"Cuyver, Arizona.
Population: 13279"

I watched the old metal sign crawl past the truck as it idled along the gravelly road. This was the town that I lived in now. The school that I worked at was in the next town over, and it didn't pay as well as I expected. Apparently in between the time I recieved an acceptance letter and list of benefits and the time that I got here the government cut funding in half for the school, and they were just managing by the skin of their teeth to keep their doors open. The salary I got wouldn't cover rent and utilities and keep me from starving, so I put up signs around this small town and a few others for a roommate. So far, no bites.

The blinds were drawn down, darkening my living room from the late afternoon sun. Luckily this made it considerably cooler than outside with just pulling the shades down while I was at work. I set my bag on the couch and did a sweep of the room, grimacing when my eyes fell on my computer. It was hooked up and everything, but the damn thing wouldn't go to the login screen, it'd just give me a bunch of funky colors and then blip off. I needed the PC really soon for emails from my work.
Finally fed up, I sat down and slid the phone book provided to me by the landlord onto my lap, and leafed through the pages for the Tech section. Running my finger down the lines of computer repair companies, I stopped at one that was relatively cheap.

"H.S. Computer Repair." I mumbled, sliding my cell phone out of my pocket and dialing the number below it.
After three rings, a man picked up the line.
"HelioSphere Computer Repair, Elliot speaking."
I leaned back on the couch and tucked the phone between my shoulder and ear, rifling through my bag for a pen and paper. Any sort of computer repair is going to be expensive. I really don't have the money for this right now.
"Hi Elliot, this is Sawyer Odisark, I seem to be having a computer issue since my move here, how much would it be to come over and take a look at it for an estimate? I really need it to be working as soon as possible, for email and such."
"Ah, where do you live?"
"Cuyver."
"Oh, that's pretty close, I'm in Allegan. It's no big deal, I can come over and take a look at it, no charge. I have no calls at the moment, so I can swing by now if you'd like?"
"Really? That'd be wonderful, thanks!" I said, glad that I wouldn't be paying anything, and that he'd be here within 15 minutes.
"Sure thing. Address?"
"Uhh, hang on..." I said, vaulting off the couch, opening the door and running down the stairs. I swung open the second door and leaned outside, looking at the brass numbers nailed to the adobe-like cement.
"927 WhickStaff Road." I said, putting the cell phone back to my ear, "Apartment..." I looked up the stairs leading to my door "B."
"'Kay then, I'll be there in 20." The man named Elliot said, and the line clicked off.
Closing the door, I walked back up the stairs and into my living room, closing the door behind me. On the windowsill, my betta, Mr. Fish, floated a bit low in his little bowl. I pulled up the shades, bathing him in light.
I shuffled to the couch and fell into it, it's oversoft cushions nearly swallowing me whole.
So I was back to being single. It was without a doubt, my fault, I had panicked when I shouldn't have, divorcing Vipin when I shouldn't have. He was a great guy. So handsome, and polite. I guess I saw something lacking in him though. I wanted children when he didn't. Either way you cut it, our lives would have been unhappy for one of us. I had to get away from that. Though I feel like I'm far too old for this dating business again.
It's not over until the fat lady sings... or until the 24 year old spinster gets fat and starts singing to her fish, the only creature that'd keep her company.
I looked up at the off-white ceiling, watching the ceiling fan spin lazily. Propping my legs on my bag, I closed my eyes, for just a minute....

Laughing children. Twisting metal. Flatline. Grey strands of hair falling over a familiar face. Cars, cars, cars. Busy streets with people, people everywhere, just trying to get to their destination. Dandelion seeds floating in the wind. A girl with wavy red hair, can't see her face, I want her to turn around and look at me. A british tenor. Little girl, what's your name? Crying.

A soft knocking on the door roused me from my doze, and I realized the cry came from me. I had tears running down my cheeks, the collar of my shirt damp. Swearing, I leapt from the couch and staggered to the door, wiping my cheeks and eyes with my shirt collar.
I opened the door to see a tall, fair skinned man, with shoulder length sandy blond hair and strikingly blue bespectacled eyes. His facial features were very angled, and a blond soul patch resided on his narrow chin. His faded T-shirt hung loosely from his shoulders, looking several sizes too big. His jeans looked the same way, bunching up over fairly large black boots seemingly made for those in construction work. A tinny rendition of Beck's "Where It's At" came from the bulky headphones around his neck. He was supporting a rather large heavy looking equipment bag on his shoulder, his slightly goofy smile showing no sign of any discomfort.
"Greetings," he said, his voice just a mite high for a man his age, "Elliot Holland, at your service." He offered his hand, and I took it, giving him a firm shake which he reciprocated.
"Sawyer Odisark, of course." I said, smiling and leading him into the living room. He paused for a moment before following me, seeming to take in all that he could.
"All right," I sighed when he stepped into the "computer area."
"My PC is pretty much unusable, and I don't understand why. It worked back at my home in Montana, but now? Pfft. Everything's connected how it should be, but when I turn it on some wierd colors show up and then it dies." I said, my arms slumped at my sides. I knew a good amount of tech stuff, but this had me stumped.
He frowned as he studied the computer, dimples creasing his cheeks, and set his bag on the floor.
"Well, let's have a look..." he got on his knees and crawled beneath the desk, and pushed the tower out.
"Monitor seems to be connected just fine..." he mumbled, tightening the screws that held it in place in the back. He made an inquisitive sound, picking up a hot pink toy mouse and dangling it in his and my view.
"Ah, um. I guess that got into the boxes when I moved... I had two cats back home. If you have a cat you can have it." I said, shrugging.
He chuckled. "Lila is lazy, she wouldn't know what to do with this." he pocketed it anyway.
I felt uncomfortable standing over him, so to alleviate the feeling that I was breathing down his neck, I backed up and sat on the couch.
"If anything, it's probably Windows screwing with the video card. I get so many calls on these, you have no idea."
"Ah, I don't have Windows," I smiled, "I have Linux."
His fidgeting with the wires stopped suddenly, and he scootched out from the desk and in my view.
"Sawyer..." He whispered, blue eyes wide, "will you marry me?!" he dug in one of his pockets and drew out a small bracelet made from a lamp pull chain and a paperclip. The paperclip seemed to be shaped like an H with square bubbles coming out of the top, offering it to me as if it were a sacred rune.
I laughed, seeing him smile goofily as well. He pocketed it and laid on his back underneath the desk, following the wires from the tower up. "I love Linux. Seriously. It's the most amazing OS ever made."
I nodded, and then remembering he couldn't see me, said "Yeah, it is. I used a Vista computer once, nuh uh, never again."
"You and me both, sister."
I knew he was joking around with the whole "Will you marry me" thing, but it still touched a sensitive spot. I wasn't in for that for a very long time. Hell, I even doubted I would really trust myself around compatible guys at the moment. Elliot seemed nice, but he was probably at most a good buddy to keep around... nothing on him, but he was too... technologically obsessed? For my tastes, anyway.
A gasp of shock rattled my thoughts back to the present.
"What happened?" I got off the couch and leaned over to investigate. He was nursing a finger as if it were burned.
"'Kay, I think I found the problem. Your monitor wire is melted, probably from being in a hot moving truck too long. There's exposed wire in it and it just burned the hell out of my finger. Your monitor, or at least the cord, needs replacing. It's a big fire hazard. I can replace it, but it'll take a couple days, and it won't be cheap." Elliot looked at me, frowning.
I gave a heady sigh. "Okay, how much..."
"I believe... with the parts and soldering, this will cost about $150, about as much as your security deposit request to be your roomie." He smiled up at me goofily.
I blinked, what he said wasn't sinking in, and then it did. "You will fix my computer for free if I waive the security deposit for you?"
"Yep. And it's a lot more than fixing your computer, it's preventing this thing from catching your apartment on fire, which is what it was fixing to do pretty soon."
My lips curved into a smile. "Deal." I said, taking his hand and shaking it.
"All right then, we have ourselves a fixed monitor!" Elliot said, unscrewing the monitor's connection to the tower and threading the cord back onto the desk. He eased up from his laying position, and wrapped the cord around the thin LCD screen.
"Expect turnaround in one or two days, I'll make it extra speedy. And when is move in time?"
"Whenever you get your stuff together, and I have a fixed monitor," I grinned, cocking my hip.
"Awesome. I don't have much but a bedroom full of stuff, since I've lived with my parents till now. Been helping them with the extra money I have left over from my freelance job, but they're getting government help now, so they don't need me anymore." He shouldered his bag and hoisted the monitor on a thin hip.
"Right then," I said, "Thanks again, so much." I said happily.
"No probs. Thank youuuu so much!" He said just as gleefully.
He turned on his heel, and just before he exited my apartment, gave me a salute. I saluted back, smiling. The end of the winding road wasn't so bad after all.

((NO GoldenWinged and HelioSphere aren't love interests, they're just gonna be roomies :U lmao if I mated these two I'D PROBABLY BE A LOSER on here. :B Anyway, I had fun writing thisss))