Affluent contract

It's Saturday morning, Aria woke up to the sound of silence. No alarm wailing, no rush to get to work.

She stretched, exhaled and swayed her legs over the side of the bed, her feet touching the tattered carpet.

Aria walked to the kitchen, massaging her eyelids to remove the sleep from her eyes, in search of her first meal of the day. She opened the fridge, revealing an almost empty shelf..

A partial empty jar of jam, a withered lettuce, and a carton of outdated milk stared back at her.

The cabinets weren't any better...stodgy cereal, expired crackers, and a bag of flour.

She sighed, settling for toast with jam. Not her favorite, but it would do for just this morning.

Aria kept on thinking about her financial struggles as she waited patiently for the toasted bread to pop out. Rent was unpaid, and her funds was declining rapidly.

How would she make ends meet?

The toasted bread popped out, interrupting her thoughts.

Just as She took a bite of her toasted bread, she heard a resounding knock on her door. Aria knew who it was already,only her best friend visited her.

"Aria, girl! Open up!" Beatrice's cheerful voice shouted from outside.

Aria lit up, welcoming the amusement. She unlocked the door to find Beatrice holding a shopping bag and flashing a bright smile.

"Hey, babes! I brought breakfast" Beatrice said, waving the bag.

Aria's eyes widened as Beatrice revealed a spread of fresh pastries, fruit, and coffee.

"Thank goodness! My fridge is practically empty" Aria admitted.

Beatrice arched her brows. "Babygirl, when did you last go grocery shopping?"

Aria sighed. "I've been postponing it. You know how it is"

"Sit down and let's discuss" Beatrice said, suddenly looking serious and they sat down.

"Now what?"

"I kinda found a job for you, but I don't think you will like it"

"What type of job?"

Beatrice took a deep breath. "It's...a dancing job at a club"

Aria raised an eyebrow. "Dancing? What kind of dancing?"

"Strip dancing, Aria"Her eyes widened in shock.

"Hear me out, Aria. This job pays incredibly well. You'll make more in one night than you do in a week teaching. You can finally pay off your debts and start fresh" she said and Aria shook her head firmly.

"No way, Bea. I'm a teacher, not a stripper. I have standards"

Beatrice sighed. "I knew you'd react like this. But think about it, Aria. This is a chance, you can't keep struggling financially"

"I appreciate your concern, Bea, but I'll find another way. This isn't for me"

"Okay, I get it. But promise me you'll have a second thought if  things get worse?"

Aria hesitated before nodding. "I'll have a rethink about it, Bea. But I'm uncertain if it'll come to that"

"I'm glad we've resolved the issue, Aria" Beatrice said, getting to her feet.

"That's basically why I stopped by.... to inform you about the vacancy. Now that we've discussed it, I have other places to be"

Aria walked her to the door.