I woke up at 6:00, and had the realization that today is Christmas. I already heard my jolly neighbors laughing while singing Jingle Bell Rocks. I wanted to throw glass cups at the wall hoping the sound of glass shattering would block out the sound of jolly laughter and screaming kids saying 'This is what I wanted', or asking 'How did Santa know I wanted this?'. Please, your parents know what you wanted because you wouldn't shut up about it. Do you really believe Santa gave you the new famous video game or gave you the new Barbie doll? Better question, why the fuck are kids even up this early? I managed to pull my ass out of bed and get dressed. I left my apartment to see people's family members showing up. You do realize it's only 7:30, IN THE FUCKING MORNING! What family shows up for an 8:00 pm dinner at 7:30 am? Is this a normal Christmas thing or am I just fucking Scrooge from A Christmas Carol? I was waiting in the elevator and already saw John waiting for me as soon as I got off the elevator.
"Bad morning?" John asked.
"If you count listening to jolly families and screaming kids a bad morning, then yes. This morning has already turned into shit."
"Come on, it's Christmas!"
"A holiday I really hate. Can't I just spend my Christmas staying in bed?"
"No! Not when I'm here. Now get your ass in the car or I'll throw you over my shoulder and toss you in there myself."
"You wouldn't."
In a swift moment, John threw Phoenix over his shoulder. She was too surprised to even process what was happening.
"Ah, young love."
Phoenix and John looked over at an elderly woman watching John carry Phoenix over his shoulder.
"Oh, we're actually just coworkers. Or friends. Whatever we are." Phoenix said.
"Could've fooled me."
The woman walked off and John and an over-the-shoulder Phoenix were looking at each other. John ignored the lady's comment and actually placed Phoenix in the passenger seat and buckled her in.
"I'm pretty sure this is kidnapping." Phoenix said.
"Take a look in the mirror, Firebird. You ain't got time to be picky."
Phoenix was too busy taking in the scene that she didn't even hear what John just said.
Was my ears playing tricks on me, or did he just call me Firebird? If my memory serves me right, firebird has to be a reference to my name. John said a phoenix was a beautiful immortal bird which appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. The bird would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes and the cycle would repeat every 500 years. It surprised me how much I could remember from 1 single interaction. But...if my ears weren't playing tricks on me...and he did call me Firebird...what does that mean? A boss having a nickname for their employer, just seems...ridiculous. And with my mind asking all these questions, my mind didn't know whether to ask him or not about the Firebird nickname.
"Um...did you just call me Firebird?"
"Did I?"
"Oh. Um...I guess I was just hearing things."
Is it bad that I kind of liked the name Firebird? Having a nickname that only John called me made me feel special and wanted. Maybe even beautiful. But maybe that was just a stupid wish I wanted to boost up whatever ego I have.
"Me being your boss and having a special nickname for you is just dumb and stupid."
"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing."
Phoenix looked away to avoid eye contact with John as he was making sure Phoenix was buckled in.
I saw Phoenix look away from the corner of my eye. I saw disappointment in her white silver eyes. It broke my heart to see I was the cause of her sadness. Truth is, I know I called her Firebird. It just slipped out, like, a heat in the moment kind of thing. But it seemed unprofessional to have a nickname for employees, mostly for one specific employee. And I wanted to be the only person to have a special name just for her.
"Well, we better get going." John said.
John started the car, and Phoenix was on her way to have a memorable Christmas.
It wasn't long until I rested my head on the window and saw many families looking like they're having the best Christmas one could hope for. I already called my dad and wished him and my brothers a Merry Christmas. I told him this year I wasn't spending Christmas alone, and I will see him for the New Years. John's family lived in Sacramento which is more than a 5 hour drive from Los Angeles. I've never been to Sacramento, but my father always said there's a first time for everything. I saw John turn the radio up some more and Work For It by Big Time Rush was playing. It's been so long since I heard that song. I closed my eyes and let the song become a part of my mind. I let it become something like a muscle memory. This song was just one of the few memories I want to keep forever.
YOU ARE READING
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Romance"Quick question: why do you live in a two-bedroom apartment when it's clearly just you alone?" "I have 5 brothers. Life...falls apart on some people. Life is full of disappointments. There's people who make you believe they love you. But they don't...
