Member-only story
TSA Coffee — Short Story
What do you do when you need coffee and are late for the flight? People might suffer if you don’t get it.
The touch of dawn was light and gentle. It reached out with confidence on a world that longed to avoid its touch. Those in their beds dreaded its persistent arrival, and those who were up cast evil looks at the tiny tendrils of light that found its way through windows, blinds, and curtains.
Valerie was a combination of both. She had not heard the alarm that was to have gone off a half hour before sunrise announced its approach. Only the regular alarm to get her up and ready for an ordinary day in the office brought her to the land of the living. The notes of Bohemian Rhapsody tapped her consciousness as her memory whispered, “Plane leaves at eight.”
With a gasp, she shot up straight in bed and blinked. Cobwebs that clustered around her mind were shoved back and clawed to reveal the bright dial of her bedside clock to show it was nearly five in the morning.
“No!” The one word came out as a half sob and half scream. “No! No!” She tossed back the covers and raced to the bathroom. She was under the spray of the shower within half a minute, trying to push the rest of the hold sleep had on her.
Getting showered and dressed was done in record time. Teeth were brushed as she slipped on her loafers.. The…
