[Rough Draft]

Raindrops speckled the car windows of one of Al's Premium Yellow taxi cabs. The light from uniformly spaced sodium vapor lamps hid in the drops and ran with the streams. Why do roads that lead to airports always run through ghettos?

Second shift let out in two hours. She hoped that in that time she would be eighteen-thousand feet above ground with no way to turn around. She didn't want to answer the call that would inevitably come when he got back to apartment 23B on Walnut Ct. She didn't want to explain her absence and the empty closet in the place they called "home." Not that home had had any meaning to either of them in a long time.

"'Scuse me, ma'am. I know I'm not supposed to do this, but it's been a solid ten hours for me today. And, see, with me going to the terminal and all, I know there's gonna be folks needing a cab. And, well, I haven't had a smoke in quite a while..."

She waited for him to finish.

"Ma'am, would you mind awful much if I had a smoke? I wouldn't ask, but you seem like such a nice lady and all."

"I don't mind. Doesn't bother me."

"Oh thank you ma'am! Bless your heart."

"It's alright," She thought. It's alright. Just like he had always told her. "It'll all be alright. I'm here. Don't cry." But was it OK to cry now? Now that he wasn't there? Was it OK to cry now that it wasn't all alright anymore?

There was a note lying on her side of the mattress, written in black ink on the back of last month's cell phone bill.

Danny,
I'm sorry. I meant for this to all work out, but it just seems that we can't. I can't. I'm done trying. You always told me that I run away from my problems. I know, I always try to run. But this time, there's nothing for me to run from. There's nothing here for me anymore. I know it sounds foolish, but it's true. And please don't miss me. You killed me a long time ago, and I've been gone all this time. There's nothing to dwell on. Please just let me go.
Sandy

The cab driver's cigarette glowed in the dark emptiness of the cabin. As he ashed out the window, the embers faded and fell like shooting stars, burned up and worthless.

by Kate Gubert