" Don't forget to close out the invoices before you leave for the day Miss Ferguson. I want to see all those files on my desk before the end of the week as well!" Mr. Holland yelled scrambling down the crowded hallway. He was heading toward the elevator clutching his suitcase close to his chest. Quitting time...for most anyways.
I am always the last one stuck inside this cramped office space. Small cubicles just don't do it for me anymore. At first I was super excited to get this new job, I was finally an adult! Now i'm finding it hard just to get out of bed in the morning. As I shambled on with the handful of invoices I had left for the day I couldn't help but dream of a life where I was the boss for once, telling others what to do and going on fancy vacations to the Cancun's for once.
I don't have anyone to take with me on those little adventures though, its just me and Kirby. Kirby is my 12 year old Greyhound Australian shepherd mix, he is a bit of a lazy bones most of the time but when it came to rabbits he would move faster than the speed of light.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity it was my turn to go home. I pushed my short pencils and clips into my shoulder bag and tugged myself out of my spinning chair. My stomach gurgling at me the whole way to the elevator.
I was definitely going to be stopping for something to eat on my way home, it felt like raging hell beasts were about to rip their way out of my stomach to take over the world. I forgot to eat lunch because of the mountain of paperwork Mr.Holland pilled on my desk today. He seems to think I am superhuman. Either that of he just doesn't want to do any of the work himself, which is also quite possible.
I see my car in the far corner of the lot, its so bare without anyone else here that the car seems kinda lonely. My beat up purple 1998 honda accord, its been through so much over the years. First kisses and prom, even the time I went across the states just because I was bored. That was when Kirby was just a puppy and I wanted to show him the world, well part of it anyway. We saw Niagara Falls and the Great ball of yarn we had so much fun! If only I could do something like that again, I was so carefree back then.
I hopped into my seat littered with candy wrappers and straw paper swiping them to the side without a second thought. My car has always been a mess, it's just how I like it. I can find everything better this way. Everything is in its place and everything has a place. At least that's what I think the saying is.
I start up my crummy car and head on my way. The sun is already starting to set and the windows are fogging up from the cold. I roll down my windows in a last minute attempt to fix it since my heater doesn't even work anymore. Working as a receptionist/ assistant doesn't necessarily pay well or else I would have gotten another car by now. I make maybe 500 a week and that's before taxes. That is maybe enough to cover insurance, gas, grocery and living. No extra curricular activities for this gal.
I normally wouldn't waste my time stopping somewhere to grab a bite to eat but this little old style diner down the road has the best hash browns a girl could ever dream of.
Finally I see the diner in the distance and I find a proper spot to park, it's open 24 hours so I don't have to worry about rushing out of my car. Kirby is waiting for me so I can't take too long, He is gonna want some sausage though. He will be able to smell me before I come through the door.
" Good evening hon! Hope you are doing well. How can I serve ya today?" the waitress is chewing gum while talking to me. Not the best first impression. She had one hand on her hip and the other twirling a loose strand of hair around her index finger. Carefree, like I wanted to be again.
" If you could just grab me a hot cocoa and the number 3 with sausage and scrambled eggs. That would be heavenly thank you." She jots the notes down on her pad and walks off to the kitchen with a hop in her step.
I stare out of the smudged diner window to look at the beautiful array of colors the sunset had to offer. Oranges and pinks, even a little purple. A beautiful painting of color splashed across the evening sky. In that very moment I would have felt content to pass on to the next life, everything seemed to be perfect. No work to worry about and no bills, just living in that very blissful moment of silence and beauty.
" Here ya are hon! Number 3 and a hot cocoa. I figured I'd bring em out the same time so the hot cocoa would be fresh and hot for ya." She sat the plates and the cup down on my table without much of a care grabbing for a silverware set out of the pocket of her apron, before trotting back off to the kitchen. " Let me know if you need anything! I will be just beyond the door."
"Thank you!" I yelled after her, but she was already gone. I took the time to really enjoy my dinner, each bite of hash browns was like getting your first kiss all over again. You just fall so hard and fast you don't know what's happening, absolute heaven.
I hardly even noticed that I was being watched by the man a couple of booths down from me. He had a seriousness about him that I just couldn't pinpoint. He had a heavy jaw and light sandy blonde hair like he just hadn't washed it in a while. His back was hunched over his plate but his head was up, looking directly at me. His blue eyes were piercing me, beckoning me into the storm.
When he realized I was watching him in return he slammed a handful of cash onto the tabletop and rushed out of the diner without a word. He stopped beside my car for a moment and looked back at the diner, our eyes meeting once again before he disappeared.
What a strange man, I thought. " He must have some serious issues..." I trailed off as I stuffed some more hash browns into my mouth. I have to get home to Kirby, that good boy is missing me by now.
I wave down my waitress and ask her for a box and my check. She lets out a slight sigh and walks off to the kitchen, she taps her left foot against the ground as the receipt is printing out. No doubt already ready to head home for the day judging by her attitude. Maybe I was her last customer of the day?
She lays the check and box down on my table and walks off to the other booth. It's where the man was sitting earlier. She leans over and grabs the handful of cash and a couple of plates off his table and stalks off toward the kitchen once more. I grab some cash from my shoulder bag for the check and packed up Kirby's sausage.
" Have a great night!" I yell before leaving the poorly lit diner. The waitress doesn't even turn around, only waves her left hand up over her head while working on her kiosk.
I work at grabbing my keys out of my pocket, fumbling across the parking lot no doubt looking like some kind of drunk while trying to navigate my skinny jeans. As I approach my car there is a white paper on the ground. I lean over to pick it up once I´d gotten my keys from my jeans pocket. It was written on a napkin from the diner, probably by that man I saw earlier.
THE SUN IS FAILING. AREN'T YOU AFRAID?