She began saving up money for a car a decade ago. She figured about 15 grand would do it. By the time she had that. Cars cost a lot more.

She took a bus. To the 

casino

. She got there as early as noon. And she wouldn't leave some days until midnight. Sure her mother said she ought to do something else with her life, but what other jobs were there available to an uneducated middle aged 

woman

like her self?

As a kid the movies didn't make sense. The ones she grew up on. Why'd all the girl characters have to be saved by some prince charming. She wasn't like one of those loud 

feminists

on the internet though.

She wouldn't mind being 'saved' by a prince charming. Just that there were no prince charmings around. Cathy was right. Her childhood friend who she no longer spoke to. Cathy always said that there was nothing wrong with a small town. But she had to get out of here. Because small towns had no prince charmings. You had to be educated to meet them. They lived elsewhere. Not in this place. Where people drove trucks 40 minutes to work. They lived in places where people walked. And stopped for coffees rather than getting it at a drive thru.

Cathy looked like she was having a fun time. Dating interesting men.

Herself? She had given up. Had she gone to college with Cathy way back when. Then maybe she would have guy friends who knew other smart guy friends. They would introduce her. But in this

small town

where did she expect to meet a man? At the casino? The gas station? The grocery store?

She didn't love her life, but there were still things about it she liked. She got along well with her co-workers. They made her feel like she belonged. And the customers. Some of them. Were alright.

Like this one guy. Youngish guy. Not too young. Younger than her. But he'd come in with this older guy. Older than her. Not sure how the two of them got along. At first they didn't seem like people who'd be friends so she assumed they were scammers. She kept her eye on them. But they kept coming in and eventually they became buddies.

She knew what they drank. Coke. Never alcohol for the older guy. And the younger guy liked beer and whiskey.