Becky took one last look in the mirror. Satisfied wouldn’t be the right word, exactly, but she was content enough with the work she had achieved with her various creams, colors and brushes to turn off the lights surrounding her reflection and leave the bathroom. She tripped over the door jam as she stumbled into her black flats, pulling a blazer over the shoulders of her Anne Taylor dress, bought on sale at the Loft. She kicked the wet towels out of the way, took one last bite out of her bagel and scurried out the door.

The time was 7:13. Her interview was scheduled for 8am across the city. She had plenty of time to catch her train, walk the three blocks to the office building and even have some time to spare to gather herself before the start of the interview. She had been looking for work for over six months, making ends meet in the mean time through small contracting gigs and pity babysitting and house sitting gigs from friends. This opportunity could finally put an end to all of that bullshit, giving her a chance to not only finally move into her own place but also be able to get a car, start saying yes to trips with her sisters and dinners with friends. She took a deep breath, smiling to herself at the though of financial freedom and stability. All she had to do was put her best foot forward.

As she thought this to herself, she literally put her foot forward off the curb to cross the street to the metro station. She was looking to her right and did not notice the biker careening around the corner to her left until her foot was already under his tire and her carefully selected black flats were suddenly filling with blood and pain.

She didn’t realize she was crying out until the man was next to her. She was barely aware of him literally sweeping her off her feet until she noticed the cab he had hailed. She heard him give the cabbie the name of a hospital and she suddenly realized what was happening.

“No, please, thank you. But I need to go to Goliath Creative on the west side. Please.”

Hearing the name of the business, the man startled. “No, wait, what? Why? Your foot could be broken, and I’m not sure what they can do for that but you absolutely need to be seen by a doctor.”

“I appreciate your concern, sir, but I have a meeting that I really can not miss. I will be just as injured in a few hours as I am now.” Turning to the cabbie, I repeated the address and he began driving. I raised my toes to try and stop the bleeding. It did not work. She took a deep breath and pulled out her notes ahead of the interview. She turned to the staff bios to make sure she didn’t mistake any names.