The Gospel of the Font

Chapter 2

Ah, home sweet run-down motel room. I put my key into the half-white, half used-to-be white door and push it open with a loud creak. Sure, it's not the Hilton around here; the ugly pastel wallpaper is peeling, there's a crack in the drape-less window, the carpet has more than one burn spot in it, and I've had to resign myself to the notion that it's probably been a few weeks since my sheets were washed, but I guess it's not all bad. The room was cheap enough for me and Tim to split, it's only a few blocks from the airport, and it's at the opposite end of the hall from Molly's room so I don't have to hear her hurray-for-Jesus rock music blaring through the walls like I did back in the dorms.

I let my pack fall off my shoulder and toss it onto the bed. The heavy bag bounces a couple of times against the mattress springs, making it bob up and down like a buoy. I grab my black tank top by the base and lift it over my head. I ball it up in my hands and lean down for a quick sniff. I'm sure the 'dear lord I'm going to throw up' face I just made was priceless.

"God, that reeks," I say to myself as I toss it on the bed next to my bag. I reach behind my back, unhook my bra, and just let it fall off my shoulders and onto the floor in front of me. I've never really been the tidy type. Dirty clothes in this pile, clean ones in this pile is about all the organization I require. "That shower in there better fucking work," I mutter. I walk over to the other side of the bed and lift my giant duffel bag onto the mattress. As I unzip the bag, preparing to look for a towel, I hear the door creak open behind me.

"Hey, hon," Tim says as he enters the room, closing the door behind him.

I turn to face him as I stretch my arms up to the ceiling. "Hey, Tim, what's up?" If this hasn't become painfully obvious yet, I don't possess a great deal of shame. The way I see it, they're just tits; everyone has them and everyone knows what they look like. Besides, I doubt fag-boy is going to get too worked up over a free-hanging set of B-cups in front of him.

"Boy, do I need a shower," Tim says as he starts going through his suitcase on his bed.

"Oh no you don't!" I playfully shout. "I've got dibs right now!" I yank my purple towel out of my bag and throw it around the back of my neck. I grab my small, navy blue bag of toiletries and my black bathrobe and make my way across the worn-out beige carpet towards the bathroom. I unhook the button on my shorts and let them fall to the ground as I walk.

The bathroom isn't much prettier than the rest of the room. The pattern of the tile floor is indiscernible thanks to all the dark stains, worn spots, and areas where it's just ripped up completely. The wallpaper here is also peeling and there are a few cracks in the ceiling. Two light bulbs dangling from three-foot cords hang from the ceiling with small pull chains descending past them.

I click on both lights before hanging my towel and robe on a large, copper hook screwed into the wall. I place my bag of toiletries on the edge of the tub and turn to face myself in the dingy mirror. For the longest time, I just stand there, staring blankly at my pale skin and long, dark hair. Am I going crazy? Did I just imagine that book and that woman?

"Faith," Tim calls out from the other room. "If I don't hear water running in the next ten seconds, I'm going to steal your spot in line."

"Getting in now!" I shout. I pull my panties off and toss them on the sink. I turn around and pull back the dingy brown shower curtain. The shower doesn't look as bad as I was expecting. Sure, it's got several patches of soap scum and there is a large crack in the wall, but I'm not feeling the need to call a hazmat team, so I count this as a win. Now it just needs to work.

I unzip my toiletries bag and set out my soap and shampoo. I place my hand on the silver handles, each with a few spots of rust on them, and close my eyes. "Please, please, please..." I repeat to myself as I slowly lift on the handles. With a couple of loud squeaks and a few seconds of gurgling, the shower comes to life. In less than a minute, the water is hot.