3
Royally Fucked
The icy windwas like daggers through my thin clothing, and snow swirled around me as I hurried across the road. For the first time, I could understand how someone could get lost in a snowstorm. Luckily, I could make out a street lamp in the motel parking lot, and followed that baby like it was my North Star.
As I got closer, there was a new SUV parked in front of the motel office. Another refugee willing to shelter in any port in a storm, it seemed. I couldn’t blame them, even a big vehicle like that was taking a chance driving in a storm like this one.
I was just happy I’d gotten there when I had. The place was no doubt going to fill up before the night was over.
I was starting to shiver by the time I reached my room, and I was further slowed when I had to set my purchases down to fish my room key out of my pocket. By the time I’d angled it into the door lock, my hands were trembling, and there were little icicles on the ends of my hair.
The key turned with a soft click, almost too easily, and when I looked down at my hand, I realized why.
Part of the key was in the lock. The other part was in my hand.
The little fucker had broken off in the lock.
“What the fuck?” I screamed, my anger building as I tried twisting the locked door knob.
Then, because I did things that made absolutely no sense when I was pissed, I kicked and pounded on the door as if that might do some good.
Godfuckingdammit.
As if to further infuriate me, a new gust of wind hit. It pushed me into the bushes beside the door, and as I lost my balance, I kicked my bags, and my food items spilled out into the snow.
What the fucking fuck. My thin jacket was doing nothing in what was now frozen precipitation pelting me sideways. My nose was numb, and my ass felt like an ice cube under my yoga pants.
I knew time was of the essence so I hurried down towards the motel office. But as I got closer, a big, red pickup truck pulled out of the parking lot with none other than the clerk behind the wheel.
I Immediately broke into a full run, waving with my arms over my head. “Hey! Help! Come back!” I screamed until I slipped and landed on my ass.
I shivered as another gust hit me and looked around miserably, measuring my situation. I patted my pockets, but I’d left my goddamn car keys in my motel room. I had my wallet, food that was being rapidly buried in the snow, and… that was it.
“What the fuck?” I yelled at the taillights that were now out of site.
Oh my god. Was I going to have to go back to Chet? At the convenience store?
“Hey there. Do you need help?”
I turned, noticing for the first time three men standing by the office, bundled up for bad weather like normal people. While I squinted at them through the storm, like they were some sort of apparition, one of the guys pulled his hat further down over his ears.
Was I the only person dumb enough to have dressed this lightly?
“Oh my god, yes. I need help. I am in a room down there, and the key broke in the lock.” My aggravation had reached its peak, and a sob escaped my throat. “And the clerk just left, so he can’t help me. I’m stuck outside, and my car keys are in the room.”
Oh god. I didn’t know these guys from a hole in the wall. But I was going to have to accept whatever help they offered. I was desperate, completely and totally desperate.
A blond guy took a step toward me. “Well, look, you need to get out of this weather until we figure something out. C’mon.”
They opened and closed the doors to their SUV, grabbing duffel bags, and waved me to follow.
“Wha… what room are you in?” I asked.
Like it mattered.
“Twelve. You?”
“Eleven.”