t make me sign an NDA or something, sure.”

  We brainstormed up some new concepts until pizza arrived, and then talked about some new shows coming soon and which character’s outfits we thought might be in demand this season.

  The next morning I checked my tools. Everything was clean and where it should be. Inventoried my fabrics… plenty of the most common types. And off to work.

  “Your family’s review came down last night.” I got in the group text on the way in. That was a relief. My mother needed to stop dead-naming me on social media because she didn’t have the perfect little son she always wanted.

  George was running the shift this afternoon. He left me alone and let me work, but he hadn’t ever really been comfortable around me. I passed just fine, but he knew the truth and it didn’t set him free.

  “Do you have everything you need today, Amanda?” were the only words I got out of him.

  “Yes, I know what I need to do and I am all set.” He waved me off and went back to looking at whatever report he had been obsessing over when I arrived. The shift was quiet. Lots of customers on a Friday afternoon, but no turbulence. I was worried about the frat bros that came in since the especially perceptive ones could be a source of trouble but not today.

  Before I knew it, Saturday morning was here. Clean clean tidy tidy whoops, put that stuff back over there no trash in the house OK ready. As the time approached I heard George shout some things from the main house and then there was a knock at my door.

  I glanced out the peep hole. Front and center was a white woman who reeked of security. Off to one side was a short brown woman that looked to be dressed a little warmer than the weather called for. She was wearing a big knit hat and sunglasses and unlike the white woman who was looking everywhere but at her, she only had her eyes on the first. Interesting dynamic.

  I opened the door.

  “Thank you for choosing Amanda’s Alterations! Not very imaginative, I know, but people like alliterations so it works OK I guess. Would you like to come in?”

  The security half stepped past me to look inside and then stepped back out to usher the small woman in.

  “I am glad you called me. Business is slow so while I don’t normally just alter normal clothes I appreciate the work.”

  “You probably enjoy novelty.” the short woman said as she pulled off her long coat and hat, revealing the most detailed cosplay prosthetic ears and tail I had ever seen. The ears blended flawlessly with the hair. The tail was fully articulated and it moved, slowly sweeping side to side.

  My brain shut down, and not just a little. This was exquisite. I shot my inner fangirl in the head and got back on track.

  “I have so many questions. How did you make that so well? How did you attach everything? Where are the motors to make it all move like that?”

  “My mother make. Take 12 and half month.” The short woman answered.

  Hand crafting something of that quality takes years, and if you have a production company make it then it would have had to cost more money than I could easily contemplate. Why would they bother with a no-name like me?

  “She’s talking about pregnancy, but her planet uses a different calendar.” added the serious woman from where she stayed by the door.

  “I think I need to sit down now.”

  I plopped down on my couch and then I had a glass of water pushed into my hands. This was an anime in real life. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

  “Alien catgirl from outer space?” I asked the brown woman. Now that I really looked I could see the ears were totally a part of her head. It didn’t make any sense.

  “Skipped space part. It complicated.” she shrugged. An ear flicked. Her tail changed its movement pattern.

  “And while it isn’t exactly classified, we would appreciate it if word wasn’t spread everywhere about it.” added the security guard. She gave me a hard look. It made me nervous. I agreed quickly and the two had a short murmured conference.

  “Need do measures fast, fit pants we buy for tail.” the cat woman said to me.

  “Wait! You have to let me make you something nice!” I pleaded as I scrambled for a measuring tape and my notepad. The woman agreed.

  Ok! Ah, can you… take off some things so I get the correct measurements?” I asked. I was probably overstepping, but she was overdressed. Suddenly she wasn’t. OMG she was hot. That muscle definition was making me sweat and I thought I wasn’t into women.

  I got to work but it was hard. I didn’t need half the measurements I wrote down, but I couldn’t keep my head straight. A nearly naked hot alien catgirl in my living room with a body I could only dream of and everything in the right place and perfect and she wasn’t even human.

  It wasn’t fair.

  Then she hugged me, crumpling my notebook against my chest.

  “No feel bad now. You be you, OK? Give time, all be OK. You be in you and be happy be in you, and when all done be more happy that you be in you.”

  “How?” She knew I wasn’t right and I was sure she knew exactly how.

  “Nose very very good compare to human. See body words, smell body. Know. Is OK. Three pretty woman in room, be pretty and make pretty together.”

  Suddenly she was dressed again and the two women chatted as they got ready to go. I was in a daze for all of it. I stared at my notes and couldn’t read them. They said a few words to me that I don’t remember and then they were gone and I was alone with my uselessly spinning brain.

  What was happening to me? I was at bat and life just threw me a pitch I couldn’t even name.