Issue 16
Toss
Katie Weekley
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Toss and Forage
At the dumpster, Benoit will have to dig. She hates when the lunch counter throws their garbage out with the other departments.
She worries she smells. She washed down at the pipes this morning, but didn't have shampoo. There is an old wives' tale about hair getting dirtier if washed too frequently. At least her faded blazer is clean.
During the war, everyone picked through garbage. There was no shame. But when the economy began breathing again, they all forgot, and went looking for new things.
Benoit never found a post-war job, so she hangs out with women who wear too many layers and panhandle in the business center. If Benoit goes with them, she hides from her former colleagues. A homeless disguise helps.
Benoit has soap, but she won't use it on her hair. She looks at the bristled clumps on the women's heads and remembers split ends. Old habits are hard to break.
She's resourceful, but she won't steal. In the store, she pours conditioner into a clear bottle of shampoo. It looks ruined. Now that the war is over, people are fussy. They won't risk their expensive hair. The store will toss it. She'll have to dig.
~Katie Weekley
Katie Weekley lives on the West Coast where she works in the film industry.
Her work has appeared in Readings Divas. Email.
© 2004 by Katie Weekley. All Rights Reserved.
© Copyright 2004 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.