ChapterThree'TheApartment'
996 Words
Sam was waiting outside when the neon OPEN sign finally went dark.
Good old Sam.
He always was.
Never inside.
Never pushy.
Just leaning against the same faded pickup truck with a Styrofoam cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.
He straightened when Nova stepped through the door.
"Made it through another one."
She smiled.
"Barely."
He nodded toward the parking lot.
"I'll walk you."
"You always do."
"Yeah."
They crossed the cracked asphalt together.
"Watcha doing tonight Sam? Got a hot date? Don't make me jealous
Now. I don't want to have to fight.' She winks at him with her big smile.
Sam had been eating at night at the diner every late night for almost four years.
Since Nova started working there.
She didn't know that.
She assumed he just loved the food. She knew he was always kind
To her, but didn't think anything beyond that.
Sometimes pancakes.
Sometimes eggs.
Always black coffee.
Always a generous tip.
Always finishing his food a half hour before closing and waiting until she left
and locked the doors behind her to make sure she reached her car safely.
Nova never asked why.
She simply accepted that some people expressed kindness in strange ways.
She kind of thought he was just a lonely old man who was probably
A pervert, but at least he didn't act like a pervert.
Her faded blue Ford Escort sat beneath a flickering security light.
Paint peeling.
One hubcap missing.
The driver's side door squeaking and protesting
every time it opened.
She climbed in and put the key in.
The tired ding that sound that showed
the battery was working was
edgy and uncomfortable, reminding Nova of
fingernails on a chalkboard.
She taps the gas a couple of times then
pushed in the clutch and brake.
Nothing.
She tried again.
The engine coughed.
On the third attempt, finally rumbling
awake with a tired vibration that
shook the steering wheel.
"No heat," Sam reminded her.
"No air conditioning either. I am hot enough.' she cackles.
"Just kidding." She looks in her purse.
"I know."
She didnt hear him.
"You should let me fix it."
She looks at him again.
"Sure..I appreciate it Sam but I need her all the time.
Shoot, she is so old if I fix one thing everything will fall apart."
He laughed.
She reached over and patted the dashboard.
"See what a good old girl she is."
" Night Sam"
He nods.
She rolls up the window with the crank and puts it into 1st gear.
The stereo crackled.
One speaker buzzed so badly it sounded underwater while the subwoofer in the back rattled every loose bolt in the car.
The CD player hadn't ejected in years.
Not that it mattered.
It only contained one album anyway. It only stayed at one
Sound level..loud..or not at all.
Too Short filled the cabin as she pulled onto the road.
She knew every lyric.
Most nights she sang along.
Tonight she drove not nodding along to the beat.
She touched her apron pouch with the money in it
Feeling relief and exhaustion.
---
The apartment complex looked exhausted.
Paint curling from balconies.
Chain-link fencing patched with mismatched wire.
A shopping cart rested permanently beside the dumpster like someone had decided it belonged there.
Nova parked in her usual space and climbed the stairs.
Music drifted through the thin front door.
She unlocked it.
The smell hit first.
Cigar smoke.
Cheap perfume.
Pussy.
Alcohol.
Stale beer.
The sharp chemical sting that instantly tightened her chest.
Skyla looked up from the living room.
Her best friend.
The ' Escort' by trade...
"Hey girl! f*****g finally"
Her short skirt and torn fishnets looked as though they'd survived an orgy.
Her pink bra was barely hanging on.
She flashed Nova a grin.
She was wearing her fake mouth grill.
"I told you she'd be home soon."
Two men beside her turned toward Nova almost in unison.
Their conversation stopped.
Their eyes lingered a little too long, then moved slowly down her body.
Nova taps her long blue fingernails on the side of her purse.
She c***s her hip.
"Are you just gonna eye f**k me? Jeez."
Nova gave the practiced smile she'd learned years ago. Flashing pretty white
teeth.
Friendly.
Not inviting.
Enough to break the ice and be cool.
One of the men adjusted the heavy gold chain around his neck.
" I'd f**k ya." He says while blowing out cigar smoke.
"So you're re Nova." The other guy says smiling showing gold teeth.
Nova knows he does that on purpose.
Skyla laughed.
"Isn't she gorgeous?"
Nova rolled her eyes.
"You say that to all the girls."
The larger man leaned back comfortably.
"Come sit down for a minute."
She slipped her purse higher onto her shoulder and taps it again..
"I've been smelling like bacon grease for ten hours and it's
Marinated. I'm taking a shower before I do anything darlin."
He chuckled.
"Fair enough."
" Don't be gone too long now."
She walked past the coffee table without looking directly at it.
Without acknowledging the neatly arranged white lines or the rolled bill lying beside them.
The clear sack of white powder or the glass pipe in the ashtray.
Her pulse quickened anyway.
For months she'd been trying to convince herself she was done.
Trying.
It was hard living with Skyla because Skyla partied hard
all the time.
They had been doing this for several y
Some days were easier than others.
Tonight wasn't one of them.
She reached her bedroom, grabbed faded jeans, clean underwear, a bra, and an oversized T-shirt.
Then headed for the bathroom.
The lock clicked behind her.
She leaned against the door and closed her eyes.
Outside, laughter erupted from the living room.
Inside, the silence felt louder.
For just a moment she studied her reflection.
Amber eyes.
Smudged eyeliner.
Red lipstick fading at the corners.
She popped the blue pill she had been saving.
- Writer
