Chapter 7

A Chapter by soliloquy

Travis starts looking at options in for his situation.

An hour later as I'm driving aimlessly through the town of Dunlap,I decide that a Long Island Tea would taste amazing right now. Maybe two of them! I am just in shock. I have for all intents and purposes quit my job. I have been staying at the Walsworth motel for the past several days now,and I can’t even afford the cheap rates they offer. I am lonely since I broke up with Andrea,my friends seem to be too busy for me,and now I am jobless with little or nothing to do during the day. The most painful part of all is not having a real place to live. I hate living in a small one room motel. I only have money for about another week or so,and unless I make other arrangements I will have to start sleeping in my truck.

I also haven’t heard back from Kevin my best friend. I have known Kevin for many years now since we were in high school together. I have tried calling him but have not received a call back. Kevin lives in a two bedroom downstairs apartment,has a roommate,and has a landlady who has a strict rule about overnight guests. I am also a bit pissed off and embarrassed that Jolleen seems to want him more.

I don't understand that since Kevin certainly isn't a prize! I am aware that spending money right now is not a good option. Simply driving around and wasting gas is not a good idea. I decide to pull over near the University to sit and people watch. I have always enjoyed doing that. Its fun to watch people who have no idea they are being watched. I still have some of my bottled water left over and I had made myself a lunch for work today so I start to dig in.

As a number of people walk by my truck on the sidewalk I finish eating my lunch. I find myself wondering if any of them have had as bad of a week as I have. How could they have? It’s mostly college students walking by at this time of day. I notice that most of the students walking by on the sidewalk are smiling and don’t seem to have a care in the world. Most of them are young, healthy, and apparently without too many concerns about real life.

Next on the sidewalk comes a group of three young ladies who are very busy conversing about whatever topic that just happens to have bounced in to their heads. All of them are obviously college students and none appear to be older than twenty. All three of these young ladies are attractive. But the redhead in the middle seems to be the leader of sorts. She is the one the others are looking to for guidance and she is the one who seems to be in charge of this little clique. She is the shortest of the three and also the prettiest.

I begin to have thoughts go through my mind that are not ones usually associated with me and my personality and upbringing. I start to think of how nice it would be to be well off financially and not to have to worry about sleeping in a stupid motel,or the backseat of my pickup truck. I start to think of how lucky some of these more privileged kids are. They have mommy and daddy pay for their education and everything else while they themselves party,sleep around,and act superior to real hard working men and women like me.

Just as that last thought goes through my mind the two girls walking on the outside of the pretty redhead start down another path. The redhead now walks alone and appears to be heading toward one of the main university buildings. She is walking toward the Ed Arts Building and is apparently going to a class right after lunch.

I wonder if this is her regular schedule for this time of day?

I still sit alone in my truck and continue to watch Alex walk away from me.

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