Emma flopped back on the double bed, her bed, and hugged herself. All her worries had dissipated when she had rented the room—a clean, well-maintained room. It was small, for sure, but had everything she needed.
Thanks to Flo she’d found this place. When Emma had asked about motels, Flo had suggested several. This eight-room motel cost a tad bit more than some of the others, but the owner only rented on a weekly or monthly basis so it was quieter, and likely safer, without the stream of nightly transient traffic at the larger motels. Two bonuses convinced her to take the room. It looked more like a string of little cottages than motel rooms and was within easy walking distance to the café.
Her eyes roved around the room from a closet/dresser combo to a bathroom, to a kitchenette which contained a microwave, a mini refrigerator, a hot plate, and a cupboard with a few dishes, pots and pans, and a coffee pot—certainly not enough for any major cooking. She didn’t plan on cooking often anyway, only on her days off. Flo fed her a hot lunch on the days she worked. That would be her big meal of the day on workdays, supplemented by a sandwich or snacks at home.
Under the front window, an upholstered chair in a brown fabric offered a comfortable place for reading. A table and two chairs under the side window completed the room. She’d been lucky enough to get the end unit with that extra window where she could study in natural light when she finally attended college classes and fulfilled a long-awaited dream.
Emma rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow, resting her head on her hand. What satisfaction she’d had unpacking her backpack knowing she didn’t have to take a bus tomorrow.
The first thing she’d done after getting the key to her room and emptying her backpack on the bed was to heap her clothes in a pile and take them to the laundry room where she purchased detergent from a dispenser on the wall. She wanted everything fresh, clean, and unwrinkled for work. Oh, speaking of washers, how long since she’d loaded it? Was the load finished and ready for the dryer?
That reminded her she needed a clock—amend that, she needed an alarm clock. Shifts at work overlapped only during the busier part of the day. If Lila worked the 7 to 3 shift; Emma worked from 9 to 5, and vice versa. They changed shifts every week. She sure was going to need an alarm to get to the café on time when she worked the early shift.
Emma hopped off the bed and paused to add an alarm clock to her shopping list, the one labeled “Need Now.” The other “Would Like” list included items she wanted to make her new life more comfortable, such as a laundry basket and a few decent clothes. A week’s rent had taken a big chunk out of her remaining cash, so she’d stick to the needs list until her paycheck and tips replenished her funds.
Walking to the laundry room a few doors down from her room was more a pleasure than a chore. A short walk beat hauling her stuff to a laundromat any day. She also enjoyed the motel, painted white with red doors and shutters and window boxes filled with a medley of flowers and colors.
The red accents outside continued inside her room with a red printed bedspread and red seat pads on the wood chairs by the table. Red wasn’t her favorite color, but those pops of brightness broke up the monotony of white walls and wood furniture. In time, she’d add other color to the room: a vase of flowers, perhaps, or a throw for the reading chair. She nodded to herself. Yes, definitely a throw. Not only would it add color, but warmth on a cold night when she curled up in the chair to read. She’d add a throw to her “Would Like” list as soon as she got back to the room.
Emma knew nothing about her neighbors yet; she hadn’t even seen any of them. At this time of night, lights shone behind the curtains. She assumed that they, like herself, were working singles, or perhaps a couple if they didn’t mind being cramped. Certainly not a family because the rooms were way too small.
While Emma cemented plans for a brighter future, on the same day, Jack was about to hear for the first time that the police suspected him of foul play in Emma’s disappearance.