He yanked off his coat and tried to shield the clothes, but the damage was done. Water pooled quickly around his feet. Lucky whimpered low, crouched beneath a bent shopping cart. Joshua cursed under his breath, pressing the sodden garments to his chest as if that could somehow dry them.
By morning, everything he owned was soaked through. He found a public restroom with flickering lights and closed the door behind him. The shirt slapped wet onto the sink. He shoved it under the hand dryer, fingers working the fabric. Steam rose, but not enough. The pants were worse, dripping and stiff.
He tried everything—squeezing them, flipping the shirt under the heater, patting his shoes dry with toilet paper. The floor puddled, the mirror fogged. He stared at his reflection—face red, eyes heavy, breath short. He looked like a man begging the world not to look too closely.
He ran to the laundromat, shoes squelching, damp sleeves clinging to his arms. He stepped through the door at six-thirty. The man behind the counter didn’t look up right away. When he did, a half-frown appeared. “You’re late,” he said. “That guy came in on time.”
Joshua’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Chest tight, he looked down at himself—wrinkled shirt, pants still damp, hair flattened. He felt exposed. Small. The man added, softer this time, “We already gave the position to him. Sorry.”
Joshua turned wordlessly. His legs carried him outside. He sat on the curb, water soaking into his pants again. Hands rested uselessly in his lap. The bag sagged beside him. Lucky sat quietly, watching. No wagging. Just waiting.
The door opened. The man emerged, handing him a sandwich wrapped in foil and a hot cup of coffee. “Take this,” he said. “You showed up. That still counts for something.” Joshua nodded once, taking it more from reflex than gratitude. The man went back inside.
He ate slowly, not to savor but because he didn’t know what else to do. Half went to Lucky. The rest sat in his mouth like wet cloth. The warmth of the coffee didn’t reach anything inside him. All he’d done. All he’d hoped. Washed away in the night.