Laundromat Romance
Love
Nora liked coming to the laundromat at night. It was peaceful. A smile made it's way across her face as she sat against one of the many washing machines in the laundromat enjoying the strong vibrations coming from it as the spin cycle began. She opened her eyes and looked around at the spacious room and the few people in the room.
The woman who was catching up on her reading as her fourth load of laundry dried. The college kids who didn't want to wait for a machine to open up in their dorms. And the man that made Nora's world so much brighter.
Nora smiled when she caught his eye. It amazed her how much time she'd spent here with him and how many times and how close they had come more than once to getting kicked out. Neither of them could forget how it had all started there...
_______________________
Two years earlier, Nora was the new girl in town. Somehow, she had landed a job at an architecture firm in that small town right out of college. It usually took her forever for her to get comfortable somewhere, so it was a miracle that she had managed to survive four years in a strange town for college. But no matter where she went, there was always one place where she could feel natural and just blend: a laundromat.
At laundromats, there always seemed to be the same people, all engrossed in the same tasks. Apparently there was someone else who thought similarly...
_________________________
"Damn."
"You ok?" a voice behind Nora asked. She jumped a little and looked away from the dryer she had just put clothes into to figure out who was talking to her.
Damn. He's really good looking, she thought. "Um, yeah, sorry. I just realized that I'm a quarter short on this dryer," she said trying to avoid his eyes. His really deep brown eyes.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. "You can use one of mine. On one condition," he said.
Nora sighed. She didn't trust conditions, but she wasn't about to hang her clothes out the window of her house. "And what is that condition?" she asked.
He smiled. "You have to join me for a date tomorrow night."
Nora looked at the man, then her clothes, then back at the man. "Fine. But I'm going to need to know your name first."
The stranger's smile never waned. "It's Thomas," he said as he handed her the quarter. "And you are?"
"Nora."
"Nora. That's a really nice name," he said while leaning against the next machine over. "Well can I have your address, Nora?"
"What for?" she said as she turned her attention back to he clothes.
"Well if we're going out then shouldn't I be a gentleman and pick you up before we go out?"
Nora turned the dial on the dryer and faced Thomas. "How about this. Since neither of us know how tomorrow night is going to turn out, how about I meet you here at 7. Then if I don't have too terrible of a time, then I'll tell you where I live."
He shrugged. "I'll take what I can get." then he pulled a scrap of paper and a pen put of his pocket and scribbled on it. Thomas then closed Nora's hand around it. "Keep this in case you don't have too terrible of a time."
With that he turned and left her standing where she was, slightly dazed.
______________________
Four months of consecutive successful dates came of that chance meeting at the laundromat. She ended up finding him nearly irresistible, but not for traditional reasons.
He made her laugh, which was a rare trait in a guy. And she kept him sane, at least for the most part.
They still met up at the place where their relationship had begun every week for washing.
But Nora usually remembered enough quarters. But things started changing after the beginning of months five....
______________________
"Thomas, give it back!" Nora screamed at her boyfriend as he ran the length of the room with her shoe in hand. She was having more difficulty than usual catching him due to her missing shoe.
"You'll never catch me," he said as he whipped around the other direction.
Nora stopped, rid herself of the other shoe, sprinted, and tackled her favorite man. This was one of the times she was glad that they had taken to coming to the laundromat later at night. Fewer people to stare or scoff at their behavior.
The two rolled around the floor, wrestling for the purple Chuck Taylor. The battle ensued for a few minutes with a very tired medical student as the only witness.
Finally, Thomas threw the shoe aside and started kissing Nora. She smiled against the kiss, and rolled over, working her way on top. He rolled again, taking his rightful place.
A new battle had started up, but this one was for dominance rather than a shoe.
He removed his lips from hers and whispered in her ear. "Did you remember to take your medication today? I seem to have forgotten something."
Nora smiled and instantly understood exactly what he meant. "Yes I did. So you're safe. This time."
"Good." Thomas had one hand under her shirt while the other was traveling toward the waist of her jeans. At the same time, her hands reached for his zipper.
"Get a room or I'm calling the owners," the med student. "And I don't think they'd be very happy to learn about your activities."
Both Thomas and Nora looked up and laughed as they removed their hands from each other. By the time they had been called out, Thomas's shirt was off and Nora was close to being the same. Thomas rolled off of his girlfriend and pulled her back up.
"I guess we'll have to wait a little bit to continue," Nora laughed.
"Come on, Nora. Don't be cruel. Are you trying to hurt me?" he pouted.
"Well I don't think that the owners would be very happy to learn about our activities."
______________________
"Hey beautiful."
Nora smiled and turned to kiss Thomas. She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed back with just as much fervor.
All too soon, he released his lips from hers, placed a scrap of paper in her hand, just as he had almost two years earlier, and walked back to his machine.
She opened the paper in her hand and saw three simple sentences.
"Meet me back here at 9 tonight. I want to relive some of my favorite moments. And I have something very important to ask you."
The woman who was catching up on her reading as her fourth load of laundry dried. The college kids who didn't want to wait for a machine to open up in their dorms. And the man that made Nora's world so much brighter.
Nora smiled when she caught his eye. It amazed her how much time she'd spent here with him and how many times and how close they had come more than once to getting kicked out. Neither of them could forget how it had all started there...
_______________________
Two years earlier, Nora was the new girl in town. Somehow, she had landed a job at an architecture firm in that small town right out of college. It usually took her forever for her to get comfortable somewhere, so it was a miracle that she had managed to survive four years in a strange town for college. But no matter where she went, there was always one place where she could feel natural and just blend: a laundromat.
At laundromats, there always seemed to be the same people, all engrossed in the same tasks. Apparently there was someone else who thought similarly...
_________________________
"Damn."
"You ok?" a voice behind Nora asked. She jumped a little and looked away from the dryer she had just put clothes into to figure out who was talking to her.
Damn. He's really good looking, she thought. "Um, yeah, sorry. I just realized that I'm a quarter short on this dryer," she said trying to avoid his eyes. His really deep brown eyes.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter. "You can use one of mine. On one condition," he said.
Nora sighed. She didn't trust conditions, but she wasn't about to hang her clothes out the window of her house. "And what is that condition?" she asked.
He smiled. "You have to join me for a date tomorrow night."
Nora looked at the man, then her clothes, then back at the man. "Fine. But I'm going to need to know your name first."
The stranger's smile never waned. "It's Thomas," he said as he handed her the quarter. "And you are?"
"Nora."
"Nora. That's a really nice name," he said while leaning against the next machine over. "Well can I have your address, Nora?"
"What for?" she said as she turned her attention back to he clothes.
"Well if we're going out then shouldn't I be a gentleman and pick you up before we go out?"
Nora turned the dial on the dryer and faced Thomas. "How about this. Since neither of us know how tomorrow night is going to turn out, how about I meet you here at 7. Then if I don't have too terrible of a time, then I'll tell you where I live."
He shrugged. "I'll take what I can get." then he pulled a scrap of paper and a pen put of his pocket and scribbled on it. Thomas then closed Nora's hand around it. "Keep this in case you don't have too terrible of a time."
With that he turned and left her standing where she was, slightly dazed.
______________________
Four months of consecutive successful dates came of that chance meeting at the laundromat. She ended up finding him nearly irresistible, but not for traditional reasons.
He made her laugh, which was a rare trait in a guy. And she kept him sane, at least for the most part.
They still met up at the place where their relationship had begun every week for washing.
But Nora usually remembered enough quarters. But things started changing after the beginning of months five....
______________________
"Thomas, give it back!" Nora screamed at her boyfriend as he ran the length of the room with her shoe in hand. She was having more difficulty than usual catching him due to her missing shoe.
"You'll never catch me," he said as he whipped around the other direction.
Nora stopped, rid herself of the other shoe, sprinted, and tackled her favorite man. This was one of the times she was glad that they had taken to coming to the laundromat later at night. Fewer people to stare or scoff at their behavior.
The two rolled around the floor, wrestling for the purple Chuck Taylor. The battle ensued for a few minutes with a very tired medical student as the only witness.
Finally, Thomas threw the shoe aside and started kissing Nora. She smiled against the kiss, and rolled over, working her way on top. He rolled again, taking his rightful place.
A new battle had started up, but this one was for dominance rather than a shoe.
He removed his lips from hers and whispered in her ear. "Did you remember to take your medication today? I seem to have forgotten something."
Nora smiled and instantly understood exactly what he meant. "Yes I did. So you're safe. This time."
"Good." Thomas had one hand under her shirt while the other was traveling toward the waist of her jeans. At the same time, her hands reached for his zipper.
"Get a room or I'm calling the owners," the med student. "And I don't think they'd be very happy to learn about your activities."
Both Thomas and Nora looked up and laughed as they removed their hands from each other. By the time they had been called out, Thomas's shirt was off and Nora was close to being the same. Thomas rolled off of his girlfriend and pulled her back up.
"I guess we'll have to wait a little bit to continue," Nora laughed.
"Come on, Nora. Don't be cruel. Are you trying to hurt me?" he pouted.
"Well I don't think that the owners would be very happy to learn about our activities."
______________________
"Hey beautiful."
Nora smiled and turned to kiss Thomas. She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed back with just as much fervor.
All too soon, he released his lips from hers, placed a scrap of paper in her hand, just as he had almost two years earlier, and walked back to his machine.
She opened the paper in her hand and saw three simple sentences.
"Meet me back here at 9 tonight. I want to relive some of my favorite moments. And I have something very important to ask you."