Oh my Stars

Chapter 1

Clock ticks.

Suddenly Darwin's {Eakley} eyes open to find himself awake in the darkness. For a moment he was confused if it was either late or early.

He lays there, to figure it out. His eyes scattered throughout his darkroom, looking at his items that are either scattered or neatly in their place in his small bedroom.

Sighs

He prefers to lay there since he was comfortable, warm, pleasing.

'I'll be damned if it's 4 in the morning' Darwin thought to himself.

He still doesn't move.

His eyelids became heavy, even though he woke up completely out of nowhere.

Siiiggghhhssss

He sighs heavily to wake himself up, then sits up and reaches for his small lamp on his nightstand.

~Ci-click~ He pulled the cord switch. Rubbed his eyes to adjust the brightness of the lamp which he was right next to.

Darwin turns to his small desk clock that was next to the lamp. His eyebrows rosed up, as his eyelids opened up slowly as well. Starred at the time. It read 4:24 AM.

"Oh for fuck sake...." Darwin complains, wishing it was late. But his body sensed it was the early morning and it was time to wake up.

He sits there, as the room is filled with light but the corners were very dim. Refuses to move his arms to take the old covers off of him.

Darwin is alone with his thoughts, 'why am I in this position for Pete's sake, if only I have changed my mind earlier. Now I'm stuck here, in party lane....'

'But it's for my ma and pa and the rest I guess...' he ended his moment of thought there.

Finally, Darwin takes off his covers and sits up at the edge of his bed. His warm feet touch his cold slippers. He sits there for a moment before he gets up. He turns to the window as the dawn still seems dark, but the glow of the morning sun approaches the southern land of California. Before going into thought, his bladder tells him to stop.

The young man stands up and stretches, as he makes way to his toilet. Walks into his narrow hallway, and the dark, tiny bathroom. He switches the light, and it flickers on. Finally making it to the toilet and does his morning business.

************************

Later that hour, Darwin has bathed and clothed himself ready for work. With his shirt tucked in his knickerbocker's pants. He wears suspenders under his sweater vest since he tries to dress in a unique style of his as well attempting to be deluxe fashion. He sometimes wears his boaters hat if he's in the mood for the day.

Which he is today.

Considering that he woke up early and has time, he is currently making himself a delicious and large breakfast to get him through the day until lunch or dinner.

Before cooking, Darwin's radio is always turned on to listen to the latest jazz hits, and or what forecast seems to report about today's news.

Currently playing King Porter Stomp by Jelly Roll Morton.

With the upbeat jazz tune, Darwin seems to tap his feet to the rhythm of course, since it was a great song. After making his breakfast and now settling down, he reads the morning paper he managed to steal from his neighbors front door in the apartment hallway. No worries it was five in the morning, if the neighbors don't find it, should be under the doormat if they wake up early.

****

He finishes breakfast early since the newspaper had nothing new, the same old stuff. Police not catching burglars and a car crash in the north of Los Angeles. Nothing hasn't been "big" ever since the news about the Ruby Millionaires; Mr. & Mrs. Ruby were killed in a drive-by shooting while they were at Oscmarie Jewelers. Suspected gang violence, but everyone knows that the Ruby's were just nice ol' couple. Who knows.

Darwin returns the newspaper in its place since the neighbors weren't awake yet.

Before heading to work, he checks if everything is in its place, when he comes home, just as he left it.

Heading to the hallway, he opens a window. A clothesline is beside the window frame. The line is connected to the building next door. That looks like the back of a warehouse. Darwin pulls it as if he was going to hang laundry.

After pulling the other end of the line a rope was tied to it that comes from the inside of the building. Darwin unties it and pulls it. Out came in a steady platform to walk on.

Quickly places it on the bottom of the window frame. Perfectly in the right position as if he has done it a million times. Steps up to the platform and quickly walks over it to the other building window. No sign of instability when crossing. Jumps in the darkroom, and turns around to hastily take in the platform back into the building.

'This could've ended up like a Buster Keaton film if the police caught me walking from one building to the other...' he thought to himself after remembering times when he almost got caught not only by the police but that old lady who walks her dog, that Will tell the police. Soon after had to walk to work, instead of just going from one window to the other. Nevertheless, he has gone back to the window, after changing his sleeping schedule to not get caught in the early morning.

After setting everything up so he can go to lunch and dinner later in the day. Darwin clicks the lights on to find himself in his janitor's closet. Takes what he needs to get the place cleaned up before opening the movie theater for today's film showing.

12/28/2020