The End, My beginning

I woke up just like any other day to start my dead-end job working at the local grocery store. They had started to try and get good PR so they raised our wages where I am no longer living paycheck to paycheck but not so much that I have the ability to change jobs or get an education. As I came to the normal lull in my morning routine, I found myself in front of the mirror again. Standing 5'5 and 200 pounds with slightly balding brown hair, seeing it made the depressing feeling I lived with creep back up on me. I was going to die alone, without anyone to fill the void in my life. I mean who wanted a guy in their late 20's that did nothing but work and play video games. No to mention that I was afraid of everything, including girls. Patting my belly I reaffirmed that I was going to start using the gym membership that the store gave me as more of their PR stunt. They didn't have to try so hard to keep me, not like I could go anywhere else. Enough of that.

I got dressed and put on some deodorant, not having time to take a shower before work. The road to work had more traffic than normal. Great! Emergency lights. I was going to be late for work again. My boss was an asshole and would belittle me in front of everyone again. As I got up to the place where the accident happened it seemed like the police were having a hard time controlling the two drivers. It looked like a small sedan t-boned a pickup truck.

"You did that on purpose you little pissant" the screams of the pickup truck driver were muffled through the window of my cheap car. The driver of the smaller car growled and lunged at the pickup driver not fighting how people normally fought. He clawed at the pickup driver and bit down on his hand prompting him to push the car driver at my vehicle. As the car driver bounced off my door, he left a little bit of blood on the window and tried to lunge at the nearby cop who tased him, making him fall on the ground. I had the space in front of me now and in my panic, I floored it causing the tires to squeal, mostly because I needed new ones. In the rear view I saw the guy get up almost unfazed and make another attempt at the cop who drew his service weapon and shot him dead.

I spent the rest of the drive hyperventilating and trying to calm down. I had just seen a man get killed. Whether he deserved it or not, that was the first person that I had ever seen get killed in person. I fought the panic attack that I was in, allowing me to keep in the vehicle. The rest of the drive was uneventful. When I pulled up in the parking lot I took a few minutes to collect myself, grabbed my vest putting it on, and walked in.

Not surprising, Vern, my manager, was waiting near the kiosk we used to log into work. There were a few other employees in the break room including Cindy. I have such a big crush on her, I would make something of myself if only for the completely off chance that a goddess like her would give me a chance. Not paying attention I walked right into Vern feeling like I had just walked into a brick wall.

As I looked at him, he started "Douglas late again I see?" he sneered.

With no confidence in barely a whisper I replied, "There was an accident on Main I got caught behind". He looked down at me, seeing that I was shaking slightly.

"Did they hit you?" he said in a mocking tone.

"No." I said, looking at the ground.

"Then why are you being a little bitch about it? You should have planned better to get here, I'm writing you up for this". I was overwhelmed and started to quietly cry, feeling the weight of what I just saw. It wasn't a sob or anything, just tears leaking down my cheek.

To Vern this was just adding fuel to the fire and I could see the look of mirth spread across his face. He was a bully through and through. "Oh, did I hurt your feelings? Do you not like being called a bitch? If you grew a pair maybe you would be able to get a girlfriend finally". I hadn't seen Cindy come up until she spoke "Leave him alone Vern, just because you took the manager position doesn't mean you can bully people"