THE STORY OF MO…by Natasha Gornik

after the coffee and the cookie, okay the two cookies, at the cafe Mo is asked to get into the taxi parked at the corner of the street. because he has a perfect nose and smile she thinks nothing of it and obliges. the driver in the cab which was yellow which is normal smells like dirty dishrag diaper. if it was a color, it would be beige with brown speckles. not freckles but speckles. Mo tries not to dwell on this and turns towards her lover, feeling dandy. dandy like candy. “where are we headed?” she asks, half hoping that he’s the type of guy that likes to eat dessert immediately following dessert. cookies aren’t really dessert though, more like a snack. and it was oatmeal so really, a healthy snack at that. he ignores the question and says “you are wearing too much clothing, i think it’s time to take some of it off. i want you to unbutton your blouse and hike up your skirt to your panties.” this upsets Mo. not because Mo doesn’t want to obey the request but because it’s laundry day. laundry day means the only panties left in her drawer are the ones designated for period time. which are cotton faded of any vibrant color possibly ripped and stretched and definitely stained with blood. which is visible from more than one angle. on top of that, she actually has her period and it’s the second day which means trips to the bathroom for tampon change at least once an hour or else there is going to be an accident. it has been at least two hours and the last round she had stuffed some toilet paper in between the panties and her crotch to be on the safe side. she envisions it falling out of the underwear onto the floor. wet bloody crumpled tissue just hanging out on the floor of the taxi. there is also the lack of bikini wax issue. and then there is the bra which is ugly and polka dot and worn sometimes to the gym which says a lot without saying much at all. Mo pauses, looks at him, looks at the back of the driver’s head. fuck it. she unbuttons her shirt and hikes up her skirt. the blouse part goes better than expected. it is white and silky and parts evenly with each button opened. she looks down and feels pretty dam good about herself. the bra doesn’t look half bad either. she forgot that it was edged with lace which is the only visible part. the skirt is a little tighter than it was a couple of months ago probably because of all the cookies so there is some shifting and tugging to get it past the thighs and then the unmistakable sound of a rip. which lasts a good fifteen seconds which means that most of her backside must be showing at this point which means that public humiliation will ensue once she exits the vehicle. this is a real pisser. he clears his throat a bit, in what seems an attempt to dismiss that part of the undress. onwards and upwards. she likes his style and spreads her legs. out falls the clump of period paper. another throat clearing. she bends down to pick it up and the skirt tears a bit more. this is not going well.