sunbeam motor report

at three in the morning, the 1949 sunbeam ran without being plugged in. bev has a rule about this, which is that nobody touches a toaster while it is making a noise that does not belong to it. i counted forty-two clicks from the kitchen before the motor stopped.

i was on the floor with a screwdriver, because sleep is a landlord and i had missed rent. the sunbeam had not heated anything. its lever was down, its cord was coiled, and the crumb tray held one burnt strawberry seed. i asked bev if they had put it there. "i don't touch your machines," bev said.

the motor started again when i picked up the tray. it sounded like a lie with a belt in it. i put the tray back and the sound stopped. then the lever came up by itself.

i am not repairing that toaster. it can stay unplugged on the counter while i sleep beside it.