Pumassa
Lavanderia (2025)

He texted her last night after they argued about him moving to Baltimore, but she still hasn’t texted back. He knows she saw the texts. He figures he’ll just go by her house to see if she’s there.

When he knocks, he has a feeling she’s gone. Her mom says she went to the laundromat to get her clothes done. 

“Bueno, ahi paso entonces a ver. Gracias, Maribel.”

And he starts walking. He walks over a couple of blocks, while the sun moves in and out of the clouds. It’s humid, everyday east coast end of summer hot and sticky, and it smells like rain is coming.  It’s going to be dark in like an hour, and he deosn’t want to be up on Georgia Ave after the sun goes down because little knuckleheads.... you know? 

He walks into the shopping plaza and along the front windows to the laundromat, peering in trying to see if Odalita is in there, somewhere. There! Back by the dryers.

He walks through the door and tries to go around the outer ring of washers so she doesn’t see him coming. The key is surprise, so she doesn’t see him coming and have time to load that long set of argumentative points she’s already prepared for their next conversation. He cuts around the last set of washers at the back of the shop, and without looking at him she says, “What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t say anything. So much for surprise. She looks over at him and make her eyes go wide, like hello? Did you hear me?

“Damn Oda. You talking like I’m your little brother or something.” He looks around, because he doesn’t want the whole place to hear and start documenting little pieces of their conversation for the chisme broadcast network around the neighborhood. You know how people love pretending they’re not interested, faking like they’re listening to music on their earbuds but then go and tell all their homies about the mini-drama at the laundromat between Pito and Odalis. 

“Eso es lo que pasa when you act like a little shit,’ she says. “Maybe grow up. High school is over Pito. Casi tenemos 21 anos y todavia.... you still act like life is about not getting caught by the Ms. Campbell or whoever the f*&k your teachers were.”

He was not ready for that. She had her argumentative points in order, and even though that one cut deep, the worst was yet to come. He should just walk away right now, come back to this later.

But damn, he loved this girl! She was perfect, like PERFECT. They could chill for hours and it was like there was no one else in the world worth talking to. She knew him and he knew her inside and out. She had those eyes too, like hooooo they just melt you and make you give in. 

“I’m 20 Oda, not 30.” He felt stupid even as he heard himself saying that. “Just like you I’m still learning about life, it’s going to be like that for a long time. You know neither of us have everything figured out.”  She looked at him like he was pathetic, one eyebrow cocked up. He looked around, and could feel everybody pretending not to be watching. “Vamos afuera Oda? Come on.”

She waits. “Ok, al carro.”

“Maribel let you take the car?”

“No ves toda la ropa, Pito?” She pauses, eyes wide again. “Yea she let me take the car! I got 12 minutes before these are done.”

He tries to keep up with her as she marches straight toward the door, and out to the parking lot. He watches her get in the driver’s side, and he walks around to the passenger door, thinking about symbolism and how she’s sitting in the driver’s seat, and he’s just along for the ride, and maybe he should be the one driving, or at least know where they should be going, and why can’t he figure out what to do, and why he just goes looking for her when he doesn’t know what else to do.