Kismet

by Jen Payne

In Nashville, she bought a rock star coat - black leather with sequin flowered sleeves and a rhinestone, mid-calf hem. In the dressing room, she laughed - it was a perfect fit; "I'd never wear it," she told the saleswoman, "back home, we're all L.L. Bean and Talbots." She bought it anyway and hung it by the door - her alter-ego, set in wait. Then she met her new neighbors, Zach and Joe, walking their dogs. "This is Amy and this is Pacho," Zack said, "they have a cabaret act." When they invited her to their house warming party, she knew exactly what to wear.

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Jen Payne is a writer who got sidetracked for a while. Inspired to write again (finally!), she is currently working on her first novel. Jen also writes short stories, slice of life essays and poetry. She is the founder and editor of Creative Soup, a collaboration of writers and artists. More of her writing can be found on her blog.