watching from elsewhere

Chapter One: The Interesting Shift

4:15 am. Monday morning. It's not very cold, considering the time. There's a lot you can get done at such a time, though most people choose to sleep. One option that isn't very popular at 4:15 am on a Monday is visit the local laundromat. Almost nobody ever does, and yet this town's laundromat thought it best to employ an overnight employee just in case. So four nights a week from 10 pm to 5 am I get to sit on my ass in a dank office alone and thousand-yard-stare the walls to dust.

Just 45 minutes to go at this point. Two people were in earlier. Both before 11. They put in their coins, scrolled twitter while their washers and dryers did their respective things and got out. It's mind numbingly simple, which is why I'm so very thankful my stupid boss is willing to pay $10.50 to anyone with a pulse willing to work the graveyard shift.

Lucky for me, I have a very gossipy friend who pulls all-nighters for her college courses.

"So you don't think I should change my name to Nadia?" Oh shit- she was talking.

I sat up and cracked my back, "Uh, why are you changing your name?"

"Ugh! Weren't you listening? No, I'm not. I'm saying if I had to change my name I would pick Nadia. It's unique and obviously the prettiest name in the world!"

"I thought you said Susan was the prettiest name in the world. Also you already have a unique name, space-case!"

"Honestly Tuesday, your attitude has aged me 20 years in the past four hours." Venus said flatly, (see? Unique name!) "Oh! Did you hear Mrs. Sanchez has to replace her mailbox again?"

"What'd the bitch do this time?" I leaned back in my chair again, watching a cobweb flow in the breeze of the creaky fan.

"I know right... such a bitch- anyway! That same bunch of kids kicked it over and threw it on her roof again because she keeps opening her fat mouth at public forums. She wants the town to get rid of the dog park because it's too loud or because dogs shit or something."

"Ugh. She comes in here sometimes to just sit and give the customers weird looks."

"I pity her. So Finn is helping those kids out by designing a poster advertising people to throw their dog poop bags on her lawn." Venus said.

This is the kind of radical stuff the youth of today got up in arms about.

"Well, don't do anything that could send you to jail. Collectively you, me and finn have like $200 dollars at the moment." I said fighting a yawn.

"Stay awake T! I might need you for new sentences for this essay. I can't write this boring shit without my wingwoman." Venus shouted through the speaker phone. "How many have been in tonight"

"Literally, no one! I'll be damned if any person comes before noon today."

I'd like to say I don't believe in coincidences. The universe is hardly convenient enough to let things just fall into place. I won't get into it right now- we barely know each other, but I'll just say now that life has been more thorn than flower for me.

But while we're on the subject, a man did just walk in the front.

"You jinxed it, V." I leaned forward to get a better look at the screen. "Some guy just walked in."

Average height white dude. Black hair, not clean shaven. Wearing a suit- stumbling.

"No. Freaking. Way." Venus exclaimed before sucking the last bits out of her caffeinated smoothie. "What's he got to wash? Anything gross?"

But he didn't have anything. No basket or bag. He leaned behind the ATM for a minute, out of sight if you're looking from the street. Once he emerged he turned to face the camera, and I got a good look at him. He took off his jacket, and my stomach dropped.