Myrtle looked through the window, contemplating the outside.
It was early on a cloudy morning. In a few hours, the calm would slowly slip away, dissipating under the gentle noise of the Spice District's waking traffic.
"It was the best decision we'd ever made!" Agatha exclaimed, as she continued from the kitchen.
"Really?" asked Myrtle, amused.
"Yeah," Agatha replied, "We were glad we moved to San Myshuno! This city was wonderful! Our apartment was in the perfect location!"
Myrtle detached her eyes from the window and looked back. "It's a big change though," she said, "How did Agnes handle the drastic cottage-to-city transition?"
"She didn't mind! She needed the change! The change was good! To my surprise, she loved downtown!"
"She did?" asked Myrtle. "Well, Myshuno is beautiful so…" She laughed.
"Yeah, very beautiful", agreed Agatha. "I understand Agnes' enthusiasm over living here. You would think that the busy city would quickly deter her from leaving the cottage environment, but no. At first I thought it would just be a matter of time before she misses our previous home, just like would do someone who can't make up their minds!"
"I was already counting down the days to when she'd say it was a mistake," she added, while preparing the tea. "I told myself, 'I give it a week. She won't last longer than that here. Even before the week is over, she'll ask to move back home.' That didn't happen!"
Myrtle chuckled and started approaching the kitchen to check if any help was needed.
"Tea's ready!" Agatha exclaimed at that moment. "Sit down dear, it's piping hot!"
Sitting comfortably with their drinks, the two friends continued their talk.
"Took us a while to decide on this place, though," explained Agatha, "Agnes and I checked out a handful of other locations. We've thoroughly visited the Arts Quarter and the Fashion District."
"Oh" Myrtle said, nodding. "Anything there that caught your interest?"
"Houses, apartments, condos, we've toured dozens."
"You've been combing the city, huh?"
"With a fine tooth comb. We take finding a place to live very seriously."
Agatha paused, then said, "We've also visited Uptown."
"Uptown?" Myrtle asked, curious. "You've been up there?! I heard these apartments cost a fortune unless you're fabulously wealthy!"
"Agnes has plenty of friends that live there," said Agatha. "Some of her in-laws live there too, I believe. Her friends love to throw parties every so often. Extravagant, lavish parties. She always gets invited. The folks from there call themselves the Uptown Society… or whatever." The two friends laughed.
"How is it like?" Myrtle asked.
"The parties? Boring," Agatha replied. "The people? A bunch of selfish, egocentric, greedy, arrogant folks, who think they're the center of the universe."
"The energy? Negative," continued Agatha. "The culture? Gossip, calumny, denigration, slander, and the worst, competition. They're all competing against one another, each one wanting to show that they're better than the rest or that they're the best."
"Certain rumors were true then," Myrtle realized. "I've heard the Uptown people are quite rude."
"They're definitely not the kindest," described Agatha. "It's not only high in altitude there, but in attitude. You have to live in Uptown before you can socialize with them or they'll judge you. For them, you're just some commoner."
"That's ridiculous," Myrtle said.
"These folks are so full of themselves that they will straight up discourage you from wanting to know them further. I could live there if I wanted to but not for the same reasons as them, not to feel superior or egotistical."
"How come Agnes has so many friends there? How she deals with them?"
Agatha had a light chuckle at Myrtle's question.
"There's a thing called hypocrisy," she replied. "Comes in handy when being around bad and fake people. Agnes just plays hypocrite."
"If I were Agnes, I'd rather be alone than being in bad company!"
"I'm wholeheartedly with you on that," agreed Agatha. "This is something the Uptown Society-wannabes should know."
"The wannabes?" asked Myrtle.
"Some groups who like to hang out around the Uptown folks," explained Agatha. "I always come across them during those fancy parties. They don't live there but they aspire to be part of the Uptown world, and therefore, they constantly praise the Uptown people, saying Amen to anything these folks regurgitate whether it's right or wrong, and it's rarely right."
She raised her eyebrows and said, "They're willing to go against their own values and morals just to please and appease a neighborhood of pretentious snobs full of disdain for others."
"That's sad..." Myrtle remarked.
"I don't know who is worst," Agatha wondered. "The Uptown folks or the wannabes."
"It's about what the Uptown represents, I guess," remarked Myrtle, "Being around up there, and doing what they do, I think it deems these wannabes to be approved and validated."
"Approved by presumptuous stuck-up snobs? Is that their validation's worth? No thank you. I don't want fame."
"The wannabes seem to suffer from an insatiable thirst for it though…"
Agatha looked up pensively and seemed in disbelief.
"They think that living in Uptown means something important." She shook her head and laughed.
"Tell that to Diego Lobo," Myrtle suggested.
"The second floor guy?" Agatha asked.
"His dream is to move to Uptown!" Myrtle said. "He thinks it's all heaven up there!" Agatha laughed again.
"I tried to dissuade him from being fooled by the appearances," deplored Myrtle, "But alas, he's in the clouds. You should talk to him!"
Agatha stopped laughing and said "Here's my advice to Diego, 'In bad places, around bad people, be an as*hole and go about your day!' "
"Oh my God, Agatha!" exclaimed Myrtle, shocked.
"No!" Myrtle exclaimed. "This isn't the kind of advice Diego would want to hear!"
"Why not?!" insisted Agatha. "What if he agrees with me? Bad attracts bad, just saying. What's wrong with being rude towards rude people? It's an instance where it only makes sense."
"I'm not going to tell him that," decided Myrtle.
"Why the heck not?" questioned Agatha. "It's not like I'd advise him to pester everyone!" She gave a large, evil smile, "Only those who deserve it."
"I'm sure the Uptown folks aren't all rude," affirmed Myrtle.
"Okay, maybe not all but most," said Agatha. "Been there, met them, remember? Anyway, tell Diego if a group of filthy rich try to belittle him, or if some negative pricks try to pull him down, he'd better let them know they've got nothing on him!"
"That's better," nodded Myrtle.
"But besides," added Myrtle, "The view from Uptown must be vertiginous! I heard the apartments are incredibly large!"
"The apartments are massive! The view is indeed extraordinary. Being in such a high-rise town definitely feels different. Maybe that's why people from those neighborhoods are a bit crazy! Living so high above the ground messes with your mind a bit!" The two women burst into laughter.
"Is it worth the price?" Myrtle asked after a minute. Agatha shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. Of all the visited places, the Spice District was our favorite, so that's what we chose." She added, "To be precise, that's what I chose. Agnes just followed."
"Any particular reason why?" asked Myrtle. "I mean, besides the obvious Spice market."
Agatha chuckled, "The obvious is the reason. I cannot resist the call of spicy food!" They both laughed.
"Every time I eat at the festivals," continued Agatha, "My cravings for spicy food are completely fulfilled! It is so tasty that, for a moment, everything is okay, the world is one big beautiful place, everything is great, I indulge, I enjoy, and I'm like, 'yes, this is what I was bred for.' " Myrtle had a snort laugh.
"The taste is like no other!" continued Agatha, "I'm on a mission to learn every recipe the spice market ever had so I can cook them myself at home. I want to experiment with them, change them up, try different seasonings, mix other ingredients and create new recipes out of them! The food stalls from down the street have amazing meals on their menu. I can't wait to learn how to make those!"
"Remember to invite me for dinner when you do!" Myrtle reminded, "I love spicy flavors!"
"Dinner, lunch, brunch, dunch, feel free to come uninvited," said Agatha. "My home is also your home, after all. You're my friend."
"Is it okay if I show up only when food is ready?" asked Myrtle.
Agatha giggled at her friend's question.
"You being a cordon bleu already," added Myrtle, "I can imagine the deliciousness of all the new stuff you'll be cooking up. Not to mention the aromatically spicy smell!"
"Ohhhh!...", said Agatha with a laugh, "The entire town will know whenever I'm cooking!"
"I might turn into the type of friends who only seem to visit when it's time to eat!" said Myrtle with a toothy grin.
Agatha burst out laughing, soon followed by her friend.
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