If Walls Could Talk

Paula pulled the sheet closer to her body. A shield to ward off the memories of the day before. She stared at the walls of the tiny motel room. Here I sit on Black Friday with no one. The rest of the world is out shopping for bargains that really are not bargains or spending time with their family. Ugh, family.

The quiet room was once in a while noisy with the interruption of the sound of the surf in the ocean. The wind died down, and the motel walls began to speak to her. “I’m not losing my mind.” She said to herself. She grabbed her tablet to read, but the wall wanted to be heard.

‘The people who have stayed here are varied as the flowers in my wallpaper. Some have snored when they slept and kept others awake. Some were alone but couldn’t sleep. I watched them dress, some with great bodies and some not so great bodies. Some slept in one spot on the bed and others all over the bed.”

The ringing of her cell phone interrupted the wall as it spoke to her.

“Hi Arlene, glad you called me back,” Paula said as she answered the call.

“Girl what are doing in Kure Beach, I thought you went to Charlotte.”

“Long story short, they pissed me off, and I left after dinner and came to the beach.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“Arlene, I am fifty years old and never been married, so my ancient as dirt aunt asked if I was a lesbian at the table, right in the middle of the dessert. You could hear a pin drop.”

“What… why would she ask that? Never mind I know why. What did you say?”

“I told her if I was it was none of her business than I got up and left before I said anything else.”

“You need me to come to the beach?”

“No, I can hear your family in the background. You stay and enjoy. I will see you on Sunday. Thanks for listening.”

Paula pushed end on the cell phone and automatically the walls began to speak again.

“You know couples made love all night in that bed and others didn’t speak at all.”

At that comment, Paula tried to tune out the walls.

“You can still hear me. I look across the room to the mirror. I am getting drab. But does anybody notice? They come to see the ocean. They don’t care about the room or me. Some burn candles that give the room a better smell than the bathroom. Sometimes the food smells stay long after the people have left. People come and go. Cleaners come and go. The moisture of the sea, however, stays with me. You are alone, you and your tablet. Who will follow you? Will they see me? I’m simply the wall of your room with fading wallpaper.”

Paula put the tablet down and really looked at the walls of her motel room. She wondered if anyone really ever saw her as well.