I’m not sure if Cupid had a hangover when he assigned soulmates, but really? He’s got to be out of his mind!

So I march up to his headquarters in the clouds and demand answers.

“Excuse me, can I please talk to Cupid? It’s an emergency!” I tell the lady at the front desk. Her glasses rest just at the tip of her nose, and the tiniest ivory wings on her back flutter. The name tag on her chest says her name is Debbie.

“Name?” She drawls.

“Rosa Diaz.”

The receptionist clacks away at her keyboard.

“Date of birth?”

“April 21st, 2005.”

Again, she clacks away.

“Take a seat in the waiting room until your name is called.”

I’m almost suffocated when I sit between a woman holding a large purse and a man spreading his legs out. Every minute feels like an hour, and I’m already sweating. I grab chapstick from my pocket and twist its cap, names drifting past my ears.

“Rosa Diaz!”

My head shot up. This employee had much larger wings splayed out behind her. Her name tag also said her name was Debbie. I followed her through the many twists and turns of the establishment. The smell of cinammon grew stronger with every step.

“We apologize for the long wait. A new Cupid took over, and things have been packed ever since.” She stopped at a large pink door with a golden heart as its doorknob and flashed a smile. “He’ll be right through here! Have a good day!”

I tentatively entered his office.

“Well hello there!”

I almost jumped, as I was immediately greeted by a man not much taller than me. His feet rested on his desk, his back leaning against the soft white chair. His bright pink hair was slicked back with not a single baby hair sticking up. Everything was covered in hearts, from his tuxedo, to the carpet, to the banners hung above. I felt like I was drowning in the sea of bright colors.

“Uh…hi.” I took a seat on one of the white leather couches.

“Good afternoon! How can I help you today?”

“You set me up with a girl named Therese. I’m not supposed to have feelings for girls.”

“And why is that?”

“My parents! They’ll disown me if they find out! So stop making me have these feelings!”

“I can’t control what genders you’re attracted to. I only choose who is most compatible depending on your interests.” His eyes glance at a bow and quiver hung on the wall to the right. It’s filled with five arrows with heart shaped tips.

“But you can do something can’t you? Something to stop these sinful emotions?” Tears glazed my eyes. Regret and shame clouded my eyes and my mind.

“Rosa, your feelings aren’t a sin! There are thousands of people who are gay or bisexual or polyamorous! The kind of people you are attracted to isn’t harming anyone!”

“It’ll harm my parents! They won’t love me anymore!” In a whirl of rage, I took the heart shaped pencil case off his desk and threw it onto the ground. Cupid quickly wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t understand how they could hire someone who messes up this badly!”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” His soothing voice resided no anger, no impatience. He lets my frustration fizzle out. “It’s going to be okay. If they won’t accept you now, they’ll learn to accept you later.”

“And if they don’t?” My voice faltered, broke like glass.

“Then you will find people who will.”

I didn’t leave his office for a while. For hours, we talked about various things. I only left when a secretary, also named Debbie, reminded us of the many angry clients who are still waiting to see Cupid. I am escorted back to my apartment, where the memory of our meeting never leaves me.

Not until Terese showed up at my door.