Find a hotel for the night

Laura drove in silence toward Motel 9. The run-down hotel was off one of the main roads near the highway. It didn't have the best reputation, but Dan knew the price would be within their budget.

"How did your interview go?" Dan asked as a way to break the uncomfortable silence.

Laura gave him a strained smile. "Not as well as I'd hoped, but it wasn't a complete waste of time," she said as she glanced at the rear-view mirror.

Once his mother looked back at the road, Dan glanced back to see his mother's bra on the back seat and frowned. He didn't comment on it as he turned back around. "I hope they cleaned recently," he muttered as they pulled into the parking lot.

Laura dodged a large pothole in the middle of the lot as she found a parking spot near the main building. Three cars and one truck were in the parking lot. "We'll... well... we'll need to stop by the store tonight. We have nothing," she said in a soft voice.

That reality came crashing down on Dan. Everything he owned was in his room, and now it was gone. "Yeah," he muttered.

"Let's get this over with," Laura sighed as she got out of the car.

Entering the shabby motel lobby, a balding obese man sat back in an oversized chair, reading a book. On the cover had a nude female crouched down beside a standing man. The blonde, buxom woman looked up at the standing man with adoration. "Can I help 'u?" the clerk drawled. He looked up over his book. His eyes went wider as he looked over Laura. "How can I be of service?" he asked in a politer voice.

"We wish to rent a room," Laura said.

The balding man blinked and looked over at Dan. His expression changed as he looked between the mother and son. "For the night or an hour?" he bluntly asked as his eyes fell on Laura's breasts.

Dan narrowed his eyes and was about to say something when his mother touched his arm. "For the night, thank you," she answered without inflection in her voice.

The clerk grunted and flipped open a booklet on the counter. "Forty for the night," he growled and eyed Laura again. "A little less if you can..."

"Forty it is," Laura interrupted. The clerk grunted but didn't say anything. She dug around in her purse and produced two notes. She placed them on the counter. "Could we get a room with two beds?"

"Only have one bed in each room," the clerk answered with a huff. "Room twenty-nine, second floor, near the back. Names?"

"Palm," Dan answered with a glance at his mother.

"Mr. and Mrs. Palm. Wonderful," the man grunted and scribbled something down on the paper in front of him. "Here," he spat and slapped a key on the counter. "Checkout is at twelve. If you don't check in your key, I'll call the cops."

Dan shook his head as they left the lobby. "What a sleaze bag," he grumbled.

Laura gave him a pained smile as she got back in the car. "We'll drive over to Dollar Shop to get a couple of things. Then head back. I've had... a rough day," she admitted.

"So have I," Dan agreed, thinking of his day at work and the recent news of his home. His phone vibrated a moment later. "Auntie sent me the place," he announced as he read the text. "Hey, I know this place. It's over off of Lincon Street."

"That isn't the best part of town," Laura hedged.

"No, but it isn't in the worst either. A lot of factories over there, I think."

Laura pursed her lips. "Maybe we should look around first. Call that hotline or something," she tried.

"Auntie said she was going to buy it at one point. Before... whatever happened. I think she's in debt if I read between the lines correctly."

"Your aunt... well, I'm not going to say more than I have to. I need to grab a few things. You should too. Do... you think we'll have enough for now to get fast food? I'm honestly starving."

Dan smiled at his mother. "We're okay for now," he said, hoping he wasn't lying. "The insurance will pay for what was damaged. We just need to get through this rough patch."