So Much for an Early Night's Sleep

Nellie couldn’t help but whistle as she headed to the bathroom. It was 10:45 pm, and for once, she was going to bed early. Nellie usually went to bed anywhere between 11:30 pm and midnight, and if she was being particularly naughty, 12:30 am. Only to have to wake up early for work. It wasn’t that she didn’t constantly try to have a better night schedule. Nellie was actually doing better than she used to. Generally speaking. It was just that after a busy day where she didn’t have much time to herself, it was just too easy for Nellie to surrender to the temptation to stay up past her bedtime so she could have a ‘few’ extra minutes of reading, YouTube, etc. Nellie thankfully was still getting enough sleep to function, but she knew that her body needed more in order to actually be well-rested.

Hence why she was happy that she was able to resist the temptation to stay up tonight and go to bed early. Granted, today had been a relatively slow and chill day for Nellie, and thanks to the last two nights of staying up past midnight, she was pretty tired. But still, she was going to bed before 11:00 pm! All she had to do was go to the bathroom, swirl some mouthwash around her teeth, and then she would be under her soft covers and off to dreamland.

Nellie couldn’t wait.

Her whistle turned into a little song as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

“All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought t’was all in fun-”

Nellie stopped and stared when she saw the plain cardboard tube on the toilet paper holder.

“Pop goes the weasel,” Nellie said flatly as dread began to fill her soul. Said dread only grew when the empty shelf above the toilet only confirmed the truth.

That had been the last roll of toilet paper. In the whole house.

But how?! The last time Nellie checked, there was still a decent amount on there! And Sandra promised that she would get more today!
Wait, maybe Sandra did? And for some reason, it was just not in the bathroom? Like she took it to her bedroom along with some other things and just forgot to put it away? Nellie admittedly did that once or twice.

Placing all of her hopes on this, Nellie hurriedly walked the short distance from the bathroom to Sandra’s bedroom. She prayed silently as she knocked on the door. When there was no answer, Nellie forced herself to stay calm before she knocked one more time.

Nothing.

“Sandra, where are you?” Nellie whined to herself as she took out her phone and called her roommate, this situation obviously too urgent and important for a text.

That and Nellie was too anxious to wait for a reply back.

“Nellie? Why are you calling me?” Sandra asked as soon as she picked up the call. Nellie could have sighed in relief, but there was no time.

“Sandra, we’re out of toilet paper. Please tell me you did get some?” Nellie asked with her fingers crossed.

She wanted to go to bed. She wanted to go to bed...

“Oh shoot, I knew that I forgot something today! Oh well, at least I’m staying at my mom’s place for tonight. Maybe tomorrow too. Don’t worry, I'll get some later. Right now though, I’m going to bed. Bye, Nellie.”

And just like that, Sandra hung up, leaving Nellie speechless in their house alone and without any toilet paper.

Nellie wanted to yell, to scream, to wail that she wanted to go to bed too. But thankfully, Nellie was still composed enough to know that there was no time for that.

She looked at her watch and saw it was 10:47 pm.

The closest store that carried toilet paper was about ten minutes away.

She would have to bemoan her ruined chance of an early bedtime later.

Nellie had to run.

So run she did, first to her room to snatch her purse before racing straight for her car, her sandals on as well. Once in, she peeled out of the driveway and drove to the store, easily going five over the speed limit despite liking to follow the law.

But desperate times called for desperate measures.

Especially when Nellie’s bladder was small enough that she usually had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

And especially when she was holding it in now.

Squirming in her seat and taking a deep breath, Nellie glanced at the clock.

10:52 pm.

It was okay. It was going to be close, very close, but she should be fine…

Just as these internal affirmations were kind of calming Nellie down, she turned a corner and saw her way to salvation blocked.

By a freight train.

“Oh come on!” Nellie cried as she was forced to come to a stop at the white line, the train passing by without a care in the world. “Why is there a train this late at night?! Why?!”

Nellie let out a sound that was both a whine and a groan before she dared to look at the clock.

10:55 pm.

She was not going to make-no! Nellie couldn’t afford to think that way! Maybe...should she risk a detour? It would definitely take her out of the way, but she may not have a choice-

Without any warning, there was no more train, just empty tracks and an empty road being shined on by streetlights.

“Oh thank the stars!” Nellie cried as she pushed on the gas as soon as the red-and-white barrier was up, not caring how her car bounced on the tracks.

Nellie glanced at the clock and winced when she saw the time.

10:57 pm.

Should she go ten over the speed limit? But while five over was dicey, wasn’t ten over entering unsafe territory? What if she got pulled over by a cop because of that? If that happened, she might as well kiss the toilet paper goodbye.

After another deep breath to calm her bladder, Nellie pressed down the gas just hard enough to be going seven over the speed limit.

Nellie didn’t have the heart or the composure to look at the clock anymore. She sped down the dark road, passing the occasional car and praying.

Praying that she would make it.

Praying that she wouldn’t get into a car accident.

Praying that she wouldn’t have an accident in the car.

Then she saw it. The store was right there in front of her, its lights of salvation shining through its windows, showing all of its glory.

Did she...did she make it in time?

It was only after she hurriedly parked into a spot that Nellie dared to glance at the clock.

10:59 pm.

RUN!!!!

Tearing out of the car, Nellie sped across the parking lot, running as she had never done before. The side of her stomach already pinching in pain, Nellie had no choice but to run even faster.

Her eyes widened when she saw an employee at the door, looking like he was seconds away from locking it.

“Wait!” Nellie breathlessly cried out, her arm waving frantically. Whether he somehow heard her voice or it was just a coincidence, the employee looked up. Nellie was close enough now to tell that the employee was annoyed as he looked at his watch.

But thankfully, that one action gave Nellie enough time to leap past the open automatic doors.

“Oh...my…” Nellie gasped out as her knees buckled until she was sitting on the floor.

She made it...oh thank goodness, she made it.

Sandra owed her for this.

“Seriously?” the employee asked, way past annoyed now as he glared down on Nellie. “What in the heck was so important that you couldn’t wait till morning?”

Nellie opened her mouth to answer him when something made her eyes widen before she picked herself up and started running once again.

“The bathroom!”