The 

Affordable Inn

was affordable for one reason. Hustle. They were scrappy. Collected coffee from nearby hotels at the end of the night and microwaved it and served it as fresh coffee at the continental breakfast. The baked goods were all items the other bakeries and hotels couldn't sell on time. Not expired, but good enough for guests at a place like the Affordable Inn.

They didn't clean as much as the other hotels. Sometimes if a guest left the room clean looking enough they wouldn't bother to vacuum or scrub down the bathroom. It wasn't the best way to run a hotel. It was the affordable way.

Blake who worked the night shift was saving money so that he could take his girlfriend to a proper hotel. He had heard of a place far out west called The 

Seaside Rest

. He had been saving for months now. They would finally go this weekend. He couldn't wait. He already had a box full of 

condoms

that he had ready,

During the months he lived real lean. No meals out. Just ramen. He would listen to the radio, that tune "The Seaside Rest, The place that knows you best. The Seaside Rest, a place that's best for rest."

It would motivate him to continue. To keep on saving and just eating ramen. But now the time had finally come. The saving would pay off. His phone vibrated. He saw that it was his girlfriend. Excitedly he picked up.

She broke up with him right there on the call. Said she was okay with him having a dead beat job but she couldn't deal with him being so cheap. He hadn't taken her on any dates. And she was sick of him eating nothing but ramen.

Shit he thought. On the way home he had dozed off and drove straight past a stop sign. When the cop pulled him over he looked real nasty. Told Blake he needed to "get the fuck out of the car."

"What's the deal, officer?" he asked.

"Are you trying to give me a hard time, boy?"

"No sir."

He got out. The officer frisked him. Took out the box of condoms.

"You trying to get lucky, queer?"

The officer smirked and took the box away from him. Walked back to his car and drove away. Blake wasn't sure what to do. Figured he ought to get inside the car and drive home. Now that he was single might as well still get ready for his solo trip to the Seaside Rest.