I was working late to make up for some lost time when I mentioned to one of my coworkers when a coworker and I were debating the virtues of Tater Falls versus Gate City. I commuted two hours a day from Gate City to Tater Falls for work. He commutes from Tater Falls to Gate City for college.

As our conversation waned, another coworker named Farah jumped in. Farah and I hadn't talked before, though I got good vibes from her pretty early on that she and I would get along.

Farah: You live in Gate City?
RAW: Yep.
Farah: Where in Gate City?
RAW: On Fifth Avenue, across from the university and the cemetary.
Farah: Oh, I used to work out there. You ever heard of the Firebird?
RAW: Oh yeah, I live right across the way from there. Did you hear about the fire?
[short conversation ensues about the fire]
Farah: So where do you live again?
RAW: It's a place called Thrifthaven. It's right across the Dunston Street.
[short conversation ensues about where Dunston Street is]
Farah: Oh wait, at the hotel?
RAW: Well, it used to be a hotel.
Farah: I knew the name Thrifthaven sounded familiar.
RAW: Yeah, they've converted it in to an apartment now.
Farah: How? The rooms there are tiny!
RAW: Oh, did you work there, too?
Farah: No, back when it was a hotel, my boyfriend and I would go over there to screw around. They used to rent by the hour, so it was really popular with college students in the 70's.
RAW: I can't say that I'm particularly surprised. Did they call it Thrifthaven University Hotel back then?
Farah: No, why?
RAW: Cause they call it Thrifthaven University Apartments now, but most of the people that live there are ex-cons. Very few college students.
Farah: Ahhh, well they used to cater almost exclusively to college students.
RAW: Sounds like it.
Farah: You don't sleep on the beds there, do you?
RAW: Why?
Farah: ...
RAW: I doubt they have the same beds now that they used then.
Farah: ...
RAW: The beds back then probably got... uhhh... wore out pretty quickly, I'd imagine.
Farah: Yeah, you're probably right.
RAW: I'm going to have to check over my bed when I get home.
Farah: Well, just give it the sniff test.
RAW: I have practically no sense of smell.
Farah: Good thing, probably.
RAW: Yeah.