Feel Like a Woman

Man, I feel like a woman...

The song played over the speakers in one of the cubicles nearby for what must have been the twentieth time that day, firmly cementing the song as an earworm in Jordan Jacks' head. He knew what he was like. That song would probably still be running through his head while he fell asleep that night.

His cousin Louis had taken him out for lunch that day, which was odd, but not unheard of. He'd treated him to a steak sandwich at the bar around the corner to the office. He'd even thrown in a couple beers, and seeing how his cousin was the boss, Jordan gladly accepted.

"Man, check her out," Louis said as the waitress walked away from the table after delivering their second round, "Sometimes, now don't go telling anyone this, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be someone like her. She's got it all figured out, you know?"

"Figured out? Her?" Jordan asked, "She's a waitress in a bar. What could she possibly have figured out?"

"Everything!" Louis exclaimed, "Look at how happy she is! She's living a low-stress life, using exactly what God gave her. Watch," the waitress stopped at the bar to pick up a round of beers on a tray, then turned and headed to the table, all eyes of the men at the bar on her rear end, "She could ask any one of those men for their number, and they'd gladly give it to her. Could you imagine a world where you, as a man, could do something like that?"

Jordan had laughed. His cousin was ridiculous. It was understandable, a man like Louis, lots of stress in his life, lots of responsibility. Imagining a life as a server in a bar might be a pleasant fantasy to escape into. No worries about making payroll, or cashflow. But still, a woman?

Back at the office, with a nice buzz from the beers, the hours flew by. Emails, reports, phone calls, all what could be expected from a regular workday. Kelly and Nancy from the front desk popped by for a visit, which was unusual, with seemingly no other reason but to gossip, something Jordan never did at the office. That fact didn't stop the two ladies, though, as they included Jordan in the conversation as if he was always part of their group, a close friend, a confident. Just before they left, Shania began to sing again, and both women sang along, giggling when they got the words wrong, pointing to Jordan to sing the sting of the chorus, something he played along with just to save himself from embarrassment.

"Man, I feel like a woman," he quietly sang under their gaze, only to be met with cheers and encouragement.

And so his day, with a few exceptions, was normal, boring, and predictable. By the time he hopped into his car and drove home, Jordan Jacks felt positive and productive. He was looking forward to seeing Rachel, having dinner, and zoning out in front of some Netflix.

If only his evening had gone so simply.