Page 4 of Doll Face

“Fine. I’ll grab a drink with someone. I’ll have a night out and potentially meet someone, but you really don’t have to worry about me. I’m okay, even without Kenzie.” I try not to wince while saying her name. It’s like saying it out loud makes me realize how much I actually miss her.

Kenzie left for London five years ago and never came back. She took a modeling job there, and sure, we tried long distance at first, but that inevitably fizzled out. We lost contact and that was the end of the person I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. So I understand and appreciate my family’s concern, but it’s also pointless for me to date when I’m still healing. I’m not entirely over Kenzie, and I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be.

“It’s okay to not be okay, Babs,” my sister says, using her special nickname for me.

“I know.” I nod. I hate talking about this. It’s bringing forth all this emotion that I would much rather keep inside.

“I’ll drop it, but promise you’ll at least try to go out? Wear that new pink dress you bought last year that hangs in your closet.”

“I think that’s a little too much for a date.” I laugh. Pink is my favorite color, and I wear it most days to the office anyway.

I used to dress more “professional.” I opted for tans and neutrals but it was actually making me depressed. So, since then, I’ve been getting tailor-made pink business attire. If people are going to joke about me looking like a Barbie doll, I might as well lean into it. There’s no harm in dressing up how I like, and besides, I’m wearing office attire. It’s just a bit more pink than traditional business clothing.

“No, it’s so you,” she says, still talking about my dress. I consider it for a moment. I mean, maybe she has a point.

“Maybe.” I can always think about it later. Am I really going to go out tonight? I know Kelly will check up on it tomorrow, and I’m not exactly the best liar.

“Barbie!” Midge calls, opening the door. She’s not normally one to interrupt us.

“What’s going on?”

“Kelly, you better come too, there’s been a problem in manufacturing.” Midge looks panicked.

“What kind of problem?” Kelly asks.

“It’s best if you see for yourself.” Midge looks at the ground and bites her bottom lip. It’s something bad alright; I’ve never seen her look so nervous before.

We walk down the hallway and take the elevator to manufacturing—a place Kelly and I rarely circle. We trust our employees and never want to be those bosses that randomly check up on things … unless we have to. This feels like walking down the hall to the principal’s office. A row of employees watches our every move. With the click-clack of my pink heels, I feel like I’m walking into an execution.

“So? Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” I prompt one of the engineers.

“Well, it seems like we got in the wrong mold, and no one checked it prior to starting assembly. Now we have over a thousand of them, and we don’t know what to do with it,” he says sheepishly.

“One thousand what?” I spit out. How didn’t anyone check the mold? What the hell are they doing down here?

“Umm.” He falters. “These, ma’am.” He holds up one bright pink penis-shaped dildo, and my eyes widen.

“Oh, my God!” Kelly exclaims, and I shoot her a look.

“It seems a sex toy company has a similar name to ours, and they got our mold. They’re sending it over now but we, uh, didn’t know what to do with these,” the guy says.

My brain immediately goes into thinking mode. “Are they usable?”

“Ma’am?” He blushes.

“I’m asking if they can be used for their intended purpose with the materials they were processed with?” I’m trying to be professional about this.

“Well…yes.” He hesitates.

“So, what we’re going to do is send some up to marketing and have them come up with how we can sell them for the holiday season.”

“Are you serious?” Kelly laughs.

“I’m dead serious. Otherwise we’re out a shit ton of money and materials, and for what?”

“We could always contact the sex toy company and sell it to them?”

“I like that idea even better. Kelly, run point on this. I don’t want to hear about these toys until they’re producing a profit for us.”

---