Lindsay continued her journey down the deserted high way; her arm propped up on the door as she leaned her head against her hand and held onto the steering wheel with the other. She glanced at her rear-view mirror, and winced at the site: her eye was a little puffy, the slightest hint of red-ish purple surrounding her right eye.
She couldn’t believe that he had punched her; that he went as far as abuse her and knocked her out. She remembered waking up and lying on her back on the floor and having the biggest head ache of her life. She had picked herself off the ground with the help of the couch, and saw the scribbled note from Adam, his pathetic excuse for an apology.
Don't want to think about it
Don't want to talk about it
I'm just so sick about it
Can't believe it's ending this way
She decided then and there that she wasn’t going to live like that anymore. She packed her bags and threw them into the trunk of her car and started driving not really knowing where she was going, anywhere but where she was. She put eyes back on the road, and continued her journey down the stretch of high way.
After traveling for awhile she had an idea of where she wanted to go: somewhere where no one would know her. She remembered this little town that was a couple of hours away from where she grew up. Maybe she could go there, no one from ‘home’ ventured that far out, and she wouldn’t really know anyone around there. After a minute of thinking about it, she decided that was where she was going to go.
She had no family left, her parents had died when she was young and she was raised by her grandmother who died a year ago. Of course she had some family back home, but she hadn’t heard from anyone”or kept in touch with anyone”for years and it would be rude to just show up.
She reached the right exit a couple of hours later and got off, she reached out and grabbed for her sunglasses putting them onto her eyes. She wasn’t going to be able to get a room looking the way she did, too many questions would be asked.
She reached this town as the sun started setting in the country sky; she reached over once again to the passenger seat and grabbed her purse. She got out of the car adjusting her shirt, and patted down her unruly curly light brown hair trying to put the loose strands behind her ears. She licked her lips as she walked towards the main office of the inn, opening the door slowly.
As she opened it, a bell that was hanging above the door jingled and she looked up at it before looking straight ahead at the unoccupied counter.
“Afternoon.” Came a voice that sounded like it was coming from behind the counter.
Lindsay watched as an older, tall, skinny man appeared from behind the counter, smiling pleasantly at her, his glasses on his head resting on his grayish hair.
“Hi” she replied, a little bit startled.
“Can I help you with something?” He questioned, the twang in his voice really evident.
“I just need a room,” she spoke softly.
He man nodded and reached under the counter again, taking out a notebook and opening it to the desired page, slipping the glasses on his face and began writing with a black pen.
“Just one bed?” He asked.
She nodded, walking to the counter to lay her purse across it so she could open it and get her wallet out.
“How long you plan on staying?” he questioned
Lindsay thought about it for a minute.
“Um…a week I think,” she replied. “Can I add more if I need to?”
The man nodded, and continued to write in the notebook.
“Your name Miss?” he questioned
“Lindsay Wood “ she replied.
“Just sign here,” he replied, turning the notebook so it was facing her.
Lindsay held the pen and signed her name quickly, and passed the notebook back.
“It’s $25 a night, so it’s $175 for the week” he said,
Lindsay opened her wallet, and counted through her money. She took out some money at the last gas station stop so she could pay for the hotel room with cash. She didn’t want to risk Adam finding her through the credit card records. She gave him the exact amount, as he walked over to the cash register that was behind him and punched in the amount putting the cash safely inside. He then opened a cabinet where all the keys hung, and took one of them off the hook.
“Room 101,” he said. “It’s right outside to your left.”
Lindsay took the key with a smile.
“Thank you,” she said.
“My name is Ronny by the way,” he replied. “You can call the desk anytime if you have any questions.”
Lindsay smiled.
“Thanks Ronny,” she said.
He nodded.
“Do you need any help with your bags?”
Lindsay shook her head no.
“I think I’ll be okay, thanks though,” she said and started to walk towards the door.
He watched her leave; he couldn’t help but think it was strange that pretty young lady came here to stay. Before she exited the office she turned back to see Ronny watching her.
“Ronny, is there someplace I can get the listings for houses around here?” she questioned.
He nodded.
“There’s a newsstand about a ½ mile down the road to the righ,t” he replied. “They’ll have the listings for homes that are for sale.”
She nodded once again smiled.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded back and watched as she opened the door and left. She walked back towards her car that was parked in front of the office and got inside starting it up and driving a little way towards the room she was going to stay in. She parked her car outside room 101, and got out and walked to the door. She looked to her right at the rows of about 5 other doors that led to a room; the place seemed to be empty. She put the key into the lock, and opened the door.
The light from outside emptied into the dark room as she opened the door and she looked around at the dingy room. She moved her hand to the wall and felt for the light switch, she found it and turned it on. The small lamp that was by the bed side turned on and the whole room came into view. It was nothing special; there was a double bed at one end of the room, with the night stand beside it. On the other side of the wall there was a small stand with a small TV on it the V antenna sticking up. There was another door on the far side of the wall that Lindsay assumed was the bathroom.
She sighed and turned back to grab her bags from the car, she closed her doors and locked them before walking into the small room. She set her bags down by the door and closed and locked that door as well. After she closed the door she took off her sunglasses, and blinked a few times adjusting to the light. She put them down on small night stand along with her keys and her purse and then sat down with a huff on the bed and looked around the room once more. She definitely is not going to stay here longer then she had too. After a minute she got up and started to unpack her clothes in the little dresser that was by the bed, and then walked into the small bathroom to unpack her toiletries. As she finished she looked up at the mirror that was in front of her and winced once more. Her eye looked really bad.
Is this the way it's really going down?
Is this how we say goodbye?
Should've known better when you came around
That you were gonna make me cry
It's breaking my heart to watch you run around
'Cause I know that you're living a lie
That's okay baby 'cause in time you will find...
She leaned forward to get a better look and touched it slightly with her pointer finger then winced taking it away. She then looked at her reflection, forgetting her eye for a minute she noticed the bags under eyes”she hadn’t sleep well in days”her hair was a frizzy mess, and her skin paler then usual. She sighed taking a rubber band that she had around her wrist and tied her hair back from her face. She turned on the facet waiting for the pipes to bring in the hot water, as she grabbed the soap from her toiletries bag. She damped her face with the water before rubbing the soap through her hands and began to wash her face. She rubbed her soapy fingers across her cheeks, forehead, and nose, then delicately over her bruised eye.
When she finished, she folded her hands under the luck warm water and put it up to her face running water over her soapy face washing all the soap away. She did this 2 more times before shutting off the facet and grabbing a small towel that was hung by the light switch. She padded her face of the water, taking all of the dampness off her face before looking up at her face in the mirror once more. Her face was freshly cleaned, washed away of the past and ready for a new life.
Her next order of business was to sleep. Ofcourse, she wanted to get a head start on this new life, and she'd need a job and more money. Eventually her bankaccount would run dry and she didn't want to rely on Adam's credit card. He'd probably shut it off soon anyway, if he didn't find her. But before she could accomplish anything else, she needed to sleep. Her head was beginning to hurt again from the exhaustion.
Changing into her pajamas, Lindsay crawled into the middle of the bed. It was smaller than the one she had at home, but then, she wasn't sharing it with anyone, so it seemed much bigger. It was weird, sleeping alone. She'd been with Adam so long, she couldn't remember the last time the other side of the bed was cold. He'd always been there at night, holding her whether she wanted him too or not. He had to hold her, otherwise he'd wake up the next morning and accuse her of sneeking out in the middle of the night.
Letting out a sigh, Lindsay cuddled up against one of the pillows and closer her eyes.
For the first time she felt some sense of security.
The next morning, bright and early, Lindsay got dressed and headed out for the day. She was going to go get those listings papers she'd asked Ronny about, and then she was going to look around town for any job openings. It was a small town, but there had to be someone looking for a secretary or cashier or something somewhere. She got the papers, and headed over a local diner. At the counter, she engrossed herself in the ads. Nothing sat in front of her but a cup of coffee and a small plate with two pieces of toast and strawberry jam.
"This one doesn't seem so bad," she muttered to herself, clicking open the black ink pen in her hand and circling it.
It was a one bedroom on the other side of town. Not big, not overly expensive. It was a lot cheaper to live here than in the city. Clicking the pen closed, she turned the page and continued reading. She didn't notice the stranger sit down beside her, order a cup of coffee, and pick up two sugar packets from the dispenser.
"Breakfast of champions, eh?" He said.
Lindsay looked up, startled by his presence.
"What?"
"I said, the breakfast of champions. Coffee, toast. You'll be hungry again in an hour."
"I'll manage," she said.
She turned back to her paper and the conversation died. Or so she thought.
"New in town?"
"Huh?"
"I said you must be new in town."
"Why do you say that?" She's more paranoid that curious to his opinion.
"The glasses," he pointed. "That's a sure fire sign you’re from the city."
He talked like they were in Star, Mississippi or something.
"Oh," was her only reply.
"Is there a reason for them?"
"What?" She was starting to get annoyed now.
"Am I speaking too softly or something? Because you keep asking me to repeat everything I say."
"I'm trying to focus."
"Job hunting or house hunting?"
She didn't answer. The stranger shrugged.
"I was just asking if there's any particular reason you were wearing those glasses indoors. Folks around here might start thinking your a vampire, or rude."
What people thought was the least of her worries at the moment.
"Do you plan on talking through my entire meal, or just until your food arrives?"
He let out a low whistle, sipping his coffee cup. He seemed amused by her.
"I didn't mean to intrude ma'am, just sat down where I saw an empty chair."
Lindsay leaned back, looking around the small diner. They were two of only five customers. The entire rest of the counter was empty.
"Well, I'm sure you'll find an abundance of places to sit now."
"On the contrary," he said, setting his cup back on the saucer. "My breakfast time is over."
Lindsay looked up to see the waitress, and older woman with blonde hair, standing in front of them. She handed a brown paper bag to the man, and he handed her a five dollar bill.
"Thank you, Ms. Sarah," he said.
"You're welcome darlin', have a good day."
"You too. See you tomorrow." he stood from his chair and nodded at Lindsay.
"Maybe I'll see you around, City Girl."
With that he turned his back and headed for the door, a bell jingling as he went out. People seemed to have a big affection for bells around here.
Attempting to go back to her paper, Lindsay's curiosity got the best of her, and she motioned to the waitress.
"Who was that guy?" She asked.
"That was Justin. He comes in every morning. Don't pay him no mind, he's harmless as a fly. He just likes making conversation."
Lindsay nodded, and went back to clicking her pen and reading her paper. Hopefully --since apparently she was going to be sharing a restaurant with him every morning-- his curiosity for her would wear off, quickly.
After breakfast Lindsay took a drive down Main St. It actually was a nice, quiet little town. The roads weren't paved, covered with dirt instead. some of the buildings looked like they hadn't been remodeled since the 1800's. She expected a horse and bugee to come around the next corner any moment.
She parked the car in front of the local grocery store and headed down the sidewalk in search of Help Wanted signs in store windows. But with no resume, and her sudden strange appearance in town, she didn't get very far. She'd gone to the local dry cleaner, dentist, and smoke shop, and they all told her no. Crossing the street and heading back up the block she came to the last Help Wanted sign.
Karen Anderson, attorney at law.
Pushing open the door she heard that ever present bell. Inside it was dark and quiet. The only light was that of the sun, barely creeping in through the blinds. It was dusty and stuffy, and apparently empty.
"Hello?" Lindsay called, letting the door slip closed behind her.
"Be right there!" A feminine voice answered.
A moment later a woman came rushing down the hall.
"Sorry 'bout that. I was pullin' some old files down from the attic. Karen Anderson, what can I do ya for?" She stuck out a hand.
The strength of her southern accent threw Lindsay off for a second, but she recovered and shook the woman's hand.
"Um, I'm Lindsay Wood. I wanted to ask about the sign in the window."
"Oh, you want to apply?"
"Yes."
"Well come on back." Karen waved her hand, motioning Lindsay to follow.
Karen lead her down the hall into her office and told her to take a seat.
"Sorry, I just got back into town recently. I'm still getting things back in order around here. Now, let me take a peek at that resume."
"Well, actually, I don't have one."
Karen paused, her eyes moving up towards the girl.
"You don't have one?"
"Well I mean I have one, I've got work experience, it's just not typed up. I moved here kinda last minute."
Karen nodded suspiciously.
"But I went to college, in California. I got my Associates in Business and the moved back up here. My home town is just a couple of hours from here. I've worked at the front desk in my Daddy's auto shop, and I worked at a hotel too."
"Well, is wearing glasses inside a California tradition?"
Lindsay chewed her bottom lip. Karen didn't seem too impressed.
"No."
"Then take 'em off girl, it's rude."
Lindsay sighed, reaching up to remove her dark shades. Almost immediately Karen leaned forward with concern.
"Good Lord, what happened to your eye?"
Lindsay chuckled nervously.
"I swung open a cabinet door. Caught me right in the eye. Won't be doing that anymore, ha ha."
Karen sat back in her chair, folding her hands.
"Did that cabinet door come in the shape of an angry man?"
Lindsay lowered her head. Neither women spoke for a long time, and then she heard Karen sigh.
"Listen, Lindsay-."
"Ms. Anderson," she interrupted. "I'm new in town, and I've only got a couple more weeks till the money runs out. I've had a rough week and I've got nowhere to go. You're the last place in town that's hiring and I really need a job. Please?"
Karen looked at her, her expressions changing.
"Well, it's pretty boring work. Come in at 8am, clean up alittle, answer the phone, take messages, make appointments. We close at 4pm. If ya want it, you can have it."
"Really?"
"Really. You start tomorrow."
Lindsay let out a sigh of relief, letting her tense shoulders slump.
"Oh God. Thank you."
A short while later Lindsay was leaving Karen's office with a smirk. Though she still had a lot of work left to do, that was on big problem lifted off of her shoulders. She was busy digging in her purse for her car keys, and therefor didn't see the person walking down the sidewalk. They walked right into each other, and both stumbled back.
"Whoa."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you. I-."
The stranger raised his eyebrows.
"It's alright City Girl, no need to panic."
It was the man from the diner, carrying a plastic bag from the grocery store, and a large envelope from the bank was tucked under his arm.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"Maybe you should consider taking off those glasses."
He smiled and winked before turning his back and heading on his way. Lindsay watched him go a few more feet before he stepped off the sidewalk and over to a black Mercedes SL500. He unlocked the doors and put the bag and envelope in the back. That was a pretty nice car for someone around here to have.
Lindsay rolled her eyes, digging out her keys before she headed off to her own car and back to the motel. She decided that she was going to relax a little before heading out to find someplace to live. She knew she could only rent for right now, but hopefully one day she would be able to actually buy a home.
She walked down the block to her car, looking once again at the shops and businesses that aligned Main St. She spotted the market in the corner and decided to go in and get a few essentials to tide her over for awhile, since eating at the diner would not only cause her money to disappear, but also do a number on her weight.
She walked into the market”the bell ringing above her head”and looked around before picking up a small basket and began walking down an aisle. She put a few essentials in the basket such as water, some apples, and bananas, bread, and a glass jar of that peanut better and jelly mixed together, she didn’t really enjoy it but she didn’t have a fridge to keep that kind of stuff in, not yet anyway.
After determining she was done with the market she walked towards the cashier, adjusting her sun glasses. She was hoping her eye would heal soon, so people wouldn’t think she was so rude, but she couldn’t face people right now, not with this eye.
There was a young boy behind the counter, sitting on a stool leaning on his arm as he looked at a magazine on the counter. When Lindsay put the basket on the counter, he immediately looked up”she obviously caught him off guard”and offered her a small smile.
“Afternoon” he stammered, immediately closing the magazine and pushing it aside.
Lindsay gave a small smile as the boy immediately started to punch in the amounts of the items in front of him into the cash register. She looked at him, noticing the name tag on the right side of his black shirt: Jesse. As he reached for each item she noticed his naturally tanned skin, and she glanced at his face noticing his shaggy dark brown hair and even darker eyes. He couldn’t be any older then 18.
“Did you find everything okay?” he questioned,
Lindsay blinked at him, before looking into his dark orbs “Oh um, yes thanks” she replied.
As he finished ringing up the groceries, he began to put them into 2 plastic bags.
“Your total is $20.87” he said, after pressing the total button on the cash register.
Lindsay dug into her purse, searching for her wallet and found it taking it out and handing Jesse $21. He punched it into the machine and handed her 13 cents back. She stuck the change into her pocket as he put the receipt into one of her bags.
“Do you need help to the car?” he questioned,
Lindsay smiled once again, “No, I think I’m okay” she replied putting her purse over her shoulder and grabbing a bag in each hand.
“Have a good day” he called as she walked out of the door.
She walked towards her car, putting the bags down on the sidewalk as she pulled her keys out of her purse and unlocked her car. She opened the doors, putting the bags inside and walked to the driver side getting in and heading back to the hotel.
About an hour later Lindsay emerged from the hotel room once again, securely putting the sunglasses over her eyes as she walked to her car. She had her purse over her arm and the newspaper under her arm. She got into her car and looked down at the map that she had gotten from the front desk and looked over the paper once more before starting the car and driving in that designated direction.
After managing not to get lost she pulled up to an old, white, weather stained house. What was she getting herself into? She looked down at the paper to make sure the address was correct, it was. She took a deep breath before opening her door and stepping out of her car.
The light breeze blew her hair across her face as she looked up and down at the small one story building in front of her. She lifted her sunglasses a little bit, to get a better look at the house. It looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years. The ‘For Rent’ sign swayed lightly in the wind, with a phone number scribbled under it, and the grass looked like it hadn’t been watered in months.
She made her way up the squeaky steps to the front door, looking through the window that was on the right side. She saw the small living room area that led to an even smaller kitchen, it looked completely abandoned, there was still furniture covered in a white sheet. It’s not like she had anything to fill up this house with anyway, just a few clothes. Everything else she owned was back at in California, with Adam.
She walked to the front door taking a chance and gripping the door handle, turning it, and the door opened. She watched the door swing open, the light from outside sinking into the house lighting it up just a little. It was too dark; she was going to have to take off her glasses. She lifted them, resting them on her head as she stepped into the house.
There was dust every where, she made a face as she walked into the house looking at the ceiling almost expecting a bell to ring over head. The ceiling looked ok, no spots from leakage or anything. She walked into the living room to what appeared to be a couch covered in the sheet, she lifted it seeing the light blue shade of the 2 seat couch.
She walked from the living room into the kitchen; there was an old antique stove, nestled between two counters and a sink”she wondered if the stove even worked. She turned and on the other side of the kitchen was an even older looking fridge. She walked back out of the kitchen towards the other end of the house where there was 2 doors side by side. She reached for the one on the right, and opened it slowly.
The small room came into view, against the far wall was a sheeted mattress. To the right of it was a 4 door chest of drawers, it wasn’t much but it would have to do. She saw the broken blinds hung up over the rectangle window by the bedside. She closed the door and went to the next room, which was the bathroom. It had a single sink, and toilet that looks centuries old and a bath tub, with a shower head sticking out of the wall. The pipes looked old and rusty, which made Lindsay cringe as she closed the door.
She looked around the room once more, if she could afford it this was where she was going to live. She walked out side; getting a pen and paper from her bag and writing down the number on the ‘For Rent’ sign putting them safely back into her purse. She got her keys out once more, unlocking her car and got inside.
As she drove back to the hotel she spotted the same black Mercedes SL500 driving down the opposite street. She quickly noticed she didn’t have her sunglasses on her head, and she reached up with her right hand slipping them down her face over her eyes. This Justin character was making her very nervous for some reason; she couldn’t put her finger on the reason why. She looked out of her rear view mirror as his car continued its journey down the road. She sighed as she concentrated on the road once more and drove back to the familiar motel.
After reaching the motel she got all of her things out of the car, waving to Ronny as he walked into the office and opened her room getting into it quickly. She dug into her purse for change so that she could call about the house at the pay phone booth that was outside the hotel office. She put her room key into her back pocket, grabbing the phone number and 2 dollars in quarters and headed down to the phone booth.
She dialed the number quickly, and waited for a sign of life on the other end.
“This is Eleanor,” came a sweet voice
“Yes, I’m calling about the house you have for rent on 8792 Delaware Drive,” Lindsay spoke, as calmly as she could.
“The one story?” Eleanor questioned.
“Yes,” Lindsay said. “Can you give me a ball park for the rent you would be asking for?”
Lindsay heard the shuffling of papers, as the lady breathed into the phone.
“It’s going to be $450 a month, which doesn’t include water and power,” Eleanor replied.
Lindsay immediately scribbled down the amount on the paper, before asking her next question.
“Is the furniture included?” She questioned.
“Yes ma’am, last people who were there just picked up and left,” Eleanor said. “Left it all behind.”
“Okay, well I’m very interested. Do you think we can meet somewhere to talk it over?” Lindsay asked.
“Oh, that would be wonderful!” replied Eleanor, her voice going up an octave.
Lindsay sighed in relief.
“Thank you so much,” she said.
“How’s tomorrow morning?” Eleanor questioned.
“I uh, actually start work tomorrow … but I get off at four,” Lindsay suggested.
“Okay, how about 4:30 at the diner?”
“That’s fine, thank you so much,” Lindsay gushed
Eleanor gave a little chuckle, “You’re very welcome, see you tomorrow.”
They both hung up and Lindsay sighed as she leaned against the plastic wall of the booth. Her life was slowly but surely falling into place.
