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“Jesus Christ lady, how many times I gotta tell you: you can not be here!”
Chidi was not trying to listen in on the argument that the laundromat attendant and the small blonde woman were having. All he was trying to do was unload his dryer and get on with his night, but they were so loud it was hard to do anything but listen.
“Listen man,” the blonde said “I’m not causing any trouble. I’m just here to meet up with my boyfriend.”
“Find him and get out, otherwise I’m calling the cops.”
“Please.” The blonde scoffed. “Like I really want to stay in this dump. Anyway he’s right…”Chidi watched as her eyes darted around the room until they finally landed on him. “There you are baby!”
Chidi froze as she walked towards him, her eyes pleading for him to play along.
“He–hello?”
“You’re still not done yet?” The woman tapped his arm playfully. “He’s just so slow sometimes. But not where it counts.” She wiggled her eyebrows at the man and then turned back to Chidi. “Come on baby, lets me help you and we’ll get out of here.”
The woman began to help unload the dryer.
“Who are you?” Chidi asked.
“I’m Eleanor.” She smiled at him. “Look, can you please play along man? I can’t get arrested again.”
Chidi wanted to ask how many times again covered but instead went with the more pressing question,“Why doesn’t he like you being here?”
“It’s so stupid. I sleep here sometimes and he doesn’t like it looking like it has a low class clientele. Like it’s not a laundromat.” Eleanor chuckled to herself and then stopped. “Not that you’re low class.”
“Are–are you homeless?”
“Please.” Eleanor rolled her eyes. “I have a home, I just don’t want to be there. I’m sure you know what that’s like.”
“No, I really don’t. I love my family.”
“Lucky you.”
Eleanor shut the door to the dryer and Chidi picked up the clothes basket.
“We’re leaving now!” She called out over her shoulder. “I won’t be bothering your high and mighty clients!”
Chidi sat the basket on the hood of his car as he fished for his keys in his pocket.
“Look, thanks for that.” Eleanor leaned against the car door. “You saved me back there.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chidi found his keys,quickly unlocked the doors, and put the basket in the backseat. As he got in the driver’s seat, he said something he wasn’t prepared for, “Do you want a ride? I’m new in town and it would be nice to have a local to help me out.”
He was taken back by his question. He had never been a spontaneous person, he always thought about every choice from what to have for breakfast to which side of the bed to sleep on.
Eleanor stared at him for a moment, blinked a few times and then shrugged. “Sure,” she said opening the passengers side. “But no funny stuff bud. You might be my fake boyfriend but I’m strictly an over the clothes on the first date kind of girl.”
Chidi started the car, wondering to himself what exactly he had gotten himself into.