Sabrina

I am working on getting a book published. It will be self-published on lulu.com and only about 45 pages, but I want it to get done. I need to get off my ass and move forward with goals I've had for 20 freakin' years. Here's a story that will be in it:

(Quick note: This story has been published before, in a zine and on at least two different blogs. So some of you have already read it. It's going in the book because I still think it's not too bad.)

Sabrina

Sabrina lived in a downtown apartment, with her husband, a cat, and a gerbil. When they first moved in, a month after they married, it was cozy and romantic. Now it was just crowded.

They only had one car, so Sabrina had to take Todd to work every morning. Sabrina didn’t have a job. Todd said that was okay, they could make do, but money was tight. Luckily, they didn’t have kids.

That morning, Sabrina got up and started a pot of coffee before Todd’s alarm went off. She took a shower, put on cut-off shorts and a Sid & Nancy T-shirt, and was lacing up her Converse All Stars when Todd rolled over.

“I made coffee.” she said, trying to put some cheer into her voice. She knew it was hard for him. Lately work had been so hard, he was too tired to have sex. Every couple of days, they kept him late and he caught a ride home with one of his co-workers. Sabrina was willing to pick him up, but Todd said this way would be easier on both of them.

She tried not to complain, but it was hard on her, too. They still couldn’t afford to go out anymore, despite Todd’s extra hours, and they didn’t really talk much, either. Sabrina hoped things would get better after Todd’s next raise.

Todd finally threw himself off the bed. He grabbed a Bruce Lee T-shirt and a pair of Dockers shorts and started getting dressed. Sabrina left, went to the kitchen, and got a cup of coffee with two sugars, no cream. She came back in and held it out.

“I got you a cup,” she offered. “Just the way you like it.” Todd took the cup, set it down, and continued getting dressed.

He still hadn’t spoken when they got into the car. Sabrina could feel the tears behind her eyes, but held them back. It was just a bad morning. She was still giving herself a pep talk about toughing it through when she pulled into Todd’s work. He opened the door and got out, then leaned back in.

“I’ll be working late today, so you don’t have to pick me up.” he said, and slammed the door. Sabrina felt a tear work its way down her cheek as she watched him walk in, but she swallowed the rest and began the drive back home.

When she got back home, the tears threatened again. She couldn’t face any of the many chores that needed to be done, so she decided to perk herself up by surfing her favorite web sites.

They had just gotten a DSL connection the month before. Now Sabrina could check her favorite artists, Amy Brown and Meilin Wong, without feeling guilty about sitting around, waiting and doing nothing.

She found nothing but spam in her e-mail inbox, and decided to move on to the official message board for her favorite band. She had been eagerly awaiting their latest album for three months now, and checked the board every couple of days to keep up with the rumors.

The message at the top of the Latest News section was pinned and labeled Important. Sabrina opened it in a new window and found out that the band was breaking up, but all the members had individual projects “coming out soon!” This was almost too much for her, so she closed all the windows, opened a new one, and went to browse the Fantasy Art Gallery at Elfwood. The whole point of this was to cheer her up, after all.

She got so caught up in pretty pictures of elves and sorcerers that when she looked at the clock several hours had passed. She leaped out of her chair, then sat back down and shut the computer down. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to fill the gas can today, so Todd could mow the lawn at his leisure.

Sabrina got everything turned off and raced out the door to her car. She turned the key, and then realized she didn’t have to hurry because Todd was working late tonight. But since she was already there, it made no sense not to do it.

She decided to fill the car’s tank first, and wash the windows as well. The car didn’t need a lot, and she was fumbling the nozzle into the gas can, when somebody behind her said, “Sabrina.”

She jumped and spilled gas on her shoes. Sighing, she turned to see Michelle, a girl she knew but wasn’t really friends with. Michelle had always seemed interesting, but she was best friends with the girl Todd had broken up with to see Sabrina, so it never seemed right to just call her up and chat.

“Hey, Michelle.”

“Sabrina, this is gonna sound really weird, but there’s something I think you should do.”

“Michelle, if you need any help-“

“It- it’s not that. You need to go to Room 103 at the Motel 6. There’s something you need to see.”

Sabrina gave Michelle a long look. “I thought Selma wasn’t pissed at me anymore.”

“This is not a practical joke, Sabrina.” Michelle sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and looked Sabrina in the eye. She pulled a card out of her pocket and held it out. Sabrina’s sneer wavered, then fell, and she took the card. Michelle turned and walked away.

Sabrina put the card in her pocket and finished filling the gas can. She put the gas can on the floor in front of the passenger seat, got in, and just stopped. She could still see the seriousness and urgency in Michelle’s eyes. After a few moments she turned the car on and pulled out, heading for the Motel 6.

There was a free parking spot right in front of Room 103. Sabrinal walked up and tried looking in the window, but the curtains were closed and the lights were out. She put her ear to the door and heard nothing. Finally she pulled the card out and stood there, turning it over and over in her fingers until curiosity took over.

She ran the card through the slot and turned the handle very slowly and carefully. As the door opened, a thin beam of light shot into the room, exposing Todd and Selma, naked, on top of the covers. The reek of pot smoke and sex hit Sabrina’s nose, and she closed the door, face frozen in shock.

She leaned against the door for a long time, caught between crying and screaming, until a force she didn’t understand propelled her to the car. She saw her hands open the door and grab the gas, and then she was sliding the card and turning the handle again.

The door shut behind her as her feet moved her to the bed. Her hands twisted off the top of the gas can and tipped it over Todd and Selma. When about a third was left, she poured it over her head and set the can down. Todd groaned, turned over, and started to wake up.

She got to see the look in his eyes when she lit the match.