LAUNDROMAT STORY

Koichi Shimada had always hated the hum of laundromat dryers—too steady, too honest, like they were humming secrets into the air. Tonight, though, the sound felt louder than usual, echoing off the metal walls of Suds ’N’ Spin at nearly midnight. The fluorescent lights flickered above him, washing the rows of machines in pale blue.

Mona Murray sat cross-legged on top of a washing machine, watching the spin cycle like it was a portal. “You’re jumpy,” she said, pushing her red curls behind her ear. “Even for you.”

Koichi forced a smile. “Just tired.”

He wasn’t. His heart raced for a different reason.

In the corner, pretending to read a newspaper nobody bought anymore, sat Vinnie Motta—Koichi’s boss, fifty years old, thick-shouldered, wearing a leather jacket no matter the season. The kind of guy who called everyone “kid” and made them afraid to correct him. The folded paper hid the small package Koichi had picked up an hour earlier. Vinnie had told him this drop would be simple. Easy. Just a handoff.

But Vinnie didn’t come to laundromats for “simple.”

Mona hopped down, her boots tapping lightly against the tiles. “I know that look,” she said, lowering her voice. “What did he make you do this time?”

“Nothing,” Koichi said too fast.

She gave him a stare that stripped away every lie. “Koichi, I’m not stupid.”

Before he could answer, the front door chimed. A man in a hoodie entered, glancing around with a twitchy rhythm. Vinnie’s eyes flicked up, then toward Koichi. A silent order.

Koichi’s stomach twisted. He reached into the laundry basket beside him—not for clothes but for the package buried beneath them. Mona’s eyes widened.

“No,” she whispered. “You said you were done with this.”

“It’s one last time,” he muttered.

“It’s never the last time with men like him.”

The hooded man approached. Vinnie stood, cracking his knuckles like punctuation. The hum of the dryers suddenly felt like a warning.

Koichi held the package halfway out—but Mona’s hand closed around his wrist.

“You choose,” she said. “Me or him.”

The hooded man waited. Vinnie scowled. The laundromat buzzed and flickered.

Koichi looked at Mona—fear in her eyes, but hope too—then at Vinnie, who had given him work, danger, and chains disguised as favors.

He dropped the package back into the basket.

Vinnie’s jaw tightened. “Kid… you sure about that?”

Koichi nodded. “Yeah. I’m done.”

Mona grabbed his hand. They headed toward the door, passing the humming machines, leaving the smell of detergent and danger behind.

Vinnie didn’t follow.

He just watched, the dryers spinning behind him like a slow, inevitable storm waiting to break.

Nathanael Balthazar (Born September, 6th, 2000) is an individual who has always adored the world of fiction. From his childhood of reading Spider-Man comics, watching cartoons/anime like Dragon Ball Z, or playing video games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Nathanael was always fascinated with stories that go beyond what we in the real world experience on a normal basis. He hopes that one day his stories could help inspire someone else to write what is in their mind, just as the examples previously mentioned had done for him.