Short Stories by Lola Nation - Make it Short

(excerpt from book "She's Not There")                 Sarah was fairly sure that Diablo was not going to call or trespass this evening as he’d been on a drinking binge for the last week avoiding his own apartment in fear of Mark harassing him.   She walked from her apartment to the Lost & Found and quickly drank a couple of jack n cokes.   On her way toward the back door she saw Smythe.                 “What are you doing here?”   He asked and eyed her suspiciously.   She didn’t drink without Diablo anymore and really didn’t go out of the house as far as he knew, it was strange to see her at twilight.                 “Having a drink too many.”    She let herself in the passenger seat and closed the door.   ...

The shower was running, Parker could see steam come from underneath the door. She had to pee. “Sam, hurry up, I gotta pee.” “Just a minute.” The shower droned on. She went to the kitchen and smoked a cigarette. Her window faced the west. She was watching the traffic go by, inevitably from the beach or to the beach, on this warm day. The cigarette was out. She got up and changed shirts into a tank top.  She was done waiting for Sam to get out of the bathroom. “Sam! Goddamnit! I have to pee!” When he didn’t reply she pounded on the door. Nothing. Well, he’d been in there long enough to drown. She waited a few more minutes while smoking another cigarette. The urgency of needing to urinate won and she knocked on the door again.  Nothing. He had looked sweaty when he came over and the racing gloves in 80 degree weather was a little ridiculous for driving a 1970s BMW around, its alternator was out and he had to constantly rev the engine and use the brake at the ...