Jimmy's old junker sputtered to a stop in the parking lot of the cheapest hotel around. I opened the door once he had the car in park, slamming it behind me. He exited soon after me, unlocking the old fashioned trunk. With most newer vehicles you have easier access with the trunk, being able to pop it. Well, since Jimmy's car was so outdated he had to manually open it with a key.
My eyes flickered over the entire car taking it in like I always did when we went on trips together that involved luggage (usually in the summertime). I always had lied to my mom saying that I was going on a vacation with his family and him. She didn't mind that considering she believed an adult would be in charge of us, and keeping us separated so that we wouldn't "fool around." In reality though, it was just the two of us going to the nearest beach resort.
His car is a 1995 Ford Taurus that had been poorly taken care of by his mother. It was a ghastly maroon color. The paint job had been ruined long ago by his mothers wreck-less driving. There were too many scratches in it to get a good feel of the color. Jimmy said that she had pissed off a great deal of exes, their relationships always ending in a blaze of fury. Jimmy had also said that she has came into contact with some guardrails in a previous wreck before he was even thought of. She just could never gather up enough money for repairs. Most everyone in our town was dirt poor, so this was understandable.
He slammed the the trunk shut making the entire car rattle a bit under his strength. Jimmy could care less about the car considering its state. So, he didn't treat it as well as he should, even though it's his only form of transportation. He had his bag slung over his left shoulder and my suitcase in his right hand with a cigarette dangling from his lips. The smoke trailed up into his eyes and around his face.
He walked in front of me making me rush to keep up. He had such long, skinny legs that he could out walk just about anyone. We stopped at the hotel's receptionist desk. An older woman with frazzled hair the color of orange juice sat behind the tall desk on the phone twirling a loose curl with one finger while jotting down information with her free hand. She noticed we were waiting and welcomed us with a warm smile that possessed stained, crooked teeth.
She continued on the phone for about two more minutes. Jimmy's patience was extremely short lived so he rang the bell that rested before us multiple times, causing my face to grow hot in embarrassment. The receptionist huffed with an irritated frown rushing the conversation with the future customer to get us out of her hair. The lady slammed the shiny black phone down into the receiver, turning away from the dinosaur of a computer.
"Hello, my name is Nancy. How may I help you two this afternoon?" she greeted us, mostly Jimmy, with forced kindness.
Jimmy falsely smiled back, mocking her, quite obviously.
"Hello, Nancy. My name is Jimmy and this is Octobr," he motioned towards me,"and we would love to rent a room for the evening." chimed Jimmy making me cringe in embarrassment at his rudeness.
You might be thinking, "Shouldn't she be used to his actions by now?" Yes, I am used to most of his actions, but the way his mood has been it has heightened the flaws in his personality a tad bit more than I am accustomed to. I pinched his side hard enough to make him yelp.
"What?" he hissed through clenched teeth in pain.
"Stop. Be nice? Please." I whispered loud enough for only him to hear.
He sighed, tossing a half smile my way, and taking the room key she had sat down on the table hard enough to get the newest customer in the hotel lobby's attention. Jimmy smiled back a genuine, apologetic smile only because of my presence.
"Thank you. What time is checkout?" I asked with a sugar coated tone.
"Noon. This room will cost thirty-five for the evening." she informed her mood uplifting a bit now that Jimmy was showing the slightest bit of kindness.
