It cost nine dollars in quarters to wash a comforter at the Port City Laundromat in the Market Basket plaza. Who had nine dollars in quarters? Not Sherri. What she had was a twenty and three sad one-dollar bills. The change machine rejected each of the dollar bills in turn: one, presumably, for being too wrinkled, one for being torn nearly in half, and one for no discernible reason other than change machine prejudice. Finally she surrendered the twenty, trying not to think about the fact that she’d been saving it to take Katie to breakfast at Mad Martha’s on Plum Island, which she’d heard was a local treasure. She watched, half-fascinated, as the quarters poured into the metal cup. It made her think of a trip to Vegas she and Bobby had taken back in the day. They’d stayed at the Venetian and while Bobby hit the craps table, Sherri had played the slots for days. She’d done very well. Not that she’d needed the money, not back then.
How far the mighty have fallen, she thought. She scooped the quarters into her pockets and counted out thirty-six, laying them carefully on top of the washing machine in nine piles of four. When she knocked against one pile with the outer edge of her hand, one quarter rolled off and under the machine. Sherri crouched down and tried to retrieve it, but it had traveled too far under for her to get to it from her crouching position. She’d have to go lower on the floor, Flat-Stanley style. She was not above doing that.
Now the mighty have fallen even farther. That’s what she was thinking when she heard the tinkle of the bells, and a semi-familiar voice say, “Sherri? What are you doing?”
Sherri righted herself, then stood. One of the women from the birthday dinner the night before was facing her. Dawn, Sherri thought her name was, but she wasn’t certain enough to say it.
“Nothing,” she said, trying to maintain the smallest shred of dignity. “I lost a quarter under the machine.”
“Ohmygod, do you need a quarter?” Dawn opened her handbag and peered inside. “I was just coming from getting my nails done and I thought I saw someone familiar. I almost never have coins on me but let me see.” Dawn was wearing gold platform flip-flops with little jewels on the straps, and her toes were painted a spirited pink. It had been so long since Sherri had had her nails done that it almost hurt to look at Dawn’s toes. What Sherri wouldn’t give to soak her feet in a warm tub and have somebody rub them with a pumice stone.
“It’s fine,” said Sherri, smiling through gritted teeth. “I got it.”
“You sure?” Dawn crept closer to Sherri and whispered, “Do you not have a washing machine in your place?”
“I have a washing machine,” said Sherri untruthfully. “I just need to wash something big, that’s all.” She smiled a hard, bright smile and turned back to the machine. This was not, she told herself, going to be the quarter that broke the camel’s back.
“Hey, you should come to barre class tomorrow,” said Dawn. “Nine fifteen. A bunch of us go.” She looked again at the washing machine. “Give me your number and I’ll text you the details. If you’re new to town, I’m pretty sure the first class is free!”