Deja Vu (countryhumans)

"...To Enjoy and To Love,"

(This is countryhumans and the funny part is you might forget that it is countryhumans)

I wake up to the rancid smell of a six-pack sitting shattered on the ground and shared by a family of flies living it up in the alleyway next to a liquor store. I graciously wave good morning to my alley-mates and stretch. I wonder what today will bring.

I already hear the commotion of the busy town. People are living their usual lives, so I start off my day as usual as well. I set up a cardboard sign, sit next to it, and relax as I wait for someone to toss a coin in my top-hat. I love owning a top-hat, it makes me feel special, especially when people are throwing money in it. I take out my lucky Bud Light can and pretend to take a swig. I never actually had it before, but I liked the name. So I named myself Buddy Light.

"Buddy! How are you today?" Rose asked. Rose owns the bakery next to the liquor shop, so I'm sandwiched between the two fine establishments. But while the liquor shop owner is standoffish and doesn't give me free booze, Rose is kind and talkative, and always has fresh bread to spare.

"I'm good! Lovely weather today eh?" I exclaim. Rose smiles.

"You say that about every weather!" Rose exclaims. I smile and nod. I do enjoy most weathers, especially rain and snow. I enjoy it because Rose lets me sleep in the employees lounge when it's raining or snowing. To be honest, Rose would probably let me stay at her home if it weren't for her f*ckwad of a boyfriend. Cross-head (or as he likes to be called, Brawn, although I am more than certain I can beat him to death with only one arm. My non dominant arm). They woke up in the streets in each other's arms during the Awakening, so Brawn insisted they stick together... poor Rose is a bit too passive for her own good, so she obliged.

The Awakening is what we call the day where we all woke up with no recollection of who we were, or what happened. The town looked a mess, and there wasn't anything anyone could find that told us who we were or what happened. Only brands, billboards, and... The Unknown... poor guy... The Unknown was the only person found dead after the Awakening. With him was a book full of names, but since nobody could remember who was named what, the book became nothing more than a item in the BAM (Before Awakening Museum. I know, it's a funny name). It houses all of the evidence we have of the prosperous society we must've been at some point... or just things we don't really understand.

"Well Rose, I say today is particularly lovely!" I exclaimed.

"Really? Why's that?" Rose asked. I shrug and hold up an old quote book I found.

"It's like this guy says, 'when you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive- to breath, to think, to enjoy and to love'," I say.

"Who said that?" Rose asked, always curious about my beloved quotes.

"Marcus Aurelius Antoninus...? I definitely didn't pronounce that one right," I say. Rose nods.

"One of these days I'll go to the library and get you more things to quote," Rose said.

"Good idea, lord knows he can't figure out what to say on his own," We hear a man say. I smile up at him.

"Starbucks! How's life?" I exclaim. Star smiles. He named himself Star because of his Star eyepatch (an accessory which is surprisingly common, so it's a wonder Star managed to claim the name first). I call him Starbucks because he always stops by during his commute to work and hands me twenty bucks. And because one day he brought me Starbucks coffee, a wonderful concoction I had no clue existed.

"Life's just fine, here's your allowance Bud," Star said, handing me twenty dollars. I smile and put it in my pocket. I never really spend money, especially since Rose gives me bread and water every day and dumpster diving usually provides me with all I need. However, it's always nice to have something. Who knows? I might need it one day.

Rose and Star go off and continue their day, while I decide to take a walk around the town. People cross the street when they see me approaching. How gracious of them to give me my own sidewalk.

While walking, I run into someone. Literally. But it's not my fault he was sprinting whilst staring at his phone.

"Agh! Dammit... do you mind?!" He exclaimed. I instantly recognize him.

"Roman! It's a pleasure!" I exclaim, graciously offering a hand to help him up. He gets up on his own.

"Oh trust me, the pleasure is all mine," he groans, readjusting his glasses.

"So Roman, how's business?" I ask. He rolls his eyes.

"Usual. Don't you have trash to be rummaging through?" Roman asks.

"Don't you have a desk you need to be slaving away at?" I ask. Roman sighs.

"This morning has been quite rough...I slept past my alarm... I missed the bus... and I'm wasting time talking to a rat," Roman said. I shrug.

"And I'm spending my minutes conversing with a mindless accountant," I say.

"Whatever...," Roman said, brushing past me and rushing to work. I shrug and continue walking. Roman and I go waaaaay back. He was the first person I met during the Awakening. And needless to say, we went down vastly different routes. He has a nice big house in the suburbs with a backyard so big it has its own backyard. He and his business partner took DNA tests and found out they were son and father, so they are some of the few people in the town who know for sure they have at least one family member. He has a stable, well paying job in the city that gives him enough income to retire anytime he wants, however he stays working for he values leading an honorable, laborious life.

The biggest difference between us is that I'm happy and he's miserable.

In fact, I'm somewhat convinced he's secretly a robot whose sole purpose is to be miserable and obsessed with numbers. I mean, he named himself Roman Numerals for Christ's sake! He keeps a Roman numeral cheat-sheet he found shortly after the Awakening. That's his friend. But I guess I can't judge, after all, I'm nothing without my quote book. I should've named myself Pericope or something cute like that.

While I was lost in thought, the sudden smell of freshly brewed coffee caught my attention. I look up and see it... Starbucks....

Needless to say, those twenty bucks came in handy.