Domicile: Bitches can move on down the road
Click to viewA long walk begins with a first step, each consecutive step takes a person on a transformative journey further down their path to its ultimate fulfillment; this thought brought Ralph some comfort as he entered the 2nd hour of his long, sweaty journey of lugging a cardboard box full of groceries in the morning sun. The heat was rising fast, and traffic on the road was picking up as people began heading to their jobs in town. Ralph could feel their eyes scanning him as they drove past, sometimes blowing past at full speed, intentionally blasting him with car exhaust. Ralph was both alert & relaxed- tense, yet trying to remain calm; he knew it was only at the traffic lights that he really needed to be careful, but if you take even the most composed person and blast them with car horns, yelling & drive-by insults, it eventually puts them on edge. On top of this, both his back & arms ached.
A half an hour later, Ralph found himself approaching the last major four-way stop on the way out of town. Unfortunatly, his instinct told him trouble was coming.
"Eww."
Ralph frowned as his eyes followed the sound to a pair of young twenty-something women coasting towards him as traffic slowed at the red light. They tooled up alongside him and came to a full stop on his right. The pair were initially giggling at the remark one had made, but as they got a better look at him, Ralph picked up on a subtle change in the driver. She had stopped laughing and her face showed a hint of concern; it was evident she could see he was tired and his body ached from his effort, as well as the realization she was in no way able to offer any help in that moment in time. The nearer passenger, however, had gone silent for a different reason; she was tensing up. Ralph had seen that tension in people before- just before they throw a punch. Her expression matched her intent, and as Ralph eyes followed her arm, he saw her grab the large drink cup from its holder. Ralph's mind raced- he knew his burden he carried made dodging impossible, so instead, he reacted by swinging to deflect. As he swung the box, the corner hit the cup about midway up, flipping the open top back in the direction of the thrower. Everything seemed to freeze as a long stream of what appeared to be either clear soda or ice water splashed back against the car door, arching upward as it splooshed against the metal, a small portion overflowing and hitting the woman's chest. Apparently enough did reach the target, as Ralph's ears were greeted by the sound of her gasp. Not missing a beat, both Ralph and the traffic started going again- albeit in opposite directions- and Ralph caught sight of the driver throwing her head back to laugh as she started driving onward, her friend apparently trying to dry herself off.