The sun rose over one of the average houses in Queens, New York, as it did over the entire city.
Inside the average house, a man in his thirties woke up after his phone alarm rang for the fifth time, yawning. He was already tired from all the work his boss had assigned him.
The man slowly got out of bed and stretched to relax his stiff muscles. When he stood up, he said in a deep voice, "I really hate this bed."
He went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and washed his face as he looked in the mirror. He found himself looking at his black eyes and long black hair, and he had a beard that adorned his face. Some wrinkles appeared on his forehead despite his young age, and his dark eyes seemed almost lifeless, as if he had no strong reason to live.
The man in the mirror was Jonathan Klein, 32 years old, an American man living in Queens and working for 8 years as an office worker in one of the major marketing companies.
John sighed after washing his face, changed his clothes, and headed to work. It seemed that breakfast would have to be on the way. He just wished he had found the time to shower, as he really preferred not to make anyone at his workplace feel uncomfortable with him. This creates a bad reputation, and a bad reputation means a lower bonus. Although he didn't really need the money, he considered it a reward for his work.
When John finished getting dressed, he was wearing a black suit with a tie, pulling his hair back and wearing glasses.
John headed to the garage, and on the way, it became clear that his house was devoid of any kind of pictures, neither family nor personal. It also seemed that some pictures had been removed from the walls, as their marks were still visible.
John went down to the garage to take his family-type car. He didn't really like riding in these cars; they brought back bad memories, memories he preferred to forget. But what could he do?
When John reached the car, he checked his surroundings first before leaving. This was a habit he had acquired from his previous job.
When John arrived at the company where he worked, He greeted the receptionist, "Hello, Carla."
The so-called Carla looked at the speaker and found it was John. She was a beautiful 28-year-old woman with attractive blonde hair, blue eyes, clean skin, and full lips. It was clear she took care of her beauty, which was a requirement for her job at the reception desk.
She was wearing her work suit, consisting of a white shirt, a black jacket, a tight skirt that reached the knee, black stockings, and high heels.
Carla smiled that charming smile, "Good morning, John. How's your morning?"
"Well, you know, the usual: staying up late because of too much work, waking up late, having breakfast on the way, and wearing shoes that aren't my size. If we exclude that, my morning is good."
Carla looked at John with sleepy eyes, "Really, John, try to relax."
John moved forward, leaving a few words for Carla, "I'll do that when Mr. Binnet decides to do some exercises."
As John walked to his office, Carla was laughing, covering her mouth at what John had said about their boss at the company.
John arrived at his office. It was certainly not a special office, which was because he did not hold any high position in the company; he was just a small office worker.
His desk was among a group of other desks belonging to his colleagues. Believe it or not, John preferred to be here rather than in a solitary office. This preference came from his previous job, where he preferred to be among crowds, as they provide the perfect shield.
As soon as John sat on his office chair, someone placed a stack of papers on the table. John looked at the person and found himself looking at a woman in her fifties, plump, with white hair full of wrinkles, brown eyes, wearing red lipstick, and dressed in an old-fashioned work uniform with round glasses.
The woman was Penelope or "Penny," one of the oldest people who worked in this company. She was always known to be a bitter woman who cared only for herself and hated everyone, especially younger, married, and happy women, as she had not had good luck in her married life. This woman had gone through seven marriages and seven divorces, forming the bitter woman before John.
The woman said angrily, "Stop staring at me, Mr. Klein, and start doing your job. No one is going to do it for you."
All John did was sigh, "Yes, Mrs. Penny."
John picked up the files in front of him and began reviewing them and sorting them to present them to the main accounting department.
In the end, he was just a small man in the accounting department within the company.
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End of chapter