Friday, January 28, 2011

Trapped




Thank God I'm not stuck in a small space. Not like I could do what my dad does. He got trapped in an elevator once, so to deal with his claustrophobia? He took a nap. Ha! I haven't been able to fall asleep on my own in years. Dammit, I hadn't thought of that til now! Need to start carrying my Lunesta around with me. Good thing I ended up at a Walmart in Missouri where they sell alcohol. Pfft! Never would have expected to hear that phrase from me. "Walmart" and "Missouri" are usually mutually exclusive from "good" in my book. Hell, I consider them downright evil on most days. Not sure I can feel that lucky about being stuck with the kinds of customers that entails, though. Should've kept driving. No, that would've just left me to freeze to death in the white-out. Guess that's looking on the positive side of my post-pregnancy bladder being so small I can't make it 100 miles without stopping. At least I didn't have to stop at one of the adult bookstores this time. Had to do that once. Clearly a squatting-only place, even more so than a bar. How pathetic is it that half the exits off I-70 across this God-forsaken state have only those and gas stations? Ugh. Reason #827 I would never move to "Mis-ery."

Thank you, Jesus, for vodka. Couldn't have gotten even those couple hours of sleep without it. Partly because of my insomnia, but mostly because these hicks keep trying to talk to me. Do I look like I speak white-trash? Please. Which is why I don't feel the least bit bad about snagging the Smirnoff. I'll pay for it later. Not like it was Grey Goose.

Ugh, the stench has started. And now that they're shutting down power at night, it's getting a little scary. Locked myself in a stall in the bathroom for safety's sake. Realized we were going to be stuck more than a couple of days overnight, and all I could think of was the horror stories of rapes and robberies at the Superdome after Katrina. Wasn't going to let Jim Bob and his brother, Darryl and his other brother, Darryl close enough to me to exchange words, much less touch me. Upside is I've taken some photos to upload to PeopleOfWalmart.com when I get home. Which should be tomorrow. Supposed to get a break in the snow today. Plows will be able to get a start anyway.

I know they're just babies and can't help it, but someone PLEASE make them shut the hell up! It's like reliving giving birth and being in the hospital. Hearing all those babies crying. Except my Emma. Never a sound. I knew before then, of course. A mother knows these things. Though I guess technically I was never a mother. Just can't think from all the noise. Need a drink. Should wait til lights out to get more vodka from my stash; don't want to risk someone finding it. When the manager locked all the food and firearms in the break room and his office so he could ration it, I followed suit and got most of the vodka before the rest of the trailer-trash figured out what was going on. Most people were more worried about their families than themselves. Guess I finally found the benefit to being solo. I'd be worried, too. It's not looking good. Can't believe the snow only stopped for thirty minutes.

Wishing I'd watched more "Survivorman". We're almost out of food. There are about 165 people in this damn place. Luckily I'm used to drinking my dinner. Been giving some girl my nighttime ration. Looks about the same age I was when I got knocked up. She'll be due around the same time I was, too. But doesn't sound like she's married. Parents kicked her out. A loner like me. For another couple of months anyway.

If we ever get out of here.

This post was inspired by the prompt "You are trapped (alone or with others) in a single location during the fury and/or aftermath of a blizzard of historic proportions." Constructive criticism welcome.

8 comments:

Andrea said...

Geez, what a place to be trapped! I can totally picture it. My goodness. You had me cracking up, seriously. Good for her getting all the vodka. I can't imagine being stuck in my local Walmart for days. It'd be fun at first, but then ... well, then I'd have wished I thought ahead and snagged the liquor!

Rachel said...

I enjoyed the humor you put in the tense situation. Booze always plays.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed the humor in this otherwise tense situation. I could picture her being the frowning, mean lady glaring at everyone else.

(I laughed when I read "Mi-sery". That's what my mom called it when we lived there.)

Very stream of conscience. It left me with a few questions...where was she going? Why?

Jessica Anne said...

Can I say I don't like her? You did a great job developing the character, but I don't think I'd like her in person. Although, being stuck in Wal-mart might make anyone unlikeable.

Cheryl said...

Talk about my worst nightmare! I don't like being in Walmart EVER!

She does sound like kind of a nasty, lonely person. Possibly a drunk, too. And where's her kid?

CDG said...

I was all set to not like her, either.

Until "Hearing...technically I was never a mother."

Whew.

I'd drink, too.

Nichole said...

Nicely done, Jennifer.
You did a great job of making me think she was a snob on one hand, but realizing that, on the other hand, she was wounded.
I want to know more about the baby...
Was she silent because she died?

Not Just Another Jennifer said...

Thanks for all the comments! Yes, I wanted her to be snobby and unlikable, but also yes, because she was wounded. The baby was a stillborn. That may not have come through very clearly, though. Good point about not talking enough about where she was headed. I may rework it and add more about that in. Glad the humor came through. It was snarky when I first wrote it, but then as I edited, I wasn't sure if it just sounded flat.

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