Tumble Dry Low

Need to kill some time?  I wrote this.  You can read it and praise me.

TUMBLE DRY LOW
Setting: A laundry room in an apartment building.  Anna’s clothes are in the dryer.  She is reading a book.  Robin comes in and throws her clothes into a washer, sits down.  She watches Anna’s clothes for a minute.

Robin: Almost dry.

Anna: What?

Robin: Your clothes are almost dry.  You know, they look pretty fluffy.  Not like when you first put them in, and they’re all wet and heavy and stick together in a big wet heavy pile.

Anna: Yeah, they’re almost dry.  (Tries to go back to her book.)

Robin: (Sighs) That must be nice, to have your laundry almost done.  I hate doing laundry.  (Pats her laundry hamper.)  I wish this was over, already!  What’s your least favorite household chore?

Anna: Um…sweeping, I think.

Robin: Oh yeah, and none of these apartment buildings have any carpeting.

Anna: Uh, nope.

Robin: I want to lay down rugs everywhere, but you know, rugs… (Shrugs)  They’re pretty expensive.

Anna: That they are.  (Tries to go back to her book.)

Robin: What are you reading?

Anna: Um…The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.

Robin: Cool.  What’s it about?

Anna: I’m not really sure yet…I just started it.  I think it’s kind of about a big mystery, and Vlad the Impaler, and, um (waves hand) some other stuff.

Robin: Is it good?

Anna: Um…so far.

Robin: Cool.

(Anna nods.  She hates the way people say “cool” all the time when they have nothing else to say.  She reads for about 6 seconds.  Shayna comes in with a bag of laundry.)

Shayna: Oh hey…Robin, right? (Robin nods) – Oh man, are all the washers taken?

Robin: Yeah, I just got the last one. Sorry.  It’ll be done in 28 minutes.

Shayna: That’s cool, I’ll wait.  You’re Anna, right?

(Anna doesn’t really want to look up, but does anyway and nods.)

Shayna: I’m Shayna.  You’re across the hall from me…4B, right?  Your husband helped me out last week when my key got stuck.  Man, I thought I was going to miss the train, and then be late for work!  I was so worried.  I guess it just took some man power…you know what I mean?

Robin: Sure do.

Anna: (Smiles weakly.)  I’ll tell Joel you said thanks.

Shayna: Yeah.  What are you reading?

Anna: Um…The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.

Robin: She says it’s about Vlad the Impaler.

Shayna: Cool.  Who’s that?

Robin: I don’t know.

Anna: (Reluctantly) He’s the guy that the Dracula stories are based on. 
From the 15th century.  He terrorized the Ottoman Empire. 
When the Turks finally killed him, they preserved his head in a jar of honey and it was displayed in Constantinople.

Shayna: Cool.  Are you into history and stuff like that?

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