»
Main Forums
»
Passions in Prose
»
The "Rondromat " (For Ron Carnell's birthday today)
| Passions in Prose |
|
The "Rondromat " (For Ron Carnell's birthday today) |
|
Mysteria 
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada 
|
Happy Birthday Ron, Thank you for all that you are, and all that you do for us here at Passions, making this world a much nicer place to be living in.  “The Rondromat” In Honor Of Ron Carnell's Birthday January 24, 2004 1,760 words © Mysteria 01/2004 It was a strange habit, but he always took his laundry to the local Laundromat. He had money to buy a washer and dryer but the social atmosphere downtown was so conducive to a chat on these cold Michigan nights, and it also saved stoking up a fire in the fireplace. He liked eating out, and this gave him a chance to turn the mundane into almost acceptable. Slowly he crossed the snow-drifted driveway dotted with rabbit tracks to his truck, while thinking this spring he had to really get those critters under control. The truck fortunately started first try, not like his fancy sports car he loved that was hibernating in the garage. He thought about stopping in town at the camera shop for some chemicals he needed for his darkroom, but instead decided to go to the Laundromat first tonight for some reason. Sunday was really his only day off, and he tried to get as much covered as he could and still have time to relax before going back to class the next day. With a jingle of coins in his pocket he had all one needed to operate those machines with ease, and then all he had to do was stand around, watch, read or mediate. I tell you his life was grand. He had just had a great meal and didn’t have to do the dishes, had money in his pockets, and the warmth and excitement of the Laundromat waiting for him. His costume de rigueur was an oversized sweater hiding suspenders that held up sadly worn cords, where a permanent pack of smokes and lighter lived, marking their spot on his back right pocket long ago. After all, the best of what he owned was now sloshing about in the washers. He settled into the chair he enjoyed by the heater, putting his feet up on the stools that had more wear marks than the butcher’s block he had seen earlier at the greasy spoon he so enjoyed. This was his spot to park while the weekly gossip passed round to eager listening ears, while suds whirled his shorts and shirts clean. The large room now hummed with activity, people moving from side to side, wheeling baskets filled to the brim with laundry. Some stood near the washing machines, filling them to the brim with their soiled garments, while adding soap, and chatting to their neighbours. Some wandered to the benches provided to rifle through the dated magazines brought in by people killing time while keeping warm, and doing laundry. Red lights flickered occasionally, signaling the owner to stop chatting, and move their wet contents over to the dryers. Their buzzing interrupted his thoughts and he jumped, while a man smiled at him while walking over to begin his folding process. Athena, dressed in a pair of jeans, and a big oversized sweater supported herself casually against a washer, while her two children, a year apart, were contentedly reading a comic book between them as they sat on the nearest bench to her. The movement in the room and the whirling clothes fascinated her, as kaleidoscopically they took different forms in the swirl of her suds, inducing her to recall memories of her past. She felt a pang in her heart missing those shirts she used to hate ironing so much. It had been a year since her husband died, leaving her with a fine looking young son, and an adorable curly-headed daughter, but very few material assets. She had been fortunate in getting her old job back as a sales clerk in a downtown Colon magic shop, while her mother was able to take care of the children from lunchtime to closing, every day but Sunday. She had been able to retain the apartment that they owned when he died, but still didn’t get that much needed washer and dryer, but she would work on that. So, this washing night came around regularly as her sort of social event, so she could chat with people at the Laundromat in her easy casual sort of way. She quite enjoyed it actually. A voice at her elbow now startled her out of her reverie. “Excuse me miss, do you happen to have change for a dollar?” At her side was a young man, somewhat around her age, and Athena noticed immediately, he was strangely like her former husband in physical appearance. “I didn’t mean to startle you, the young man apologized. “My name’s Ron and I’m kind of new around these parts and don’t quite know the ropes as yet, such as how you get change, simple things like that.” He tried hard not to disturb the coins sitting now very still in his pocket. He gave her an engaging smile and she felt that she could safely talk to him naturally, and soon quite easily, as after all they were fully chaperoned in this room of people. “You can always get a supply of change if you need it at that machine over there, “ she indicated the direction with a sweep of her hand. “Oh, those are my children sitting there, “ she added. “Absorbed in reading comics, though neither of them knows whether the print is up or down. They are no trouble to bring here but they really should be in bed. This “Rondromat Night” as they call it she said with a giggle, “Is their treat night as I don’t have a sitter on Sundays, and besides they help me carry the clothes home, or at least they think they do.” “I’m teaching out at the University, and only been on permanent staff for a month, he volunteered. “I’m single so this is the best way to do my own laundry. I’m not too hot when it comes to ironing, though,” he added with a smile, which quickly turned to a grin, then laughter. She noticed that she loved the way his eyes shone as he laughed, and how his mouth formed into a crooked smile. At that very second the red light shone on No. 7 washing machine, one that Athena was using. She pulled the wheeled basket close in and began to remove her laundry. A dryer was just becoming vacant so she hurried over to claim it. The young man had already gotten a dryer going and said ruefully to her, as he held a shirt in his hand he didn’t seem to know what to do with: “How careless of me, I forgot about this one, don’t know how I could have missed it?” “If you like I can shove it in with these things of mine,” she offered. “I have plenty of space as I had the bulk of my wash in this other dryer,” she said, as she pointed to one a few steps away. “Thanks a lot, now how about letting me buy you all a pop while we wait”? He got cans for each of them, and while she nodded approval to her children, Ron handed two over to the kids and they beamed. The dryers spun to a halt, and as they were folding and piling the laundry to take home he offered to drop her off at her apartment. They thought eagerly and aloud that would be way more exciting than carrying the basket along the sidewalk in the snow. The next Sunday Athena subconsciously made an effort to look especially nice to do her washing, although she had never made the practice of keeping to that particular day but she knew now she would start. Sure enough at precisely the same time the young man appeared with laundry, and a huge grin. He again drove her and the kids’ home. By the third week Athena mustered up the courage and asked him in for coffee, and their chat that began earlier at the “Rondromat” as they now called it, continued on for a couple of hours in a more intimate atmosphere. It felt so good. Athena enjoyed how Ron interacted with the kids, and the kids loved the attention of a grown-up male, perhaps with the subconscious memory of their own father in the background. Somehow she got into the habit of ironing Ron’s shirts while he waited, as he played with the kids. It seemed the least she could do in return for his wonderful company and the rides home. He suggested that they should have a night at the movies sometime if she could get her mother to have the kids for an extra couple of hours. She didn’t know why but she put that idea off at least for the time being. While picking up the kids at her Mom’s the following week, Athena related the happenings that had followed the first chance meeting with Ron at the Laundromat. She hadn’t realized it until her mother mentioned it but she had described in minute detail his appearance, manners, and her obvious attraction to him, in fact, she could talk of little else her mother noticed. She only agreed with her daughter that indeed he must be a nice man, and silently thought how wonderful it would be if Athena had this nice young man to watch out for her and her two grandchildren. So when she asked about the night out to the movies, of course her Mother agreed to watch the children. As Athena started to wind up again radiantly, her mother remarked, “You know dear, you best keep his shirts in your dryer from now on, and continue to iron them too, as there are more ways to a man’s heart than through his stomach, as the saying goes.” America is different than Greece, and your Father, bless his heart was right for opportunities present themselves in this country, and we should not ignore him. They exchanged a look that only a mother and daughter can at the mention of her Father. She knew at that moment they were exactly the same and missed having a man in their life. “Maybe I will just do that, “Athena laughed as she went to the window to wave in the kids to get ready to go home. She hugged her Mother especially tight when she left, knowing now what she would do. Athena was still chuckling as she walked down the street towards home at her mother’s comments. And so, that is exactly the way it all worked out, and to this day Athena is still ironing Ron’s shirts but not at the “Rondromat.” Yeah, yeah, I heard - there is no laundromat in Colon, LOL - so sue me!  Whew, sure needed those 30 minutes! Oh sure, so it was 31, sue me twice! [This message has been edited by Mysteria (01-24-2004 05:32 PM).] |
||
| © Copyright 2004 Mysteria 1997 - All Rights Reserved | |||
|
Munda Member Elite
since 1999-10-08
Posts 3544The Hague, The Netherlands |
I read this story earlier today on the birthday site and I must tell you girl, I really liked it!  |
||
|
Sadelite Member Elite
since 2003-10-11
Posts 2519 |
Clever....I really liked this. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RON!!! ~Sadie~ |
||
|
Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
You did a great job telling this story! Are you going to try more prose? |
||
|
Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Sadalite, glad you enjoyed it, and I hope Ron got a little chuckle. Oh and Sharon, I have tons of silly stories buried in here. Little time waster stores Munda your submission was awesome but it always is. |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
