1

We are dressed in our anniversarial best. I’ve got my suit jacket on that I got at Zara Paris and I’m wearing my light grey pants because my dark grey ones are in a plastic bag that’s in a green Amazon bag which is soon to be on its way to the laundromat. Musette is wearing a white button up over a tank top and the black skirt which was one of her Zara Paris purchases.

I am also wearing a tie that I got in Paris that has polka dots on it. One time somebody from one of the bars I delivered to told me that it is flattering. It was the guy from the Lakeview Lounge who is bald and drives a red truck.

One time, Clive, the other driver at the liquor store in Portland, got a twenty five dollar gift card for getting to the Lakeview Lounge in a crunch. Clive gave the card to me though because he knew that he would never get out there and that I have a wife whom I like taking on dates.

They have a drink there called the Kaiser Sosa which is their version of an old fashioned.

There are board games lining the booths. We played Trivial Pursuit for a few cards. One of the cards I got was about Jack Kerouac. I knew the answer.

The laundromat is only a couple of blocks away.

There is a young man behind the counter. He has light brown skin, black rimmed glasses, and a white t-shirt on. He is soft spoken. Last time Musette and I came here, Musette had gone in by herself and I had held Charlo outside.

The young man takes our laundry and puts it on a scale.

“There is a plastic bag in there full of stuff we don’t want dried.” I tell him.

“Or you can dry them, if that’s what you have to do, but maybe do them on ‘delicate’.” Musette says.

The young man nods.

The laundry weighs around ten dollars. The young man goes over to another bag that is sitting in a cart behind him.

“Your clothes will be ready Friday.” he says.

Friday is the day after tomorrow. Neither of us have that day off. It is both our Monday.

I tell Musette that it will be okay.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“Are you going to dry the clothes in the plastic bag?” Musette asks the young man.

“We can hang them.” he says.