Read A Penny's Worth for Free Online Page B

with
happiness. Luckily her social filter just stopped her in time: a little voice
calmly informed her that she’s still in the interview and it can all still go
wrong, even in these last few seconds. Concentrating hard, she clasped her
hands together, stood up and said, “Dr Kittles you won’t be sorry thank-you so
much for this opportunity.”
    Skipping toward her car, Penny was so
excited that she wanted to scream out he liked me, he really, really, did.
    Penny felt something land on her left
shoulder. She looked down to discover that a bird had just dropped a huge pile
of bird crap on her new navy blazer. She had always heard that it was a sign of
good luck to have a bird poop on you, and she felt this sign was telling her
that she was worth so much more than that. She looked up at the sky with a huge
smile on her face and said a soft thank-you.

Chapter 11
    New job and new career: Check (or very nearly, anyway).
    Reach out and transform social life:
Definitely next on her to-do list.
    A few days after her interview, Penny
took Winston to the new doggy park that had just opened up a few blocks over.
The park should be a perfect place to meet new people. Strangers with dogs always
stop to chat, and surely (Penny thought) they’ll have a strong commonality
right from the start.
    Stepping outdoors, she thought the day
looked picture perfect. She was happy to have a destination. She was antsy sitting
around the house. The day after next she was to have her second interview with
nurse Reins. The anticipation of this meeting was unbearable. She knew if it
did not go well she’d have no shot of working at Wayside Hospital.
    Strolling down the street, she thought of
the Recital at Fernfair and the handsome doctor. It was his face that drifted
into her mind when she was alone in the dark trying to fall asleep. She
couldn’t help thinking of the brief encounter she had with him.
    Winston’s excited bark brought her back
to reality. “Calm down Winston,” she said softly. “We’re almost there and you
can play to your heart’s content.”
    Staring up, the floppy-eared Beagle
seemed to have understood. But he tugged at his leash as they approached the entrance
to the doggie playground. The park was jam packed with owners and their canine
friends.
    She immediately spotted two Labrador retrievers, a miniature collie, a German Shepherd, two pugs, three bull dogs, and
a huge assortment of mutts. As she approached the middle of the fenced-in area
she noticed a miniature toy poodle, shaking uncontrollably, pressed up close
against its owner. The lady must be insane to bring such a little dog into a
park with all these big intimidating dogs.
    Penny had a strong urge to point out to
the owner that she should put her dog in the smaller fenced-in area with the
other smaller dogs. She examined the woman more closely. She looked tough. A
small black tattoo of a snake on her left wrist warded Penny away like the
colourful blotches on a poisonous toad.
    Better to leave people with snake tattoos
alone, she told herself, just to be on the safe side.
    Off his leash, Winston bounded joyfully
into the folds of the other dogs. His arrival set off a commotion: she could
just picture their doggie conversation: “Ah, some new blood to join our play,
eh Major?” They all ran around in circles vying to get a sniff of the new
doggie on the block. Penny grinned: they were just like children. She loved
watching dogs at play. How adorable they are, she thought fondly with a quick
jolt of happiness.
    “Hey you stupid mongrel, get the hell off
of my dog,” someone screamed.
    She was torn from her sentimental
thoughts to find Tattoo Lady bending down to pick up her little poodle. To her
growing dismay she also noticed that the woman was pointing at Winston. “Whose
dog is that?” she asked sharply.
    “He’s mine,” Penny stated meekly, her
heart pounding.
    “Your mutt just bit my dog,” Tattoo
growled as she roughly held out her dog’s little