Flash Prompt Dec.8-18, 2009

[grainnerhuad]

In a coffe shop I sat...

[grainnerhuad]

Flash Fiction~In a Coffee shop I sat. Dec 9, '09

In a coffee shop I sat, it was the only place I could get wifi in this dingy little town. Funny how you can count on some things in life, things like lonely late nights including coffee, good or bad and writers, where ever and whatever they are writing. When I came in there was no one about, which was alright, seeing there was only one entrance I chose the second table to the back. It had a good view and nobody could box me in or get past me too quickly for me to give them a once over.

A stoned looking youth came out and turned my cup over. I put my hand over it, a nuance I had learned from my grandmother, I don’t see anyone else doing it. He looked confused almost as if he would pour it over my hand, but I caught his eye and he did not.

“We don’t serve anything else but coffee this time of night.” He stated, unnecessarily.

“That is alright, no coffee, I just need to write for a while.”

“I’m not supposed to let people sit in here without buying something.” He countered.

“I’m guessing you’re also not supposed to be getting stoned.”

The lower muscle in his left eye pulled a little and his jaw tightened, he was sizing me up, but I looked away, he was not a concern to me. He finally turned and disappeared somewhere in the back and I heard the sound of sweeping.

Turning on my laptop and finding the wifi connection I scanned through my email to see if she had contacted me. She had not. How long did she expect me to wait in towns like these for her to catch up?

Disgruntled I pulled out of my pocket the new code that had been picked up this morning, of all places in the shitty little laundry mat. It was in a fabric softener box in the dispensary. I am supposing somebody must have watched to see that fabric softener was not something these poor souls often wasted money on. Either that or I was being sent a message about timeliness and what sort of consequences my lack of concern could bring.

I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Following the link disguised as a coupon clipping site I entered the code and took in the map to my next destination. Only my very long time in this life kept me from revealing my utter disappointment. I imagine if I were someone else I would have breathed a deep sigh and slumped my shoulders.

There must be a reason for all this. These highway towns and detours to 3 house mountain settlements. Either they wanted me out of the way or they were protecting me. Either way, there was nothing for it.

Closing the laptop, I rummaged in my shirt pocket for change. Not bothering to count it I threw it on the table.

Leaving the coffee shop I began dismantling my laptop keeping only the battery. The battery that wasn’t a battery. I smashed it to bits as I peeled off pieces. There would be another one waiting for me to find like some sort of twisted Easter egg hunt in the next destination.

I slid into my non-colored, non- descript sedan and began my journey to the next place they wanted me.