Alicia opened the door to her small, one-bedroom apartment. She threw her purse into the front closet and hung up her coat. She sat down on the bench in the entryway and removed her high heeled shoes, replacing them on her feet with comfy slippers.

It was 7:30 in the morning and Alicia was dead tired. She debated whether to head straight to the bedroom and flop down in bed or to go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She ultimately decided on the latter, as she had some errands to run. After that, she could come back and go to sleep, as her shift didn’t start until nine that night.

As she walked into the kitchen she saw a flaky pastry in the middle of the small table and a red carnation laid next to it. Then she heard his voice.

“Hey baby,” he said. “I wanted to surprise you this morning. I went to the bakery you love and got you your favorite pastry. And then I picked up a lovely little carnation. You know you’re my best gal.”

“You did surprise me, Darryl,” Alicia said. “but I’m so tired I can hardly function.”

“Don’t worry baby,” Darryl said. “Just give me my money and I’ll be on my way.”

Alicia pulled out a large wad of bills from between her breast in her tight fitting halter top and tossed it to Darryl. He counted it out, got a displeased look on his face, and then threw ten twenties on table. “Here’s your take, bitch,” he said. “You best do better tonight, honey, or this pimp’s gonna cut you up.”

Then he added, “Remember what the First Lady said, ‘Be Best!’ You hear me, bitch?”

That was when Alicia grabbed the knife on the counter and plunged it deep into Darryl’s neck.

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Written for Teresa’s Three Things Challenge, where the three things  are “bakery,” “surprise,” and “carnation.”