8
I was awake early. The room was frigid. I brushed my teeth and took a dribbling shower as hot as I could get it. Once every twenty minutes or so, a tractor trailer passed by outside, downshifting on the grade of the highway where it turned and rose in front of the motel. Apart from that, there was nothing to break the hush but the vascular hissing and popping of the motel plumbing. I dumped my purse out on the bed and counted all the dimes I had. Not enough for a whole day of calls. And I would need to go into town anyway to eat – there was a scrap of a town five minutes back down the road. I pulled my shoes on and went out to the pay phone, happy to be free of the room even for a minute.
Nick picked up on the third ring. I was so happy to hear his voice I almost dropped the receiver.
