Population: me
There are many things about this town I don’t love, one of them being the whole ghosting of it all. I’m the only one here. It feels like everyone’s been raptured or something, like I was the only one abandoned by God.
I took this stop off the bus because I really had to go to the bathroom, and I assumed another would roll right through within an hour or two to get me back on track to where I was going. Now, for the life of me, I can’t remember what that place even was.
I sprinted into a gas station to buy a snack in exchange for the use of their facilities key, but no one stood behind the counter, no bouncer to wave me in or out. So I snagged the key zip-tied to a plunger handle, and let myself in. And since then, there hasn’t been a sign of life. I haven’t even seen crows or squirrels or lizards roaming the streets.
It’s all exactly as you could picture: a chapped desert with a non-working phone booth, a pharmacy, a single-pump gas station, and a shitty Americana diner (don’t get me wrong, it’s my favorite type of restaurant).
I’ve been grabbing what I need at the store and let the automatic doors open and shut, bookending me. I go into the restaurant, hop behind the counter, make a meal, and serve it over the counter to myself. I eat alone, reading a very old newspaper, delivered by some newsie kid years ago. It’s not news anymore, but it has comics, a crossword, and my horoscope. “Leo – You are in your own drops of Jupiter. Let daylight shine. You may also be experiencing money anxieties next month. Do not go to the tracks. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 19, 22, 85. Do not use those at the tracks.”
It hasn’t been that long, I don’t think. A few weeks maybe, waiting for someone or something to turn up. Another bus, train, or car.
I don’t know how I think this will get to you; it’s not like I’m on USPS’s route. But as you can see, I’ve licked and stuck the forever stamp, hoping that maybe one day you’ll find me again, or even just remember me for a moment, thinking of me fondly and wishing me well. I’ll live here and die here. I don’t mind the quiet.
I guess this is just a quick greeting from wherever the hell I’m at.
See you on the other side.