I Just Gotta Pee

 Traffic on 71-N was unusually light this morning as Nikki made her way to Cleveland from Columbus. She and her boyfriend, Randy were committed to a long distance relationship. Randy moved to Cleveland about 4 months ago to help take care of his sick aunt. Nikki understood and supported his decision, but was still learning to adjust. Nikki made it a point to go up to Cleveland every weekend to see Randy. So far, the trips had been pleasant, but expensive.

The sounds of U2 and John Mayer kept her company on the drive. Nikki loved to sing to herself in the rearview mirror. It was an activity that helped pass time on the road. She was a full-time student at Paul Mitchell Beauty School. Nikki was just starting her summer vacation. This time she would be staying with Randy for a whole week.  They were ecstatic.

Nikki was about halfway to her destination when she pulled over to a rest stop. The area was nearly a ghost town. There was only one other vehicle parked on the opposite side of the lot. She parked her little Corolla and made way to the ladies room. Upon entering, there was a young girl ahead of Nikki, getting ready to enter the far stall near the wall. Her silver blonde hair was laced with a blue ribbon with white polka dots. The girl stopped in front of the stall and stared at Nikki.

“Hello sweetie,” said Nikki.

The girl continued to look at Nikki as if she had seen a ghost. Starting to feel uncomfortable, Nikki began to enter her stall. That is when she felt a heavy blow to the head. Nikki fell to the floor. Looking upward, she saw a large man standing above her. He hit Nikki three more times in the face. Nikki’s vision was starting to blur.

“I’ll teach you not to follow little girls into the bathroom, freak,” yelled the assailant.

The man stomped on Nikki multiple times before dragging her out of the bathroom. Yelling hateful insults along the way, he pulled her into the hallway. “Stay your faggotedy ass out of the women’s room!” The antagonist followed this statement by spitting on Nikki. He looked to his daughter who had just exited the restroom.

“C’mon Lizzie, let's go.” He and his daughter left the facility quickly.

Nikki laid on the cold, tiled floor crying as she spit up blood. “Whhhhyyyyyyy,” she screamed at the ceiling. After several minutes, she gained enough strength to lift herself up off the ground. She limped her way to the front door. As Nikki walked to her car, she noticed that her car was the only one left in the parking lot. Once she was safely inside of her Corolla, the tears poured down her face as she took deep breaths. She took her time to gather her thoughts before hitting the road. Once she felt calm, she made her way back to 71-N. Thoughts raced through Nikki’s mind as she drove her way to Randy’s. Should I call the police? Should I go to the hospital? How do I explain what happened to Randy? What the fuck should I do?

Nikki had drove for about 4 miles on the freeway before it started to become a parking lot. She was starting to get irritated. All she wanted was to get to where she felt safe and loved. Once traffic started to move, she was able to get close enough to see what the holdup was.A semi had hit this little blue pickup truck. The truck was totalled. There were several cop cars and paramedics on site. There were no victims in sight. Nikki assumed they were already inside the ambulance. As traffic progressed past the scene of the accident, Nikki noticed that a blue ribbon with white polka dots rested on a tree branch off to side of the freeway. Nikki drove the rest of the way to Randy’s in silence.

- Shawn B.