She woke up with a headache that morning because they had seen a rock show at the local bar and had too many beers. She looked for some ibuprofen and a bottle of water. She decided she was going to make the extra special extra strong coffee this morning. She hoped that no one needed her until the late evening because it was going to be a long day otherwise. That is the problem of working for yourself no set hours. She placed the coffee in the basket of the percolator and waited five minutes. She loved the sound it made when it was perking. Her mom made the coffee the same way and it made her feel warm memories of a time when her mom was alive. The world felt better than but now she had to make the world feel alright herself. It felt heavier than before. She did not know what to do with those feelings. She hoped life had some more happiness for her than just what she had now. The coffee was ready and she poured it in her favorite mug with a sexy pin up girl on it. She had gotten it when she was in college and had managed not to break it. She felt the warmth of the mug in her hand and it made her hands warm. She almost felt like she was at home once again but really she had lost home long ago. When you grow up they don’t tell you to make a new home feeling for yourself and if you’re by yourself it is a little harder. She used to share a home with an ex but that was years ago and that seemed like a lifetime away. She wondered if she could capture that feeling of home again. She did not want a family exactly but wondered if she could find someone to make it feel a little like home. Then she pushed those thoughts out of her head because she had learned only you can make yourself happy and you can’t get anybody else to make it happen. She was going to make her own self sparkle even if it seemed so difficult now. She had her basics covered. She wanted to take a long ride on a train somewhere like in those old movies you see on TCM. She was secretly a romantic and hoped to meet someone and play cards in the dining car and drank over priced drinks. She let all those passing thoughts of fancy pass through her head as she drank her second cup of coffee. She flipped on the news and made sure a sea monster had not eaten NYC or Boston but nothing unusual. She knew one day one of her outrageous guesses would be right but not today. She talked to her potted plant named Phil and he was doing well or the best she could understand. She hoped no one called but the phone rang. She answered in a polite and professional manner. She said yes I will be there in an hour.
She got showered and dressed and left for her gig. She hoped this only took an hour and she could eat some greasy food at a local diner she liked. She arrived at the small office and entered and introduced herself. The receptionist ushered her into the back office. The client wanted to get more customers so she asked some basic questions and looked on their social media setup. She worked her magic and changed some settings and set up automatic newsletters so they could showcase their new services. She also bought some micro targeted ads for a small fee. She told them to call next week with their new numbers and she left their office. She took the alley as a shortcut to the diner she wanted to eat that greasy food at. She absently mindedly held her sunglasses but she dropped them without realizing it. She went to the diner and had an order of home fries and pancakes and bacon. It was delicious and filled her soul with joy for at least five minutes. She finished her meal and left to go look at some stores because she just made 600 dollars so she looked downtown and saw the vintage shop and what they had in the window but some beautiful boots. She had to have them and spent her 600 dollars right there. Oh well she would make more later. They fit perfectly and she wore them home and decided to walk home the mile to get them worn in. She found she had a little coffee left in her coffee maker so she had some cold coffee. She decided to book that trip on the train today. She could be gone for a week or two. She booked it and talked to her plant and told him all about where she was going. She got a sleeper car and was going to end off in California. She packed her backpack and made auto water for phil. She left the next day from the train station. She got on the train and it would take her 4 days to get there and she loved it. She had her cards even if it was to play solitaire by herself. She streamed all her old favorite train movies on her little laptop. She looked out the window from the diner car. She loved to see the land change as she traveled down the rail. She played music from the classic stream station. It was 90s music and it was great to hear the classics while the train travels down the rail. She ordered an over price beer and marvel at my week of adventure. She got to sleep on the train and was very excited about that. After her second beer she headed to her car. She brushed her teeth in that tiny sink. She drifted off to slumber land and the vibration of the train calmed her soul. She was more relaxed than she had been in a long time. She felt at peace and forgot all her problems. She just lived for the moment and she could get used to this.
Amelio's Palace of Stories 