The Laundromat I

Sitting in the twenty-four hour laundromat, a man watches his clothes turn endlessly in a clothing dryer. The machine makes a continuous hum and heat radiates to warm the room. The man is alone. It is 1:37 AM.

A buzzer goes off. The man turns around, noticing that one of the street lights keeps flickering off and on—buzzing between changes of state. He turns back around, facing the clothes dryer. The clothes turn endlessly. The machine makes a continuous hum and heat radiates to warm the room. The man is alone. It is 1:43 AM.

Sitting there, the man thinks about what to prepare to eat when he gets home. “Something cheap and easy” he thinks to himself. He then laughs quietly to himself at the sexual pun he made—his eyes squinting and his toungue pressing softly against the innards of his left cheek. He looks down then looks up, facing the clothes dryer. The clothes turn endlessly. The machine makes a continuous hum and heat radiates to warm the room. The man is alone. It is 2:04 AM

The door to the laundromat opens suddenly and a woman walks in. She sees him. She approaches him—asking for some money for the pay telephone down the street. She has a bruise on her left cheek. It is black under the incandescent light. He lends her his cellular telephone instead. She calls someone quietly in the corner. She finishes and thanks him. She then goes outside again—walking to the left and right of the street corner, then crosses the street and is off in the night. He rubs his eyes, looks to the left, then looks to the center, facing the clothes dryer. The clothes turn endlessly. The machine makes a continuous hum and heat radiates to warm the room. The man is alone. It is 2:19 AM.

Bored, the man paces quietly, facing the clothes dryer. The clothes turn endlessly. The machine makes a continuous hum and heat radiates to warm the room. The man is alone. It is 2:23 AM.

Suddenly, time stops. The clothes stop turning endlessly. The machine stops its continuous hum and no heat is radiating to warm the room. An obnoxious buzzer goes off. The man removes his clothes, folding them carefully. He quietly packs up his things and heads for the door. The man is alone. It is 2:37 AM.