Detroit: Reality Shift

A Rumored Connection

The place that Moira wanted to get to was only four blocks away. Instead of taking her car, she opted to walk there. It would be a nice change of pace from the driving. Traversing the sidewalks of the city always gave her the chance to take in the sights that she normally would not have time to see if she was driving. She could gaze at the shops that lined the streets, witness the numerous people walking to their desired locations, feel a gentle breeze brush past her face and through her hair, and smell a variety of fried goods and sweets that wafted from restaurants and pastry shops. Cities were always lively, whether it was day or night. Someone was always awake in a city as big as Detroit.

It certainly was a shift in pace and tone from where she had lived before. Roughly five years ago, she had moved from the countryside and into the city. It was time for a change and this was it. She had trained for the drastic shift in living situations and believed she was prepared for the potential risks this move had. All in all, she transitioned into it well.

~~~~~~~~~~~

She reminisced on her first year living in Detroit, as she kept walking towards the place she wanted to go. Having saved most of her income from odd jobs over the years, she was able to fully buy a single-story home in the suburban area of Detroit. While the realtors were skeptical with her at first, she easily convinced them to not look into her background by handing them bundles of cash for their own "personal use". They gladly accepted the cash and left her with a new home.

After a week of getting her home in order, she began exploring the city. That, in and of itself, was definitely one of the most reality-shattering experiences for her. The countryside was mostly an area of solitude. The nearest town was very small and was twenty miles from her old home. The only person that knew how to reach her house from any direction was Moira. Whenever she needed supplies that the forest that surrounded her home couldn't provide, she would go to that town and buy whatever was needed with the money she had earned through the odd jobs she did over the years. She knew everyone in that small town by name and even helped them out whenever she came to the town.

When she decided that a change of environment would be both rewarding and exciting, she left her old home behind for the closest city: Detroit. It was an exact opposite of what she knew. This city had everything one could ever need within a couple city blocks. And yet, she realized that the people never spoke to each other on the streets. They walked by each other and went about their own lives. That never happened in the little town she visited. Ironically, she felt more alone in Detroit than she had been living in the middle of nowhere.

Her mind took her out of her reminiscence as she opened the door to the corner bar. She had finally reached her destination. Moira just hoped that she could get some information that was linked to this case. As she stepped in, she was greeted by a familiar and friendly voice.

"Well, if it isn't Moira."

Moira smiled as she looked at the bartender. "Hey Roxie." She walked over and had a seat at the bar, which had nobody else sitting at it. In fact, there was only two other people in the place and they were sharing a booth on the opposite side of the room. "Business is kind of slow."

"You do realize it's the middle of a day and a weekday as well, right?"

Moira nodded. "Yeah, I know. I was just trying to start a conversation."

Roxie rolled her eyes as she walked towards the kitchen. "The usual?"

"You know me so well." Moira answered.

In a few minutes, Roxie had come back with a basket of tortilla chips, a small bowl of salsa and a modestly-sized drink of cola. "Here you go."

Moira could not help but look at Roxie. She was pretty, with her sepia-brown skin, solid-brown eyes and long, frizzled ash-brown hair. "Thanks Roxie. By the way, I like your red blouse and black pants. They look amazing on you."