The window was down but was of little help. The Omni veered from side to side on its slow trek up Essex Street. A blaring horn jerked her out of her trance in time to avoid striking an oncoming vehicle. Shit, I can't do this. Turning the steering wheel, Crystal pulled into the corner lot and threw the car in park. On the corner stood a blue and white phone booth. Yeah, that's it. I'll call someone to get me. Then came another problem as a check of her pockets revealed two nickels and a penny. I bet I've dropped a quarter somewhere around here. Course there's not a chance in hell I'm bending over to look. I'd probably pass out.

Laura stared in disbelief at the screen. Three months? The response from the publisher had been swift. Upon missing her deadline, the print date for her book was pushed out three months, putting it past the big fall fair and ruining any chances she had of getting holiday sales. The print date change meant many things but of an even higher importance was the effect it had on her income. With the book now unavailable until after the new year, there would be no quarterly royalty checks for at least six months. Her previous works provided enough to pay the monthly bills but rent and day to day needs was a different matter. The phone rang but she made no effort to get it. Probably another telemarketer. Sighing, she closed the email and loaded her web browser. Guess I'll see if I can afford a tune-up before winter or if I have to conserve toothpaste. The phone continued to ring until the answering machine picked up. See? No message. Knew it wasn't important. Seconds later the phone rang again. Deciding this time that it wasn't a telemarketer, she walked over to the nightstand and picked up phone. "Hello?"

"This is the operator. Will you accept a collect call from Crystal Sheridan?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Go ahead." There was an audible click followed by mild static.

"Crystal?"

"Laura, that you?"

"Yes, it's me. You're going to have to speak up, Crystal. I can barely hear you."

"Can you hear me now?"

"Yes."

"Are you busy?"

"Crystal, is something wrong?"

"Well can you give me a ride home?" "A ride yes, of course I can. Did it break down again?"

"No. I just can't drive." A passing truck distorted the rest of her words.

"What? Why can't you drive? Were you in an accident?" While talking, Laura picked her sneakers up and began putting them on. "Where are you?" "I'm up on Essex near the airport."

"Is your car driveable?"

"Yeah but I don't think I can drive, Laura." Snickering giggles were heard through the poor connection. "Can you come get me?" "Yes Crystal, I'll come get you. Where are you again? Up by the airport?"

"At the phone booth on the corner. Near the telephone pole."

"Fine. Listen to me. Get back in your car and lock all the doors. I'll be there as quick as I can."

"Laura?"

"What?"

"Are you gonna come get me? Really?" Laura heard a thunk followed by Crystal yelping. "Ow. I hit my head on the phone." She is really wasted. Essex Street was not a good section of town by any means. "Crystal? Crystal are you still there?" "Yeah, I'm here."

"Did you here me? I want you to go wait in the car and keep the doors locked until I get there, okay?"

"Okay, Laura?"

"What?"

"I really can't drive."

Oh great, now she's rambling. "No you shouldn't, Crystal. Get in the car and stay there."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'm glad you called me instead of trying to drive home like that. Have you been drinking?"

"I only had one beer."

"So you're stoned, right?"

"Oh yeah. Very much stoned." Crystal giggled. "Petrified, in fact."

"Uh huh. Stay there. I'm on my way."

"Laura?"

"What?" The writer tried to keep the growing irritation out of her voice.

"You sure you're not mad at me?"

Laura sighed. "No, I'm not mad at you."

"Okay. I don't want you to be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you. Now hang up the phone so I can come get you."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Good 'cause I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Crystal! For the last time I am not mad at you so hang up the phone!" Laura pressed the pressed the off button. She stoned. She stoned out of her mind out in the middle of nowhere. Pressing the button, she heard the dial tone and pressed the familiar digits.

"Hello?"

"Jen? It's Laura. Can you help me pick up Crystal and her car? I'll explain on the way."

By the time Laura pulled the Jeep into the lot, Jenny had been filled in what she knew. As expected the gray Omni was parked near the phone booth. "There she is." Laura pulled her vehicle up alongside and put it in park. "Are you going to drive hers or mine back?" "I'll drive hers," Jenny said. "Let's see who she feels like riding with."

Together they walked over to Crystal's car and stood by the driver's side. Laura reached out and tapped the window. "Crystal? Crystal, wake up. We're here."

"Hmm?"

"Wake up. It's Laura. Jenny's with me. We've come to take you home." She reached for the door handle. "Crystal? Hey." She rapped the glass with her knuckles. "Unlock the door."

"Hi Laura," the stoned woman mumbled.

"Unlock the door." As soon as she heard the click, Laura pulled on the handle. The door opened and it was only Jenny's quick moves that kept Crystal from sliding out onto the ground.

"Easy now." Once they had the semi-conscious woman back in her seat, the therapist mode took over. "Crystal? Crystal, focus on me." "Hmm?"

"How much have you had to drink tonight?" Crystal proudly held up one wavering finger. "One what? Beer?"

"Yeah, just one," the blonde mumbled, her head rolling listlessly from side to side. "I'm stoned."

"So I see." Jenny looked up at Laura. "Any suggestions on how we're going to get her over to the passenger seat?"

"I haven't a clue," Laura replied.

"I'd say pull her over the seat but the gearshift is in the way."

"This car really has no room, does it?"

"Not much." Jenny tapped Crystal's cheek lightly. "Crystal

Crystal wake up. We have to move you."

"Mm? I'm awake. Wha?"

"Uh huh, let's move it, roomie." Laura looked at Jenny. "I think our best chance is to pull her over the gearshift. If we get her outside and she ends up on the ground there's no way we're going to be able to move her."

"I agree. I'll hold her while you go around to the passenger side," Jenny said.

"Let me get the keys. I'm sure that side is locked too." Laura walked around and opened the passenger door. "What's this?" she asked, holding up a composition book.

"Throw it in the back seat," Jenny answered, not revealing that she had seen Crystal earlier in the day.

It took some maneuvering on their part to get the stoned woman over the gearshift and into the passenger seat. Crystal struggled and squirmed, giggling to herself and mumbling incoherently.

"Hold still," Laura chastised. "I can't get the seat belt on you."

"Hi Lauraaa."

"Hi Crystal. Hold still and let me get the seat belt on, okay?"

"Okay." The blonde closed her eyes and rolled her head to the side. "I'm really stoned, you know."

"I know. I can tell." Laura smiled when she felt the click of the seat belt. "There. Jen, you want to drive her?"

"Sure. I'll meet you back at your place."

"No-o-o," Crystal whined, fidgeting around in her seat. "Why can't you drive me?"

Laura smiled at the petulant face before her. "Because I have my own car to drive, that's why." Standing up, she closed the passenger door and walked around the car. Handing the keys to Jenny, she bent down to look through the glass at Crystal. "She's really out of it."

"You heard her. She's stoned out of her mind. I doubt she even knows where she is right now."

"Why does she get this way?" Laura straightened and shook her head. "I just don't understand it."

"Have you ever asked her?"

"What?"

Jenny took Laura's hand and turned it palm up. "She asked you to drive her home." Placing the keys in the open hand, she turned and walked toward the Jeep. "Seems to me it's a perfect opportunity for you to ask her."

"Don't run any lights with my car," Laura called out, receiving a half-wave of Jenny's arm. I know you will, she silently groused. Closing her fingers around the keys, she reached for the door handle. "All right Crystal, let's get you home."

"Hi Laura."

"Hi yourself." She closed the door and felt around for the ignition.

"You're not mad at me, are you?"

"I told you I wasn't." Finding the elusive ignition, Laura put the key in and started the engine. "Would I have come out to get you if I was mad at you?" "I dunno." Crystal shrugged. "I wasn't sure you would."

"Of course I would," Laura said, following Jenny out of the parking lot and onto the main road. "I wouldn't leave you out here all alone, no matter what condition you were in." She slowed down for the traffic light. "So what were you doing out here?"

"I was visiting someone I knew."

"Is that who got you so stoned?"

"Yeah, I didn't know it was so strong." Crystal leaned her head against the window. "I don't think I could drive home."

Laura glanced over briefly before turning her attention back to the traffic. "No doubt about it, you have no business behind the wheel of a car." She drove several blocks before a quiet voice spoke.

"That's why I called you."

Flexing her fingers on the steering wheel, Laura kept her eyes straight ahead. "Well

I'm glad you did."

"I never did that before."

"Did what?"

"Called someone to come get me." Crystal rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. "Wow those lights are bright."

"I'm surprised you can see anything through those slits."

"My eyes are wide open," the stoned woman protested. "I can see everything."

"Uh huh," she said dubiously. "So were you at your friend's house all day getting stoned?"

"I went there after work."

"Work?"

"Oooh!" Crystal's face lit up and she squirmed in her seat. "I got a job today," she said excitedly.

"Really? Where?"

"Working for Michael. I hauled sheet rock all afternoon."

"You really took a job working for Michael?" Checking quickly to make sure she wasn't took close to the rear of her Jeep, Laura looked over at her companion. "Congratulations."

"It's only 'til my lip heals."

"It could be longer than that if you wanted, I'm sure. I thought Michael said there was enough work for a few months."

"Then what?" Crystal lifted her hand only to have it flop down onto her lap. "It doesn't matter."

The light from the street lamps pulsed through the windshield, giving Laura only passing glimpses of her roommate's face. "What doesn't matter?" "Everything." Crystal gave another limp wave of her hand. "Once the place is cleaned out he won't need me anymore and I'll be back there again." She shrugged her shoulders. "Might as well stay where I am."

You don't think there's anything better for you than stripping, do you? "But if you got some experience maybe Michael could help you find something else to do." Laura kept her attention divided between the road ahead of her and Crystal. "So what were you doing all the way out here besides getting stoned?"

"Hmm?" Crystal's eyes were closed, her lips turned in a lazy smile. "Oh, visiting someone."

"Someone you work with?"

The blonde snorted. "Hardly. Steph's just someone I knew from parties and stuff." Her hands groped her shirt pockets in search of her cigarettes. "Her husband is a real asshole."

"Was he there?"

"For a while before he got pissed and took off." The lighter slipped from her fingers onto her lap.

"Are you sure you can handle a cigarette? I don't want you dropping it on yourself or anything. Maybe you shouldn't smoke." "My car." Crystal lit her cigarette and stuffed the lighter in her pocket.

"At least open the window. I don't want your second hand smoke." Crystal did as she was asked and within seconds the smoke was drawn out into the night air. "Now," Laura continued, "So he became upset and left?"

"Yeah, he's an asshole."

"You said that before."

"She's an idiot."

You didn't say that before. "So why is she an idiot?"

"She is. She's just like my mother." Crystal took a hard drag on her cigarette. "Doesn't stand up for her kids, lets him treat her like shit. She's stupid." She flicked an ash out the open window. "Aw, ya know? She's so afraid of him that she lets him treat her like a dog. He drinks and screws around and when he feels like coming home he does and she doesn't do a damn thing about it." The car followed the Jeep onto the bypass, leaving the sodium lights of the city for the darkness of the highway. Crystal exhaled another stream of gray smoke. "Just always giving in to him," she said quietly. "Always letting him do whatever the fuck he wanted. Doesn't matter he beats his kids, doesn't matter he spent all the money each week, she didn't fucking care." The half finished cigarette went flying out the window. "She never cared," she whispered, staring through the glass at the darkness.