The Machine on Stanley

The machine on level 3 of the Stanley garage takes cards and does not always give them back. There's a phone on the wall for this. The phone rings somewhere nobody is.

She's been at it a while when I come off the stairs. She has a pen in the slot.

"This is Kafkaesque."

"Kafka would've loved these. Bad light, no exit, and you pay to leave."

She turns around and decides I'm not a problem.

My car is one level up. I have no reason to be here except that I heard swearing and it was in two languages, alternating, which takes commitment.

We get the card out with my key and a lot of angle. It comes free and skids under the machine and we both go down on the concrete after it and she gets it.

"Cassandre."

She says the name like someone used to spelling it.

She pays. The gate is a two-minute walk from the machine, which is a decision somebody made.

At the elevator we run out. She says thanks. I say no problem. She goes down, I go up.

The stub is still in the coat. I find it in November when it's cold enough for the coat, and by then I can't remember what building it was for.