Monique woke up in a panic. The orange flip flops were going to take over the cow kingdom unless she poured coffee on a daisy. It made no sense, but it was still an alarmingly apparent thought. However, a cup of coffee didn't seem half bad. She pulled the yellow, chevron blanket covers away from herself and hopped off the bed.
With absolutely no grace, she slipped into her fuzzy, grey slippers and stumbled to her closet.
"Looking good can wait," Monique said, drowsily.
With that, she pulled out a pair of sweatpants that said 'free to be...' on the side, and a blue v-neck. She could've looked better, but it's not illegal to get coffee and lack a fashion sense.
"Au Revoir, bungalow," she said for what felt like the billionth time before leaving her house and walking off.
The nearest coffee shop was just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Within a few minutes, she was opening the door, and smiling at the short line of only two people. The order would be easy, and she could be out in plenty of time. Afterwards, Monique would go to the bookstore and find a new story.
The barista smiled at her. "Let me guess: 'a medium caramel frappe for Monique'?"
"Oui, with extra whip cream, s'il vous plaît."
"Alrighty, that's four ninety-nine. Please swipe," she said, gesturing to the scanner.
Monique did as told and stepped off to the side. She wandered to a window and watched the city bustle about. A man on an electric scooter zipped by, and stopped across the street. He was greeted by a slender woman with a kiss. The woman sat behind him, put one hand on her wide brimmed hat, and the other around his waist. With a turn of his wrist, the man and woman sped off. She thought of getting a floppy hat like that for herself.
"A medium caramel frappe, with extra whipped cream, for Monique?" The barista called out.
Monique spun around and walked back to the table promptly. On her way, she blindly bumped into a tall man, and he spilled his coffee on her. It was insanely hot.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am. Wait here." The man ran to the counter.
Monique started helplessly fanning her chest with hope that it'd stop burning. He came back with a clear cup of water and a handful of napkins.
"If I pour the water on you, it might not burn as much," the man said, desperately.
Monique looked at him like he was insane before sighing and nodding. The man poured the cup over her chest, and she immediately felt better.
"Here." He held the napkins out to her.
"Mercí." Monique graciously took them and patted her chest. "I wasn't going to wear this for too long anyway. May I pay for your coffee, though?"
"No, don't bother yourself with that." he shook his hands." Hey, that's an interesting accent, where're you from?"
"I must repay you somehow."
"It's really no problem. I wasn't going to finish it anyway," he lied. "Where's your accent from?"
"Um, I moved to France, with my parents, when I was nine, and I just picked up the accent."
"Wow, do you know French, too?"
"Il est difficile de contourner si vous ne parlez pas français," she stated with a smile.
His mouth gaped. "Wow. What did you say?"
"Well, I basically said 'it'd be hard to get around if I didn't know French'. I guess I don't need to use it anymore, but sometimes I'll use phrases with my conversations."
"Ahem, Monique, your coffee..." The barista mumbled from behind the counter.
"Oh!" Monique took the cup from her. "Mercí, Karen, I'll see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Monsieur." Monique left the coffee shop without another word.
"Goodbye, Monique," The man whispered as she walked out.
The breeze hit Monique, and she would have felt fine had her shirt been dry, but Monique shivered under her clothes. Luckily, her home wasn't far away. She picked up her speed and rushed back as fast as she could. The coffee was warm, so she was grateful for that, at least.
As she got closer to her house, Monique pondered about what to wear. A sun dress was perfect for the weather, but she'd have to wear spandex underneath since it was windy out. The front of her house came into view, and she smiled. With an extra skip in her step, she bounced to the front door, and stepped inside.
With a quick click of the door, Monique stripped off her clothes and tossed them into a nearby laundry hamper. Her coffee was set on the kitchen counter. She kicked off her slippers onto her bed, and jumped into the shower to wash off the coffee and sleep.
After a brisk rinse, she dried off, and raided her closet. Monique slipped on a black pair of spandex underwear and a black sports' bra to finish the set. She paused in front of her closet mirror and flexed her arms. She was a fairly fit woman, if not muscular. Large breasts, round butt, perfect abs. With a smirk, she pulled out a turquoise, sun dress, and tied a red sash around the waist.
A pair of brown flip flops with floral straps was the finishing touch. She took one last glance in the mirror and smiled before walking out for the second time that day.
"Au Revoir, my lovely home."
The bookstore was a bit farther than the coffee shop, so Monique chose her car instead. She hopped into a yellow Mégane Renaultsport, put the keys into the ignition, and sped off.
Monique left her car in the parking lot, and strolled into the bookstore. She'd finished 'Pride & Prejudice' in a week and was dying for a new book to read. She took a look at the clearance section, like she always did, and decided none of the books were that good anyway, like she always did. Young adult novels were her favorite, but she'd try a dystopian this time.
After a peek around, Monique eyed one that said 'Fahrenheit 451'. Although she hated the word 'Fahrenheit', she thought the book itself deserved a chance. The only problem was that the book was on the top shelf, and she was obviously short. Monique reached as high as she could, on the tips of her toes, but still couldn't grip the book. She groaned in frustration.
