What in the world were we going to eat?
I got out of the car, and she followed on my heels. I quickly opened the trunk and pulled my stuff out, leaving her to get her things while I strode to the door. I used the keycard to get into the room. I had to shove my hip into the door to get in, and when I stumbled into the room, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The room was small, to say the least. There was a rickety dresser that had a boxed television sitting on top of it, and the king-sized bed was dipping a bit in the middle. There was no extra furniture whatsoever, not even a bedside table to set our stuff on, and the bathroom was less than ideal. The sink just hovered over the carpet while two doors sat off on either side. I set my stuff down to go explore the doors, no longer caring about the fact that it was all in Abby’s way.
I opened both the doors to find a leaking shower and a very small toilet, and all I could do was groan.
I heard the television come on while Abby started sifting through the channels. Despite the ancient television set, the picture was actually pretty clear. I took out my phone and connected to the internet with the password on the keycard, and to my shock, it was surprisingly fast.
“At least they invested in something,” I said.
“What was that?”
I ignored Abby’s question while I pulled up a weather report. It was supposed to snow for the next few hours, but it looked like it should be clear by tonight. Finally, the first piece of good news I’d gotten in the last twenty-four hours. It didn’t seem like I was going to actually have to spend the night with this woman.
“We can get back on the road in a few hours it seems,” I said.
“So, we’re not staying overnight?” she asked.
“No, not a chance,” I said. “We’re just here until the snow slows down.”
“I’m hungry,” she said. “Want something?”
“Where in the world are you going to get food?” I asked.
“There were vending machines at the corner junction down there,” she said. “Where it splits off into this little ‘L’ shape. Didn’t you see it?”
“No, I didn’t. And no, I’m not hungry.”
“Fine. Suit yourself.”
She left the room, and for the first time, I felt like I could breathe. I shrugged my coat off and sat on the edge of the bed, hearing it creak as the mattress depressed underneath me. My phone was already ringing off the hook with people trying to locate where I was, so I composed a massive text message to everyone trying to get in touch with me. The television was droning in the background with some ridiculous show, so I got up to shut it off.
Finally, a little bit a peace.
“Well, the vending machine’s crap,” Abby said.
I groaned inwardly as my eyes fluttered shut.
“The sodas are already frozen, and there’s nothing but chips and crackers in the other machine. But I got us a few things, just in case you wanted to nibble. Once the cans unfreeze, it’ll give us some caffeine as well.”
She dumped her findings onto the bed with a massive smile on her face. How in the world this woman could find some sort of happiness to cling to in this scenario was beyond me. She looked up at me, searching my eyes for some sort of reaction. It was like she wanted me to pat her on the back for what she’d found or something.
Her big brown eyes mesmerized me for a second before I shook my head and turned toward the mirror above the sink.
“It’s funny how this motel makes you feel so uncomfortable,” she said. “I guess because they don’t have hot towels to give you to help you relax.”
I could hear the giggle in her voice.
“And I bet, since the bedsheets aren’t silk, you probably think they’re infested with bed bugs or something,” she said.
I clocked her reflection in the mirror, and the smirk on her face both elated and annoyed the piss out of me.
“And don’t forget about the lack of room service,” she said. “Heaven forbid you have to live off snacks like the rest of us poor people do sometimes.”
I shrugged off her comments before I turned on the faucet. The water was barely running out of it, and it was ice cold to boot. I splashed some in my face nonetheless, in an attempt to try and wash the dirt I could already feel collecting on my skin. If she wanted to make fun of me, that was fine. Maybe it was her way of pulling me down to her level. Or maybe it was her way of trying to cope with a situation she found just as awkward as I did.
Either way, I tried not to play into her game.
“You called your boyfriend yet?” I asked.
“What?” she asked.
“You called your mom,” I said. “I’m assuming you will again soon. But have you called your boyfriend to let him know you’re traveling with another man?”
“I’m surprised you’d even care about something like that.”
“That’s the thing about us rigid men,” I said. “We still have feelings.”
I watched her face fall with my comment, and I sighed while my hands planted onto the slimy bathroom counter.
I really needed to get out of this place.
“No boyfriend,” she said.
“I find that hard to believe,” I said.
“Oh, I’m sure you do.”
“Abby, despite the fact that you get on my nerves
