Broken Strings

Surprises in all shapes and sizes

“Just a single room thank you. Yes. Yup. That’d be great. And what about unlimited passes to the facilities, do you offer that? Uh huh. Good, I’ll have two,” Peter was talking to himself. Maybe sleep talking? I turn in my swag and Peter is nowhere to be seen. I sit up in alarm and trace the sound of his voice. My senses are limited as the blinding sun belts across my face. I screw up my nose realising I haven’t showered in at least a few days. Ugh.
“Peter?” I turn around to see him with his mobile to his ear. That would explain it.
“Okay, I will see you tonight,” Peter shoved his mobile into his pocket, a huge smile on his face.
“Who was that?”
“That my sleepyhead, is the receptionist from the Whitewater resort,” he smiled.  “I’m taking you somewhere special.”
“Really? But why?”
“I figured we needed a little more than dirt and badly cooked eggs, even if it only was for one night.”
“Well I suppose that’s fair,” I crawled from my swag and took hold of my backpack. “We really need to get these washed, I’m almost out of clean clothes.”
“Well I’ll ask around and see where the closest Laundromat is and then we can wait around until they’re washed and head off,” he said. His baggy pyjama pants hung low on his waist and I watched as his muscles’ contracted in his torso. “Amelia?”
“Huh?”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yep, good plan,” I swung my backpack over my shoulders and headed for the shower block. Small children ran across my feet almost tripping me up until I reached the showers. Cobwebs and spiders covered every wall and I ducked low to avoid a low flying branch. I hung my backpack on the steel loop on the back of the door before swinging my towel over the top. The water was barely warm enough for me to stand but the freshness of it relaxed me. Dirt I didn’t even know I held within the crevices of my neck, and arms were washed away within seconds. I washed myself over with the bar of soap Peter had given me earlier and washed my hair with the small shampoo samples I nicked from the hotel. My mind had time to wander and I found it tracing back over the man at the hotel. The way he pushed me against the wall. The evil look in his eyes and the meanness his voice projected. I pushed the thought away while turning off the water. I towel dried my body and hair before slipping on a fresh set of clothes. For the first time in a while I felt clean.

“Feeling better?” I nodded and Peter picked up his gear trudging to the bathroom block.
“The water isn’t very warm!” I yelled after him.
“It’s alright! It’s still water!” he yelled back. Good point.

The grass is still damp as I kneel down onto it, the dew from last night resinating through my pores. I take the end of Peter’s swag and begin to roll it up tightly so I can get the belt secured around it. I come to a bump and pull back the covers to find his diary. I’ve grown the utmost respect toward Peter and so I place it down beside the fire pit. I continue rolling until it is secured and standing upright. I do the same with mine before clearing away the mess we’d made over the last two nights. I could still hear the carnival music and remember the pack of cards Peter had bought me when we strolled through the markets. Peter came walking towards me now fully clothed. Faded blue jeans and a long silky type top covered his body. His auburn hair still protected by his white beanie. His eyes widened when he caught site of his diary and he picked it up quickly, stuffing it into his bag.
“Don’t worry,” I assured him, “I have the decency not to read it.”
“I trust you.”
“Remember though, you did say one day you would show me,” I pressured him, throwing a scrutinising gaze his way.
“I remember. One day,” he reassured me. Peter helped me stuff all my belongings into my backpack before we began on our way back to the camping store to return the swags we borrowed.
“So I found this Laundromat,” Peter began.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, it’s not far. It’s just around the corner from the camping store,” he finished pleased with himself.
“That’s convenient,” I praised him.
“I’m good,” he chuckled.
“That you are.”

We rounded several corners until the camping store came into view. The man behind the desk was all too happy to strike up conversation with Peter but he managed to slither us out the door before they were too engrossed. We rounded yet another corner where the Laundromat sat lonely. The unfortunate brickwork had been painted a horrible shade of pink and the sign rusty and broken. The windows were dirty and barely transparent. “Hello darlings. Do you wish to use the washer and dryer,” obviously, I thought.
“Yes please ma’am,” Peter replied to her flashing the elderly lady a brilliant smile.
“Okay well just give me ten dollars and I’ll give you a chip,” the lady riffled through her drawer and I picked through my wallet but Peter beat me to the crunch, passing the lovely old lady a ten dollar note.
“Thank you,” he chanted as she handed him a little red chip. I followed him into the small room. The smell of detergent and washing powder filled the air around me forcing my sinuses to act up. “Are you alright?” Peter asked after a bout of sneezes.
“Fine,” I replied before sneezing again. “You didn’t have to pay for me you know,” Peter nodded.
“Just doing the man’s duty,” he chuckled throwing his clothes into the washer.
“Now darlings, I will switch the wet clothes into the dryer in half an hour so come back in one hour and it will all be finished,” the lady said. She was dressed much like her store. Bright pink.
“Thank you,” I called as we stepped out of the store. The fresh air clearing my mind as the horrid pink building grew further away.
“Good colour pink,” Peter said matter-of-fact. “She could have gone for a different shade though,” he chuckled.
“No arguments there,” I said bumping my body to his. “So what do we do while we wait?”
“You hungry? We haven’t had breakfast yet,” I nod and my stomach growls as if on cue.
“How about in there?” I point my finger in the direction my eyes go. Peter begins walking and we stop outside a small coffee shop. The brick is much easier on the eye, painted a dull shade of white. There were blue shutters and through the windows I could see many couples sipping from heavy mugs, smiles on their content faces. “This is the one.”
We approached the friendly looking lady and Peter ordered two coffees whilst I eyed the Danish scroll. “And two Danish scrolls,” Peter chuckled watching me. I couldn’t help but laugh with him, even the lady behind the counter laughed. I wish I could be funny.
“I’ll bring it to your table, just take a number,” Peter took hold of the number 13 and I snatched it from his hand.
“No Peter,” I placed it back on the counter and took the number nine.
“What’s wrong with the number thirteen?”
“It’s unlucky, Friday the thirteenth and all that.”
“So why number nine?” I sat at a table for two, Peter sitting across from me.
“Everybody loves the number nine,” I argued.
“Well what’s your favourite number?”
“Six,” I smiled. Peter’s face turned from amused to confused.
“I will never understand you.” He laughed.

Over an hour had passed before Peter looked towards his watch, “Damn! Amelia!” he grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me from the coffee shop. I flashed a confused smile in the direction of the lady behind the counter.
“Hey!” I yelled, “What was that all about? I just saw your watch too, don’t worry I’m sure she won’t shred our clothes if we’re fifteen minutes late,” I giggled.
“I’m not talking about that,” Peter turned me so our bodies stood facing the road.
“Peter, stop! You’re kinda scaring me,” he flashed me a sympathetic smile.
“Now ‘Lee, don’t look behind you but guess who just walked into the coffee shop?” I had my back facing to the door. How was I supposed to know?
“Who?”
“Your friend from the hotel,” his face flushed red with anger and I knew exactly who he was speaking about.
“Why would he be here?”
“I don’t know but we have to get going now,” Peter took my hand and practically drug me to the Laundromat. The bright pink once again burning my eyes. Ugh.

Hello, thank you for reading. I hope you're keeping up, things are really going to get heated up soon. Love you all! xoxo