Bailey Needs Some Change

  Bailey stepped out of her apartment into the hallway and shut the door behind her. She slipped her keys into the small pocket on the side of her purse and zipped it shut. Walking down the hall she noticed her neighbor Thomas standing in his doorway. He was looking left and right and rubbing a sore spot on his neck.
  "Good morning, Thomas," Bailey said, pausing in front of him for a second. "Are you ok?" she asked, realizing the spot on his neck was bright red and trickling blood.
  "Huh?" Thomas said, looking at Bailey with empty eyes. "Oh yes. I am fine. Just looking for someone. I guess she left before I woke up."
  Bailey cleared her throat and twiddled her thumbs awkwardly. "Well not every date is a winner," she said, and continued walking.
 In minutes Bailey was outside enjoying the fresh morning air. The sun was shining and a few street vendors were beginning to set up their food carts. Bailey preferred to eat breakfast at home but gave the vendors a friendly wave and smile as she passed.
 When Bailey reached her office building she pulled open one of the glass double doors and made her way across the lobby to the elevator. Taking it to the fifth floor, she stepped out into the hallway and through the door to the office suite numbered 515.
  "Good morning, Bailey," Sarah the office secretary greeted.
  "Hello, Sarah," Bailey responded. "Is Miss Lawson in yet?"
  "Yes she's in her office."
   Bailey nodded and made her way through the maze of desks to the corner where hers' sat. It was a small light brown desk she had decorated with a couple potted plants and pictures of her family. A few folders and files were spread across it. She pushed them aside to set down her purse.
  "Bailey, is that you?" Miss Lawson's voice called through the open door of her office which sat only feet away from Bailey's desk.
  "Yes it's me, Miss Lawson," she answered, stepping into her boss's office. "I was just about to finish the files you gave me yesterday and-"
  "Forget about that for now," Miss Lawson interrupted. "Maggie's Bakery down the street makes an amazing raspberry scone and I am really craving one right now," she said, pushing her long blonde hair out of her face while she read something on her smart phone.
  "Ok," Bailey said, not sure what that had to do with her files. Miss Lawson looked up at her blankly.
  "I'd like you to go get me one." Miss Lawson grabbed her wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill.
  "Get yourself one too if you like," she said, holding it out between two fingers in Bailey's direction.
  "Thank you but I'm allergic to raspberry."
  "Oh that's lovely, dear," Miss Lawson answered, totally absorbed by her phone. Her long manicured fingernails made ticking noises against the screen.
  Bailey sighed quietly and left the office. She took the elevator back downstairs and walked quickly down the street to Maggie's Bakery. She could see a plate of raspberry scones in the glass case on top of the counter. Only two people were in front of her in line. She should be back at her desk in no time.
  "One raspberry scone please," she requested, when it was her turn. The lady behind the counter reached out a gloved hand, put a scone into a small paper bag and set it in front of the register.
  "Two dollars fifty," she said. Bailey handed her the one hundred dollar bill from Miss Lawson.
  "Oh I'm sorry, honey," the girl said. "We don't have enough cash to break a hundred. Do you have anything smaller?"
  "No I don't," Bailey said, realizing she had left her purse on her desk and had no other way to pay for the scone. There were several people in the bakery. Surely one of them would have change for a hundred.
  "Give me a minute, I'll find change," Bailey promised, walking away from the counter.
 She stood at the front of the bakery and looked around nervously. Talking to strangers was not her favorite thing.
 "Hey you look like a lady in distress," said a voice behind her. She whirled around to see a tall young man standing there, a green beanie on his head. He held an MP3 player with one earbud in his ear, the other dangling from his hand.
  "I need change for a hundred dollar bill. Can you help out?" Bailey asked hopefully.
  "Oh baby I can do more than change your hundred. I can change your life," the young man said, giving her a flashy wink. Bailey wrinkled her eyebrows.
  "Um...no thank you," she answered, taking a step away from him.
  "Your loss," he called out after her. Bailey did not look back. Instead she made her way to the other side of the small dining room to where a lady sipping a cup of coffee and browsing something on her laptop.
  "Excuse me, ma'am. Do you happen to have change for a hundred dollar bill?" The lady looked to be mid 40s, had long black hair and a dark red scarf around her neck. She stared up at Bailey for a few moments before opening her mouth to respond.
  "I don't carry cash with me. And honestly I think it's a little bit cocky of you to be flashing your money around like this."
  "I'm sorry, what?" Bailey asked, looking confused.
  "You just felt the need to come over here and wave your wealth in my face? Do you think I will be impressed with you? Is this how you self validate?"
  "This is not my hundred dollar bill. My boss gave it to me so I could-"
  "Your boss, huh? Now you're bragging that you have a job. Well not all of us have the kind of amazing opportunities you do," the lady hissed, snapping her laptop shut and standing up. She put it under her right arm and grabbed her coffee with her other hand.
  "Well I hope you have an amazing day spending all your hard earned money," she said angrily, and stalked off.
  Bailey stood there staring after her for a moment. What had just happened?
  She jerked herself out of her thoughts remembering Miss Lawson was expecting this scone before the end of the day. Looking around she noticed a mom in the corner holding a baby. Perhaps she was nicer than the woman with the laptop.
 "Hello, ma'am. I'm sorry to bother you but do you have change for a hundred dollar bill by chance?"
 "Oh honey, you are a gift from God!" the mother exclaimed. "I have had to pee for an hour now but I couldn't leave my baby here by himself. Can you hold him for a second while I go?"
  "But...I.." Bailey stammered.
  "Thank you so much," the mom said, shoving her squirming infant son into Bailey's arms before she could object. She hurried off to the bathroom. Bailey stood there with her mouth open looking down at the baby she now held. He smiled up at her and she smiled back. Perhaps this was not so bad.
  A second later, Bailey changed her mind as the baby hiccuped and whatever his mother had just been feeding him came out all over Bailey's sweater. She grimaced and gagged at the sight of little white chunks of something on her sleeve.
  "Oh no did Spencer spit up on you?" the mom's voice said as she hurried back from the bathroom. Bailey nodded, too shocked to speak.
  "I'm so sorry, honey. Here." She dug in her purse and presented Bailey with five crisp twenty dollar bills. Bailey took them and gently handed the lady her son along with the hundred dollar bill from Miss Lawson.
  "Spencer did you spit up on the nice lady?" the mother asked, taking a cloth from her diaper bag and wiping his face. Bailey grabbed a napkin from a table and tried to absorb the mess off her sweater. Walking back to the front counter, she took one of the twenties she'd been given and offered it to the cashier. She took it happily, gave Bailey her change and the bagged scone.
  "Thank you," Bailey said, feeling satisfied she was able to so quickly find change. Leaving the cafe, she noticed the lady with the red scarf lingering outside the door talking on her cell phone. When she caught sight of Bailey, her smile turned to a frown and her voice got louder.
 "And then this brat in the bakery was waving around a hundred dollar bill trying to make me feel bad cause I'm unemployed," she shouted into her phone. Everyone on the sidewalk around her looked up at her and then at Bailey. Bailey blushed and continued walking toward her office.
  Suddenly a car horn sounded loudly behind her. She turned to see a young boy darting out in front of a taxi. The driver laid on his horn and swerved, his tires splashing through a puddle sending muddy street water squirting all over the sidewalk. Bailey wailed as the water hit her face and chest and dripped down her outfit. Looking down at the bag in her hand she was relieved to see it was bone dry.
  "At least Miss Lawson will be happy today," she muttered to herself, making her way to the office.
  "Bailey, are you ok?" Sarah asked, standing up from her desk as Bailey walked through the door.
  "I am fine, Sarah," Bailey said in a monotone voice. "I got Miss Lawson the scone she wanted. So everything is great."
  Sarah gave Bailey a sympathetic look and then sat back down to answer the phone that started to ring.
  Bailey made her way back to Miss Lawson's office trying to hold her head high despite being covered in mud and baby spit up.
 "Here is your scone Miss Lawson," she said, setting the bag on her boss's desk. "And here is your change."
  Miss Lawson looked up and her eyes widened at Bailey's appearance.
 "What's in the bag, honey?" she asked, her eyes looking the young lady up and down.
 "Your raspberry scone," Bailey repeated. Miss Lawson stared at her for a moment.
 "Oh yes of course, I totally forgot about that. I have decided to go on a low carb diet so I won't be needing the scone anymore. You can eat it, hun."
  "I'm allergic to raspberries," Bailey said again.
  "Oh that's lovely, darling," Miss Lawson answered, once again wrapped up in her phone. Bailey sighed and grabbed the bagged scone taking it to her desk. She threw it roughly in the trash.
  "Bailey honey," said Miss Lawson's voice from the doorway of her office. "Can you go home and change your clothes and come back? We really can't have you sitting here looking like that," her boss said with a smile.
 "Oh and can you get those files done that I gave you last night? Honestly it's ten o' clock. What have you even been doing since you got here?"
  Bailey sat at her desk, her mouth open in shock as Miss Lawson's door shut behind her.