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“Starting the day with violence,” I laugh, sitting up and stretching my arms.
Avraam sits up beside me, mirroring my stretch until we both look like cats laying out by the window. If I wasn’t so hungry, I’d suggest going back to sleep for a little while, but my stomach growls so loud that it echoes through the empty room.
“Time for breakfast,” Avraam says cheerfully.
“We’ll have to go somewhere. I don’t have much to eat at home.”
“Breakfast date. I like it,” he says, springing up from the floor.
I’m captivated by his naked body as he walks to the bathroom. Even the sound of his piss in the toilet has this intoxicating masculine energy to it, and I’m unable to get up and make myself presentable until he leaves the room. I’m just so entranced by him.
I’m simultaneously disappointed and relieved when I find him fully dressed in the hallway a few minutes later. His hair is wet slicked back and his stubble glistens with water from the sink.
He’s all fresh and ready, and I look like someone ran me over with their car last night.
“Know any good places in town?” I ask, testing his story with an innocent question.
“I usually eat at home,” he replies.
I raise an eyebrow. “No dates?”
“Only you,” he replies with a wink.
For some reason, I doubt that, but I let it slide. I don’t want to spoil the charm until I know for sure that he’s lying to me. Then, I can be angry. Now, all I want to do is play the fool.
Before we leave, I throw my hair in a tight bun and change my outfit twice. Nothing is without wrinkles from the suitcase, but I manage to smooth out the creases enough to where it isn’t painfully obvious.
I doubt Avraam would wait for me to send my outfit through the dryer first. He looks like he’s ready to sprint out the door.
“Very modern,” he notes as we slip into my ten-year-old Honda.
“Um… not really,” I reply with a laugh. “What do you drive?”
“Same thing,” he replies a little too quickly.
There’s something up with him, but I can’t figure out what it is. I find it a little unbelievable that he’s homeless, but it’s also not adding up that he’s not homeless. At the very least, he doesn’t actually live here, and he’s probably not who he says he is.
But why lie? What’s he hiding?
I pull into the parking lot of a small diner in town. There are other cars there, so it seems like a good bet for breakfast. Avraam is looking out the window like he’s never seen a building or other people before.
It’s bizarre, but I doubt I’ll get anywhere by questioning his behavior. He acts like it’s normal when it’s obviously not.
“There’s a pawn shop near here, right?” he asks as I park the car.
“Not sure.”
“Should be one. Every town has one.”
“You thinking of pawning my car while I’m eating breakfast?” I joke.
He doesn’t appear to get it. His expression is serious and little confused. “No, I’d just like to talk with them about something.”
Something. More vagueness from him, but I’m too hungry to care at this point. I just want something to eat.
“Let’s go,” I say, stepping out and breathing in the crisp morning air. It’s a lot cleaner than it was in the city. Even though the mountains tend to block in pollution, it the air still tastes better than where I’m from.
Avraam hangs back by the car, even as I walk toward the glowing building.
