Jacqueline walks into a coffee shop & stands in a short line. She says into her phone, “Hey, I’m here. Um...I’ll meet you outside okay.” She pauses. “I’m excited too. Okay, I’ll meet you here. Okay. Bye.” She spins around & squeals in excitement. “I’m so excited. I’m so e-”

“Next in line please.” The man behind the counter glares at Jacqueline.

“Heh heh. Sorry.” She puts her phone in her back pocket.

“Sure. What can I get you?”

“Can I just have a medium peppermint cappuccino please.”

“That’ll be $3.17 please.”

She gets out her wallet & gives him four dollars. “Here you go. You can keep the change.”

He smiles a little. “Thank you. Can I have a name?”

“Jacqueline.” He angles his head & raises an eyebrow. “Oh, sorry. Um. J-a-c-q-u-e-”

“You don’t look like a Jacqueline.”

Jacqueline licks her lips & balls up her fist. “Excuse me?”

“Aren’t you a little...” he scans her up & down. “masculine for the name Jacqueline?”

She slams her fist on the counter & yells, “Y’know, just shut up & make my damn coffee!” She stomps out onto the patio & sits at a table next to a rail. She crosses her arms on the table & puts her head down. She screams into her hands. “I’m gonna wipe that disgusting smile from his disgusting-”

“Hey, Jacquline.” She looks up to see Carmen waving to her & her face turns a deep red.

“Um, it’s you...um...hi. How...hi...C-Carmen...h-hi.” She flashes a weak smile.

Carmen puts her purse on the table. “What’s got you so down Jackie?”

Jacqueline digs her nails into her shoulder & says, “Why would you say something like that. Everything’s fine. Everything’s great. Everything’s peachy. Let’s have a date.”

“Jacqueline, you’re terrible at hiding your emotions.” She walks closer to Jacqueline & puts her hand on her shoulder. “So please, tell me what happened. And I’ll help. I swear.”

Jacqueline takes a deep breath in & out. “Okay. Um...the barista in there,” she closes her eyes, sniffs & in a whiny tone of voice says, “and he said that I was too masculine to have the name, Jacqueline.” She moans & slams her head.

“He said what?! Oh hell no.” She grabs Jacqueline’s hand & tugs on it. “C’mon.”

“What?”

“We’re giving him a piece of our mind.”

“Carmen. Please.”

“Jacqueline. Doing nothing is just letting him know. He has to know this isn’t okay. Even if he doesn’t change it’s just right.”

“Ca-”

“I’m doing it whether you come with me or not. So just come.”

Jacqueline exhales deeply through her nose & says, “Alright, fine.”

“Good! I wasn’t gonna ask again.” Carmen grabs her purse & they walk inside holding hands.

The barista puts a coffee cup down in the pickup area. “You’re back. Here’s your coffee, sir.”

Jacqueline reaches out to grab her coffee, but Carmen grabs it first. “First off, she’s not a sir, asshole. It’s scum like you holding the world back. And frankly, I would be overjoyed if you dropped dead right now.” She splashed the coffee on him.

He drops to the floor, writhes on the floor & screams, “What are you doing!” Carmen & Jacqueline run out.

*****

A few hours later, they both sit on a hill. Jacqueline sips her smoothie & puts her hand on top of Carmen’s, “You wanna talk about what happened back there?”

Carmen chuckles & shrugs, “I don’t know. I was just at the moment I guess. Sorry for wasting your money.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was worth it to see him rolling on the ground like that.”

“Ain’t that right.” They both laugh & cheers as the sun sets.