"I don't know what is wrong with me."

She pushed her hair back roughly and then crammed the quarters into the machine.
Her nails, just cut, still looked ancient. The hotel laundry was empty except for her and two other woman and a man. All doing laundry worth the noise of the machines in the background and the cackling of laughter of the girls on the show a static. Some show was on.
Nobody knew her name.
And she was all alone in this one track town.
That spinned its same old record over and over again.
He wiped the sweat off his brow, wishing he could do the same for his back. It was aching and felt like a thousand bricks weighing down on him.
It was night but the lights from the building provided illumination. And he was hungry.
"You gonna eat or what?" Asked Samie, right on cue.
"Yeah, I just..." He said. Thought that if he didn't finish his work, he'd be fired. Then he would have no work, no money. No life.
And nowhere to go.
Slowly he swallowed down the spit that had accumulated in his mouth and fought hesitant fear and that queasy feeling in his stomach.
"I'll be back," he said, his voice low and steady, though he felt anything but.
He walked the steady lines of the road, traffic emerging on both sides. Their dark bodies travelled noisily through the night, bright lights guiding the way.

Finally he made it to the hamburger joint. It was a quick walk but his feet were aching. Their bottoms hot under the pavement. He looked up to the sky and laughed, feeling a large drop hit his nose. The bridge of it. He let it slide down ad then wiped it.
For the first time in days, he smiled. A real smile.


She stared at the machine as it came to a stop, the low tumbling circular mound dropping with one shot.

Rolling the cart over she dumped them in, and then proceeded to the nearby table. But it was getting late, and getting dark. She decided to fold them in her room instead.

Then, looking up she saw no one. Oh yeah, she remembered. I'm alone in this one track town.

Backing up, she felt her boots sidle up to the metal cart and proceeded stuffing her few clothes onto the bag. There. She was done.

The walk to her room was quick, and she turned the key in. But not before she stood in the way between the door and outside. The night wind touches her bare skin and lingered there.

She breathed in the sweetness of it, the night sky, dashed sloppily with sparks of pink, organs and a blue, so light beautiful, it was white and clear.

The motel was deserted looking. Idle cars waited in the parking lot, half if them looking out f use and rusty. In the distance, just before the highway and lights, she saw a figure walking.

At least I'm not the one here, she thought. Then closed the door, and went inside.

Beautiful Stranger