Just Another Cindy Story
By: Allen Ashley
Cinderella was crouched on her haunches round the side of Pumpkins Nite Klub, her dress torn and minus one shoe, her hair and limbs still a little wet from the events of midnight. The DJ’s ear-bursting remix of Rock Around the Clock had climaxed with foam cannons, balloons and a whole heap of confusion.
The fluorescent orange strip light currently pulsing ten feet up the wall was not helping either her head or her stomach.
A woman in black security guard uniform approached her. “You OK, honey? Looks like you’ve had quite a night of it.”
Cindy squinted at the woman’s ID lanyard. “Feé Marraine” What sort of name was that? Gaelic? French? But she looked up into kind eyes, close-cropped grey hair framing the face. Kind of old for a bouncer or a door bitch but looked like she might know a few martial arts moves, nonetheless.
Cindy managed a smile, said, “I was dancing with this guy who was so cute and kind but I lost him in the bubbles.”
“Story of my life too, sister.”
“Maybe it’s for the best… uh, Marraine. He was giving me a whole load of bull about being a prince.”
“Oh, that’s Charlie. He’s minor royalty but a regular guy. You should message him on social media – ‘slide into his DM’s’ is the term, I believe. Easy enough.”
Cindy shook her head. “I don’t have a cell phone. Or internet access.”
“You need to step out of the Dark Ages, a sweet young woman like you.”
“Could you pass on my landline number? Where I work… where I live as a housemaid. God, I’m going to get in so much trouble just for being off the premises. But I was going stir crazy working for Mrs Maleficent and her two daughters.”
“I’ve got a pen somewhere. Or I’ll type it into Notebook.”
“You’re really kind. Although he’s going to be disappointed when he finds out I’m a penniless scullery maid usually covered in chimney soot and dressed in rags. I found this outfit in a charity shop. Borrowed some L’Occitaine bodywash from one of the daughters.”
“You’ve scrubbed up well, Cindy. And if the prince feels you’re socially beneath his level, that needn’t be the end of the world.”
“It feels like it right now. I’ve lost my prince, I’m thirsty, a little nauseous, starting to get cold and the man of my dreams has disappeared in a puff of smoke. Or soap.”
“This is all momentary, Cindy. I’ve got a spare bottle of mineral water in my office. I’ll fetch it. There’s a cab company we use. I’ll see about getting it charged to someone else’s account. Maybe Pumpkins, maybe lover boy.”
Cindy patted her tangled hair back into place, wondering when she had told this kind stranger her diminutive name. When the older woman returned, she said, “God, Marraine, why are you doing all this for me?
“I’ve got my reasons. Let’s just say that no matter how I look in this current get-up, I’m definitely on the side of the angels. Or the good fairies. And I don’t want to see you whisked off by some salsa dancing playboy in his silver Porsche. You can do much more with your life. Count this as day one.”
Cindy blinked. “It’s still the night before in my head. Hey, is that my ride home? Looks like a normal taxi, not that mad Halloween type vehicle I arrived in. Thanks so much for looking after me, Marraine.”
“My pleasure.” Then quieter: “My role.”
-