Camp Shower

I got to the camp shower, that morning in my towel, carrying my waterproof bag of shower essentials.  Another woman was sitting on the bench already, waiting in her own towel for a stall to free up, and I took a seat next to her.  I pulled out an emery board, and idly started grinding away at my fingernails, not really doing anything substantial, but without a cellphone for anything else on me, I found myself without a thing to pass the time.

“I’m Stephanie,” she said, holding out a hand.  

Neighbors

I bought my house a year ago as a short sale. The previous owner was underwater and owed more than the house was ever going to be worth, and so I got a very good deal.  One thing I didn’t count on was the isolation that my new suburban home would provide me.  Yes, there were other homes, technically, all around me, but they all were marked with those familiar green and white signs from the local realtor, who was evidently making a very good living putting them up.  Of the sixteen homes that were in my area, thirteen were vacant, and the ones that were occupied were on the other end of the block, a good half-mile away.  O, the new American dream!

Lights Out

I sat in my apartment just waiting for the minutes to tick by, hoping the power would come back soon.  The city was suffering from a long power outage, and I had hoped it would come back before dinner.   Dinner had come and gone, and I made myself a turkey sandwich, a diet coke, and some other things that require no power to make.  While the outage did give me a good excuse to eat the last of the ice cream, I was nervous as night fell and still no lights.  I was just about to turn in for the night, when I heard a knock at the door.

“Hi Molly,” the voice said.  “You have a minute?”