I presumed she hitched a ride with her new beau since our car was out of sorts. I, the insignificant child, had to walk.

Time had come where hiding in bed ceased. I didn’t want to leave my security blanket, but I had to face my pathetic life. I felt like I’d joined the dead. Still, I huffed out an infuriating sigh. I had to find a job.

I dragged my feet to the shower and then dressed for the day. I picked out something light a white cotton top and a pair of cocktail shorts, navy blue. I snatched up a pair of strappy wedges out of Sara’s luggage. Most of her shoes were spiked. Since I was high-heel challenged, I thought strappy wedges would be a better choice for walking.

The main drag was literally around the block. The town pulled no surprises. Just what I’d expected, run down and boring. I never got why Sara preferred the dreary towns, only short stick from a ghost town exactly like this one.

I was the exact opposite of Sara. I loved the hustle and bustle of city life. Bus lines to travel, art museums to visit and people to meet, so much life to explore.

A wave of sadness brushed over me. I knew my hopes of having some kind of real life might be reaching for the stars. Even still, I liked dreaming about it.

Just as Sara said, the gas station was right around the corner. I passed it by heading to the main circle. The sign read, “Claude’s Stop and Go.”

“Huh!” Same name as the hotel. Must be the same owner.

My eyes brushed over the station, and I drew in a sneer. The gas stop wasn’t much, just like everything else in this retched town, rickety and dirty white.

I nodded in passing at a clump of grizzly men huddled around a card table under a large oak, off to the side of the building, what looked like a game of dominoes. I got the impression that the gas station didn’t get much action other than selling fish bait, drinking soda pop and a challenging game of dominoes.

Once I reached the circle of stores, I lingered a moment peering in the window at one of the crafts shops, pausing to give myself a little pep talk before I entered the land of rejection. By the looks of the quiet town, my hope of snagging a job looked bleak.