Choices

Choices
He had to finish reading and writing the report to keep his flagging grades up or wear dirty underwear to class. He decided to do both. It seemed reasonable. He loaded his basket with clothing, laundry detergent, and the book that he was reading, titled, “On the Wilderness trail; From Moccasins to Motor Cars. “ It covered the history of the Wilderness Trail and its expansion into major highways.
It was mid morning and there would be little competition for the machines at the Laundromat. Hopefully it would be quiet. This place was near his apartment and less busy than the one on campus. A friend would turn dirty underwear inside out to have a “clean” side against him until he could do his laundry; not me..
The Laundromat was empty. He quickly claimed two machines, slotted the money, and added the detergent. Choosing a seat at the corner of a table, he began to read, making notes as he found interesting items that he would need for his paper.
He’d barely read two pages, when the door opened. Glancing up, a young woman entered and began to toss her clothes into a machine a few washers away. He noticed her long black hair and nearly violet eyes. He heard the money slide into the slots and water gush into the machine. She hadn’t brought anything to read or do and of course, she wanted to talk.
“Hi,” she said and chose a seat several chairs away. He could feel her eyes on him, as if she was evaluating him. It was as if she was deciding something about him.
It would be rude to ignore her. He looked away from his reading. She was about twenty-three, had velvety, pale skin. Her raven hair caused her skin to seem paler.
Looking up, he replied “Hey,” and went back to his book. The assigned reading was due and he really didn’t have the time for small talk.
He saw movement from the corner of his eye and glanced toward her. She had crossed her legs-long, shapely legs. The short skirt hiked up even higher up on her thighs. His mouth went dry. He was torn between the book and the look.
He managed to read a few more sentences when he heard her stirring in her chair. He was enticed into taking another peek. She had uncrossed her legs leaving a dark cavern beneath the hem of the skirt. Looking at her face, she shared a welcoming smile. Her pearly white teeth gleamed from behind crimson lips. Her eyes sparkled. Wresting his eyes from this vision of loveliness he returned to his book.
His washing machine stopped. He rose quickly to toss the wet clothing into the dryer. Inserting another few coins he completed the chore. She said, “You remind me of my brother.”
”Why is it when I have homework due, do I meet such a beautiful woman?” He thought and returned to his reading, nodding and smiling as he passed by..
“I make a mean spaghetti. It’s my brother’s favorite,” she continued.
“I like spaghetti too,” he managed as he shuffled by her.
Hopefully he would be able to finish the assignment and still have time to talk. He had never read so quickly in his life. He tossed his second load of laundry into an unused dryer and returned to his reading. Each time he glanced at the beautiful woman, she was always looking at him. His throat went dry and he became more and more aroused.
Only one more chapter to read; what should he say to her. He could barely keep his attention on the words he was reading. Everything he thought to say to her seemed contrived and frivolous. Just as the buzzer of the dryer sounded and pulled him from his reverie, the door of the Laundromat opened. A tall handsome man with a toddler in his arms entered. “Hi Hon, ready to go home?”
“Yeah babe, let me grab my stuff,” she replied.