Part 1

He rolled into town looking like some old cowboy looking for a night of sin and whiskey. He pulled up to the lone red light and eased his rusty old pickup to a stop. He scanned the intersection left to right looking for signs of some flea bag motel to get a room for however long he intended to stay. The light turned green and he went up two more blocks where he thought he saw a neon light burning. He pulled up to the curb next to the gas lit sign that advertised " Main Street Hotel" and "Vacancy." He laughed to himself thinking that every inn, motel and hotel in small town America never said "No-Vacancy."

He got out of his truck and stretched for a full thirty seconds before he realized he was being stared at by two small children; a boy and girl, no more than eight years old. He smiled as they gazed at him with eyes of wonderment and he realized he must have been a sight. He hadn't shaved in five days nor slept decently in almost a week. He looked tired and haggard and as if he had been on the road for centuries.

He had been on the road for a long time, longer than he cared to remember, but this was his life and would be until fate told him otherwise. He waved at the two children and said "Howdy!" They're eyes grew wide with delight and they ran off hand in hand to tell whomever about the strange scruffy man who had just came in to town. He turned on his heel and stepped up onto the sidewalk to go get himself a room with a bed to crash on.

He walked in to the motel and stood for a second to gaze at his new temporary home. It was small, only two floors. The first floor had small eating area off to the left of the entrance, a stair case straight ahead leading up to the rooms, and the check-in desk just to his right. The man behind it was old and balding, not wanting to part with what little white hair he had left on the bottom of his head. He was squinting through his glasses at a small tubed TV watching the local news. He walked up to the desk and stood for a second hoping his presence would become known to the old man.

After a few moments, when he realized that the man was too captivated by whatever story was on at the moment to notice him, he finally said "Hello," questioningly, hoping the man's hearing was still well enough to pick up on his voice. The man whipped around looking startled and turned up his hearing aid. "Can I help ya young fella?"

"Yessir, I'd like to see if it wouldn't be too much trouble for me to get a room."

The man's face eased into relief and he chuckled. "Well I don't see no harm in it, how long you figure you'll be stayin'?"

"Ah, I don't know, a few days, maybe longer."

"Well, I charge fifteen dollars a night, you'll get a bed, a TV, and a shower with hot water. We serve breakfast at six a.m. sharp if you're wantin' it. Ma cooks up a mean batch of biscuits and gravy every day and on Sundays she fixes hot cakes with maple syrup and some sausage and bacon."

He gave a crooked smile and said, "That sounds just fine to me. I'll give you a sec to get the key and go get my bag."

The man gave him a nod, turned, and went through an open doorway that headed back to the office. He walked back out to his truck to get his lone duffel back. He opened the passenger door of his truck and stopped. He suddenly got a feeling he hadn't had in ages. He felt home. He laughed, shook his head, and grabbed his bag.

As he turned to go back inside he caught a glimpse of a girl crossing the intersection of the stop light he had just passed not long ago. She looked to be maybe twenty-four or twenty-five years old, not much older than he. She had dark brown hair that went a little past her shoulder. She was wearing a long strapless dress that showed off her china doll colored skin. She turned her head towards him and met his gaze. He wasn't sure but he thought he caught a hint of a smile cross her face. He felt his heart begin to flutter deep in his chest. She turned her focus back to whatever destination lie ahead of her and slowly walked out of his view.

When he got back in the hotel the old man was waiting for him with his key, a towel, and a shit eating grin on his face. "See something that caught your fancy out there mister?"

He let out a small sigh and replied, "You know, I don't know."

The old man let loud roaring laugh at this. "Maybe you'll find out soon enough, but then again who the hell knows what they really want? You're in room twelve. It's straight upstairs, last one on the left."

He smiled and nodded and took his towel and key. He clambered up the stairs and made his way down the hallway. It was small, only six rooms on each side of it. He found his and unlocked it. He sat his bag down in the doorway and said out loud to no one in particular, "Damn it'll be nice to have four walls around me for once."

The room was quaint. It had a bed and a TV like the old man had said. It had one window overlooking the street with an air conditioning unit in it. Off to the left of the entrance was the bathroom with a small stand up shower.

He walked over to the full sized bed, sat down, slipped off his boots and socks, and fell into a deep state of unconsciousness; still in his jeans and t-shirt.