"I can't see the labels"
"Oh, I bet ye can, mate." He said mimicking his accent, flicking it off "Now, do you want me to teach you how to use the dry cleaner?"
Guy hobbled up the stairs holding the walls too, it appeared his terrible hyperopic had returned. He rounded the stairs and walked through the hall aware of the rotten plywood and stepped back, his eyes squinted under the burning yellow light bulb, a facet of brown doors along the halls painted yellow and brown at the border and a single window at the end.
His vision obscured at the beige tag on the door and knocked. It opened and he would never guess, it was an old lady_or one who appeared to be_who was a diehard fan of grunge music, she peered outside at him and withered.
"I didn't order no laundry" Her voice was certainly different.
"Ah yes, I realized that but is this 34 B?"
"What's it to ya, ken?" She hobbled outside and looked up herself then shoved him raising her cane to tap the label "Here it says thirty-four 'D' Get some reading glasses"
He winced_ A D? Must be close. He thought pacing over to the left after a door, it clicked and unfastened to reveal a green eye.
She stepped out and leaned on the door, his vision made her out to be younger and more slender, perhaps taller with jet black hair, green eyes lined with thin girly lashes, a cute little nose and glossy red lips, and a somewhat angular face. She wore a leather vest that looked confused and tangled with the hem fashioned to cover her belly button, and reveal her small waist, she also wore a short denim skirt with boots.
"34B?" He said disconcerted.
"This is the one," She said drily and tapped
the doorframe with her slender fingers, her eyes lowered to the laundry basket and he kept it aside, underwhelmed by his misgiving under the surface, he laughed.
"Are you setting up a pole in there because? I don't understand why I...have to put up with_"
She touched her forehead "Oh, it's my boy, Dev, he was helping me install a new TV"
He nodded even though his demons pushed him to want to scream in her face to stop the bluster, he was going on day three with his headache.
"Oh, it's the loser"
Guy's expression darkened as he recognized that voice and encountered the juvenile with rusty brown hair and matching green eyes, he was shorter than her and wore a black shirt with extra grey sleeves and a hood and grey cargo shorts, he inclined over to spit on his laundry and snorted wiping his lip.
Guy's fingers bored into his skin and he just about exploded but met the woman's eyes, screaming internally.
She shoved his head "Dev. What's the matter with you, get back in there" She glanced at him "Mister..."
"Thomson" He added.
"I didn't ask. I promise you, you won't hear a peep, next time"
His hands curled in his pockets "Just tell him not to go crazy with the grunge music"
She seemed upset and leaned over the door. "Okay"
He wanted very much to avoid a backlash, hit the dirt before he got kicked to the curb.
"So, you're the jerkface who owes my nephew money ay?"
"All I have is change, so..." He shoved his hand into his pocket, it jiggled as he pulled out a few quarters into her hand.
She looked up at him in the same impassiveness that the boy held at the lobby and she held the coins as if they were made of muck and stepped back inside to shut the door on his face.
He huffed with a racing heart and gripped his basket leaving, he flung the indigent cloth into a basket as soon as he reached his apartment and sat back indebted by the stillness_It's almost too good to be true. He thought and grinned.
Soon, the sound of boots jamming into the floors aka ceiling resounded.
"You don't like metal huh?!" She screamed over the music and he drifted to the couch and settled down wearing his headset.
He tossed it remembering he needed a pair and quick. He mentally took note of public transportation fare and thought he could just jog there, getting his trainers and MP3 player.
He jogged on the pavement past people shoving into them and hustled under the casement of a hotel, he raised his hands as the crowd appeared west of his view and saw there wasn't even enough walking space.
His playlist shuffled to heavy metal and he scoffed running when the lot crossed the road "Oh for fucks sake" He muttered under his breath breaking into a run across the road to a deli, he huffed and puffed at the rush of exhaustion that overpowered him and realized that he passed over breakfast, the temptation to walk into the deli rolled in and he pushed through the glass door.
The bell rang announcing his late arrival as faces turned, his eyes moved to the menu instead hung over the vertical striped hot pink and pink wallpaper, the counters were made of pure oak with the colour of Oreos, the furniture was also fashioned to look like Oreos, there was a hint of oven-fresh bread in the atmosphere and he slithered his way to the counter where an indifferent, stout man stood working, in an apron and a fold-in cap on his bald head and his sleeves were rolled up, his hairy arm rested on the foggy cookie jar.
I meant to take one_he thought severely and the old man gave him a second look and cackled pointing at him in recognition and facing the other guy with black hair who was struggling with a bag of flour.
"Little Guy Thomson here wants a cookie" He laughed again and Guy took the pleasure of unscrewing it to take a handful_I'm not that little. Acknowledging his five-nine feat.
and his hand rested on the cover.
Guy met his demeaning grey eyes "Yeah?"
"Say you want a cookie" He prodded
Guy nodded to the jar "I do, I want a cookie and your hand is in the way"
"I love this one" Alberto said waving his stubby hand.
The automobiles honked with impatient motorists waiting in line as the officer signalled a car to pass by, as there had been a mishap.
Guy hustled through the choked parkway with his mouth full of cookies and passed a look at the driver in a black Cadillac who drifted slowly on the road with a grin on his face by an open manhole and a triangle placed near it.
As he ran further, he saw the crevice extend beyond the hole and trailed it to a displaced streetlight into the junction to another track of cars in the waiting, it had collapsed and he rushed on dodging a signboard.