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enjoy this writing from David J. Thompson in the free 8½" x 8½" 2017 PDF file chapbook: “It’s Like Losing” (click the cover image or the title for the free PDF file)				Order this as a 2017 8½" x 8½" perfect-bound ISBN# book with poems and photography, out either with greyscale interior pages or with full color interior pages online!

No Real Reason

David J. Thompson

I’m sitting in my car drinking a Coors Lite
at the the Gas and Go on the twisting highway
south of Logan, West Virginia. I stopped here
fifteen minutes ago mostly just to pee, grabbed
some beef jerky, Fritos, and beer for the motel
later tonight. I got in line to check out behind
a tiny old woman with a cane in a Steelers sweatshirt.
The cashier was twice her size with long gray braids
and eyes so big I can’t imagine them ever being
fully closed. She slides the elderly lady a pack of Newports,
then leans over the counter toward her. Notice anything?
she asks. The old woman hands her a bill and says,
Oh, that smells real pretty. The cashier takes the cash
and straightens up at the register and says, I don’t know
why, but I just dabbed on some perfume this morning.
No real reason, I just thought it would be nice.
She smiled widely and I couldn’t help but notice
that one of her front teeth was completely grey.
The old woman took her change and limped away.
Bye-bye, Doreen, the cashier said. Say hi to Eddie for me.
When I put my stuff down, she asked me if I had
found everything I needed. I nodded yes and inhaled
deeply, trying my best to get a whiff of something sweet.

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