Poor Powers.(Exercise9)

Arriving home, after her first shift at the new job, Sam has no choice but to cry. The smell of an overflowing litter box enters her nostrils, inspiring her shift meal to dance back up. She covers her mouth and runs for the bathroom, exploding vomit towards the toilet. After everything was out, she spits a few times and then flushes. She closes her eyes and wipes the tears from her face. Remaining on the cold dusty floor next to a pile of forgotten clothes, she cannot help but want to never stand up. Not like she even has the energy to, after standing up for the past eight hours. Because what is a woman to do with no college degree or money? Moving to and from the service industry has turned into some never ending chore--serving the working class people with food to make them happy, hoping they leave a pity tip. Her sorry self-loathing quickly turns into anger against the world. The blame for her depression was on society with its greed and lies. She had dropped out of college to marry a man and have all her problems solved. But unfortunately not all dreams come true. There is only so much time that you can fake the belief of living to a higher standard. This is just how the world works, and Sam has to accept that.

The sound of the front door opening reaches over Sam’s emotions, snapping her back to reality. Lindsey must be home. She brings herself out of the bathroom to find her roommate looking up at her, smiling, for a change. Usually she would have the same defeated look on her face after returning from another long days work.

“The government has agreed to give us money!" Lindsey declares, with an obviously sarcastic grin, "now we can feel like we owe a debt to society and keep filling in for cheap labor. Those rich people need our help, Sam!" She exclaims, making herself comfortable on the stained, flea infested couch.
"Without us, they would become us," she states, looking Sam directly in the eyes, "I almost feel like superwoman, flying in and saving the rich from even thinking about poor people existing. We have been given the power of invisibility. The people of this nation do not have to look at our poor battered bodies and do not even have to know about our perverse lives." she says, with a wink.
"To make an example of our wrong-doings, the media will sometimes show us ‘poor’ to the world because society needs to see where they will end up if they do not follow the rules. How do we control these super powers, you ask? That is something we do not have to worry about. The government will think for us. Wow! Aren't we living the American dream?"
"Well, when you put it that way..."
They both laughed and Sam sat down next to Lindsey, laying her head on her shoulder.
“So what do we do with these super powers, Linds?” Sam says, with a mischievous grin.
“Well, Sam. We purchase gasoline”
Sam sits up, looking at Lindsey in disbelief. Lindsey lights a cigarette and shrugs. “We are going to burn them down, just like they are doing to us.” Lindsey already had a plan and was just waiting for someone to brag about it to. She knew Sam would be on her side, no matter what.
Sam joins Lindsey in smoking a cigarette. Ashing it into a cup on the coffee table, she says “Okay, I’m in.” Finally they had a dream that was going to come true.
“All we need is a gas can” Lindsey was ready.
They finished their cigarettes and had flames gleaming in their eyes. Lindsey looked Sam in the eyes and says with a happy smirk, “Let’s do this, bitch!” Although Lindsey and Sam are feminist, they both laughed at this. This was going to be fun.
The gas can belonged to their upstairs neighbor, who referred to himself as “Scary Jerry” and introduces himself to newcomers with the same line, “I’m not straight, I’m not gay. I’m Jerry.” The girls always laughed at this. Jerry always came to complain about his problems with China, his ex-stripper, and rocker girlfriend. They were attempting to have a baby. Lindsey remembers from the night before when Jerry came crying about a “bloody zygote” on the end of a tampon. He referred to it as his dead baby. The conversation was so ridiculous, all Lindsey could do was try not to laugh as she patted crying Jerry on the back.
She thinks of how Jerry and China will react to hearing about their downstairs neighbors burning down a few corporations. They will now be able to brag to anyone they know. “Yeah my downstairs neighbors, two little girls, were the arsonists. Fucking bad ass bitches. My daughters.” Jerry always referred to Sam and Lindsey as his daughters which creeped them out a bit but really what could they do.
Sam throws the can in her trunk and slams it shut. Lindsey is sitting in the passengers seat, smoking a cigarette, smiling over at Sam as she hops into the drivers seat. She puts the car in reverse and they head to the gas station.
Filling up the gas can, not out of the ordinary, a man comes up to Lindsey referring to her as “fine ass” and asking her for money. She sighs at the man and the fact that he was asking for money, which she did not have to spare. Giving him no response, she tops off the gas tank and shuts it tight. Setting it back into the trunk and sitting in the car. She watches Sam comes out of the gas station with a new pack of cigarettes. Packing and unwrapping them, she anxiously lights up another. Quite unsafe at a gas station but what did she care, buildings were about to burn.
Rolling out of the station, they veiled their faces with black hanker chiefs and prepared for their mission. Lindsey, always the funny one, puts on “Sleep now in the fire” by Rage against the machine and they see each other smiling with their eyes. The clock reads midnight and they arrive at their first spot. The place where they met, Dot Hogs. This was the newly famed, newly corporate hot dog restaurant.

Lindsey thinks back to when she loved this place, back when it was a small hole in the wall. She had hope then, people listened to her and even though she was making hot dogs, she felt like she had a purpose. Everything changed when they expanded and started only caring about money. David, the new general manager, was hired who did not waste any time breaking out sexual jokes. The employees put up with this until he took it way past too far. This is when they decided to take a stand. A meeting was held with the owners and they were reluctant but if David was not fired, there were at least twelve employees, including Sam and Lindsey, who were prepared to quit. He was asked to leave and then was fired later that day. The person they hired to replace him did not seem to be any better, seeing as Sam was fired and Lindsey followed by quitting.

Parking a block away from Dot Hogs, Sam turns the car off and they sat in the silent car for a moment. The trunk popped and Sam exits the car and grabs the can. They walk to the restaurant and stand there staring at the painted pig hugging a giant sausage displayed on the front wall. Always finding this to be an unusual painting, Sam unscrews the lid and carelessly starts sloshing it on the pig and continues along the building. Handing it to Lindsey, who was patiently waiting her turn. She disappears behind the building and comes back with a cigarette hanging from her lips and an ashtray she stole from the break table. “We will need this” Nodding at each other, they both flick their cigarettes into the pools of gasoline and feel the heat of the flames expanding all around them.

“Fucking Hot Dogs” they were both thinking but Lindsey says aloud.
“Let’s go” Sam says in response, with reality setting in and distant sirens wooing. They run to the car, adrenaline pumping and giggling hysterically. Sam quickly turns the keys. Click.
“What the fuck?!” The car was not starting. Frantically Sam tries over and over again. Right when she was about to give up, the life saving sound of the engine humming on drives her foot to the gas pedal. They sped off deciding to go straight home. They returned the gas can to its place and of course run into Jerry, who is sitting on the steps that lead up to his house. He appeared to be crying and could not be ignored.
“Everything alright, Jerry?” Sam says putting her hand on his shoulder, noticing the bottle of whiskey nearby. To which he responds, “China got her period!” He tried to continue explaining himself but let out a normal Scary Jerry scream instead. Sam and Lindsey were used to this scream, they heard at least once a day along with some ACDC bass line. Jerry was a proud bass player and had a screamo rock band, which is impressive being that he is forty years old.
Lindsey looks at Sam with her “get away from Jerry” eyes. Sam then makes up some excuse as to why they have to go inside.
“You bitches smell like gasoline!” Jerry says with a disgusted look on his face. They both ignore the question and continue on inside.
“Goodnight Jerry!”
They hear him mumbling something and most likely continuing his nightly cry. Sam rushing to change clothes and into non gasoline smelling ones was too scared to keep going.
“That was it, Linds.”
“What about all the others? They need to burn too.”
“That was it, Lindsey.” Looking her in the eyes with the most serious look.
Lindsey agreed and settled down on the couch, lighting a cigarette. Sam puts on a movie and lies down next to her. Their hearts still beating fast. The sounds of sirens in the distance were continuous. They were haunting them but Lindsey showed no visible sign of distress. A knock on the door causes Sam to jump.
“It’s just Jerry” Lindsey says slightly annoyed. They let him in and he starts telling them that the place they used to work at was now burning to the ground. “Here have some whiskey! You must be the ones who did it?” Jerry says making a joke. They laugh and accept the whiskey. Jerry runs over to their tv and turns on the news.
“Dot Hogs burns to the ground. Will New Orleanians be able to survive without their sausages and fries? Stay tuned to find out.”
Lindsey smiles over at Sam and lifts her drink into the air, cheering to the night and mouthing “We did it.” There was no need to continue burning places down like barbarians, they did something huge already. Dot Hogs was going to lose money over this but it would not stop them from rebuilding and expanding even more. Sam and Lindsey will just have to wait a few more months until construction was finished.