Albert and Marianne, still arm in arm dragging her wagon, walked back to their alley carefully surveying the surroundings before heading over to their shelter. They wanted to be sure there wouldn't be any trouble regarding all the clothes that they had found Christmas morning. Safely storing Marianne's wagon with Albert's shopping cart filled with their stuff, they checked out the cardboard box they had used for a roof. It was still saturated so they moved it out into the sun.
Sitting down on their old mattress, Albert said, "Look, we've got a lot more money than we expected, but I still think we should go to the twenty dollar hotel and use the other money to get some stuff to shave with and then save the rest for some food."
"How much you think we can save?" she asked.
"I don't know, we have eighty seven and say the hotel costs twenty two with tax. That will leave us ah⦠sixty five. Okay we spend twenty on something to clean up with and maybe something to eat. That would leave us forty to forty-five dollars."
Counting something on her fingers, Marianne finally said, "Yeah, that's good."
"Okay then, let's grab something to wear tomorrow and go to the hotel," Albert said, walking over to the chain link fence, unfastening the fabric and pulling it back to let her through. He followed her in and together they each grabbed something to wear from the things they found in the dumpster on Christmas Day.
Climbing back through the fence, Marianne waited as Albert followed her through and then fixed the fence to look intact again. Taking her hand, he then led her out to the street and toward the Sundowner Hotel, about six blocks away. They stopped at a small grocery story and bought scissors, a hairbrush, a razor, some shaving cream, soap, shampoo and Albert even slipped a bottle of cheap perfume in the basket while Marianne wasn't watching. Continuing to the hotel they passed a few acquaintances who nodded at them and then did a double take when they notice the couple holding hands.
"I guess we'll be the talk of the town for a few days," Marianne said.
"Ah, they're just jealous."
Reaching the hotel, Albert stepped up to the registration desk, paid twenty three fifty for the room and then dangling the key at Marianne, headed for the stairs. They started running up the stairs, but by the first landing they slowed to a walk. Three more floors later, Albert unlocked the door and they both collapsed on the bed breathing hard. It was several minutes before they caught their breath.
They both went into the bathroom and Albert sat on the toilet while Marianne trimmed his scraggly beard short enough so he would use the razor. When she finished she made Albert get out of the bathroom while she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Once she was ready, she called him back in so he could shave first with the razor and then hand it to her, without looking, in the shower.
"I don't know why I can't see you, I mean we've had sex like three times already," Albert said, while carefully shaving his face.
"But you haven't seen me naked, I want to look good for you."
"But after we leave hereβ¦"