PAM
"...Mom? Are you awake?"
"(grumble) I am NOW, no thanks to you!" Pam slowly opened her eyes, blinking back at the sunshine that spilled through the trailer window. Normally she woke on her own, well after Penny left to tutor those two little kids. Yet here she was, standing in the living room holding a plate of fried eggs and a cup of coffee.
Pam sat up on the couch, nursing her pounding head. "Why did you wake me up? What time is it?"
"It's 8:30, Mother. I woke you because I didn't think you'd want to be late for work."
Pam angrily rose from the couch. "8:30?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'LATE FOR WORK'? I SHOULD-"
Suddenly it started to come back to her. Mayor Lewis had tracked her down yesterday to tell her that the bus had been fixed, and that she could resume her daily runs to the Calico Desert. He was also babbling on about something called "junimos" magically repairing the bus, and somehow that new farmer was involved, but none of that mattered. As long as she could earn extra gold for pale ale and parsnip soup, Pam was happy. Of course she celebrated by dropping by the Stardrop Saloon and ran up a larger tab than usual.
Pam put her hand on Penny's shoulder to steady herself. "Sorry I got rough for a sec, kid. You know I'm not a morning person." She took the coffee from Penny and downed half of it in one gulp, almost coughing the hot liquid back up. She took a bite of the eggs when she realized something. "Wait, did you say it's 8:30? Dammit, I'm gonna be late!" Pam shoved the cup and plate back in Penny's hands as she ran to the bathroom to clean up.
The trailer door flew open and Pam stepped outside to begin her trek to the bus stop. The brisk fall air and bright morning sun would invigorate most people, but for Pam it was like nails on a chalkboard. Ugh, she thought, Why did I agree to start driving that stupid bus again, especially at the gawdawful hour of ten in the morning? It's not like anyone has a good reason to go to Calico Desert anyway! She walked west through the leaf covered yard of the trailer, narrowly avoiding a "gift" left by the neighborhood dog, Rufus.
"Damn mangy mutt!", she cursed. "Looks like I picked a hell of a day to wear sandals!"
"Good morning, dear!" Pam looked up to see Evelyn waving from her kitchen window. The scent of fresh baked poppyseed muffins emanated from the warm, inviting home. "I just finished baking a batch of muffins. Would you like to join us?"
"Thanks for the offer, Evelyn, but I'm running a bit late for work". The older woman seemed a bit bewildered, since she didn't know that Pam had a job.
"That's okay, dear. How about if I wrap one up for you? I bet that walk can work up a good appetite!" Evelyn put one of the fresh baked goodies in a napkin and beckoned Pam to the kitchen window, handing it to her. Pam's stomach rumbled with hunger. "You did good with this one, Evelyn. Thanks! Have a good day!"
Pam began to eat the breakfast treat as she passed through the town square. This is delicious, she thought, but 'you did good with this one'? What kind of dumb thing was that to say? Pam didn't usually care what she said to other people, but Evelyn had always been kind to her so she went out of her way to treat her with a little more respect. She felt that most of Pelican Town was judging her, viewing her with contempt (although in truth no one had ever said a harsh word to her) . Evelyn, however, made her feel at ease. So much so that Pam considered opening up to the older woman about her past, the demons that plagued her. She quickly put that thought out of her mind. Doing that would probably just scare off the one person she considered a friend.
Soon the path to the bus stop appeared in view. Pam looked at her watch- it was a little before ten. There would be enough time to get the bus warmed up and ready for the first passengers since...how long had it been, exactly? The bus hadn't run since that farmer got to town, and that was around the beginning of spring. In fact, this was the first time Pam laid eyes on the bus since then. The old girl (the bus, not Pam) looked no worse for wear and she probably still had a few good miles left.
With a turn of the key the motor sprang to life and was purring smoothly. That was surprising, since Pam usually had to baby the old beater just so it would start. She wasn't sure what a "junimo" was, but as far as Pam was concerned they were damn good mechanics! She stepped down from the driver's seat and took position by the door, waiting for the first fare of the day.