Trouble And Money #49

A Train Station In Warsaw, Poland

The train from Warsaw to Kyiv is an overnighter, which gives me time to kill in the town.

Here is something about me. I'm on a mission, so I will not stray from where I must be at a certain time. I may have lunch or a beer somewhere, but I will do it near the train station.

The unknowns hold me in place, and being near means I will get to where I am going on time. I would not have a good time doing anything else while thinking of returning to the train station.

 Am I near the best restaurants? No. Am I near the best bars? No. Is there food, beer, and a good phone signal near me? Yes.

 This is the dedication that the Defalters bought when they took me on.

 People in train stations are waiting just like me. The scam artists circle, but they are smart enough to avoid me. That's the vibe I'm putting out. My backpack of items is in front of me, and I am stationed near one of the only electrical outlets in the station. I'll charge and free it up.

 It's a gray day with mist, and I feel like I'm home—except it smells like old cement, stale urine, and kabob meat.

The Seawall, Rye, New Hampshire - 0430 Gator Time

 Tammy slipped into a routine that Gator approves of. He whines a bit in the morning to get her up and going, and they head for the ocean to make sure the gulls are awake.

 Tammy sat on the wall watching the Donut / Coffee Shop get ready to open. She laughed as she thought of her long-gone grandmother, who taught her never to be the first customer for anything.

 She used to say, "Let them hate someone else."

 She missed Connie. The night before he left, he was a sweetheart. He got up, kissed, squeezed, and kissed her again. She could hear him saying goodbye to Gator, and then he was gone.

 It was a fun evening.

 The hard part is not knowing when he would be home or what he was doing.

 Three customers went through the drive-through, so it was now safe to grab a hot "One and One"

 Gator came running, thinking about the impending jelly filled donut hole. He usually eats three of them, but Tammy had him on a diet. Two was fine.

 While the counter helped make her coffee, Tammy wondered about Connie and whether he would ever consider marrying again.

 It's too early to think of that. This moment was Dog, Coffee, Sunrise, the smell of the ocean, and donut holes.

 "C'mon, Boy," she said.

When the door of the store closed the woman behind the counter yelled over to the sandwich maker

"It looks like Connie snagged another ho."

 "She was with Gator, but Connie wasn't with them."

(Your local coffee shop employees know everything!)

Trouble And Money is published Monday through Friday. It is a free serial fiction detective story with characters you will love. Read the adventures of Conrad Grange as he solves cases and contends with a harsh world.

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