​     And then there she was, ​sitting on a bench and waiting for the bus to take her "home". She pulled off her bright yellow Sunny Days cap to shove in the nearest garbage receptacle. That was probably the one good thing about this whole situation. At least now she'd never have to wear that glaringly stupid Sunny Days uniform ever again in her life. Still, within her a panic grew wilder with each passing moment. She felt afraid that it might overtake her completely, and then...what? It was like she felt herself sinking, sinking into deep despair, sinking into a swirling whirlpool of trembling terror. She had to do something! Now! Now, before...

​     In other words, she had no choice but to pull out her phone to call Dwayne, her boyfriend. He didn't have to go to work for another couple of hours. Maybe he'd be in a sympathetic mood. Maybe he wouldn't be so stoned that...

     His phone rang seven times before, finally, "Uh, yeah?" 

​     Nope. Too late. He was already high, although Katy had never really expected anything different. After all, he got stoned the second he got up every day, which was usually around noon. 

​     "Dwayne, it's me. It's Katy." 

     It took a second for that one to sink in, the fact that he was getting a phone call from his girl friend. "Hey, wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to be at work?" 

     "That's what I'm calling about. I just got fired." 

​     "Oh. Whoa." He didn't know how to react to that one. He didn't know how to react to anything, really. "That's crazy. I mean, that's too bad. I mean...what happened?"

     "I swore at a customer. Apparently that's worse than murder at Sunny Days."

     Dwayne cracked up laughing. "You swore at someone? What'd you say? Did you tell someone to get fucked?" 

​     "Pretty much. You know what, Dwayne? I'm not feeling real good right now. You think I could come over?"

     Dwayne still lived with his mother, and his mother hated Katy's guts, but Fran was already at her job so that really shouldn't have been a problem. Still, 

​     "Come over?" A question that Dwayne had to use his brain to think about. "Uh...Uh, sure, you can come over, only..." 

​     "I just need a shoulder to cry on a little. Do you mind?"

​     "No, not at all. I love you, Katy. You know that. It's just that...you know...uh..."

​     "Uh...what?"

     "Well..." He had to pause to figure out his next words. "I was thinking that maybe, uh...well, when I first got up I smoked a bowl..." 

​     "Shocking." 

​     "Well, I mean, I peed, but then I smoked a  bowl, but then I smoked a second bowl because that first one hit so good, but then I had some Sugar Pirates cereal for breakfast, and, man, that sure tasted good, but then an Adam Forwarder cartoon came on, which meant that I had to smoke a third bowl, because you know how much I love the Forwarder, especially when I'm high." 

     "Which you are all the time."

​     "Don't start on me, Katy. I know you're having a bad day, but...anyway, after that I only had a little bit left, so I figured I may as well just finish it up, and now..."

​     "You're out of pot. That's what you're telling me."

     "Uh...yeah." Dwayne chuckled. "Yeah, so...I guess what I'm trying to say is...uh...I may not be home when you get here. I've just got enough money from my last paycheck for one more gram, and I put in a call to my man, and he said to come right over and..."

     "So you won't be home. You're going to your dealer's." 

     "But hey! I won't be long!"

​     "Please. When you go to Derek's house, you stay there forever."

     "Well, you know, we get to smoking, and then we get to talking, and Derek likes company so..." 

     "Just forget it."

​     "No! No, babe, I'd love to have you come by. It's just that...Hey listen, I was wondering. I know you just lost your job and everything, but if you shot me a little cash I could get more than just a gram and then we could..." 

     "I said forget it!" Katy broke the connection. 

CONTINUE