The Reunion

The 'Date'

It was a chilly Monday morning and I had to go to work. I was wrapped in my blanket, just like a caterpillar in its cocoon. It was 8:14, one more minute and this alarm clock was gonna go wild. I wanted to hit the snooze button, but my hands were just not cooperating, eventually, not even a second to spare, the alarm went off.

"Okay, okay! I'm up! Sheesh!" I shouted and punched the alarm to snooze. I think, I even broke that poor timepiece. Now came the most difficult part, GETTING UP! No matter how hard I tried, my warm and comfy blanket was just not letting me go, well, I suppose, it was the other way around. Even the force of gravity quadrupled at that moment. After a fine struggle, I finally managed to escape the clutches of my bed.

It was 8:22 already and I had to reach the office by 9:10 or that vicious bloodsucking ogre (Fred) was gonna skin me alive. I rushed towards the bathroom, slipping and tumbling throughout the way. I took a bath and got ready. Prepared an egg-sandwich, ate it and I was off to work. Miraculously the traffic was alright and I reached the showroom at 9:15.

"Oh! If it isn't our sleeping beauty!" Fred mocked me from the hallway as I entered.

"uhh, I got stuck in the traffic" I replied frantically.

"Okay Sir Excuse-a lot, get to work, these cars aren't gonna sell on their own!" he shouted and I nodded my head in affirmation. Man this guy really gave me the scares!

I was standing in the showroom, staring at myself in the hood of the Mustang. I was looking at a guy with a tie so tight that he didn't even seem to breathe. He seemed to be happy and content in what he was doing, but from inside it was totally the opposite. I mean who loves to live in a small shabby apartment? Who likes to get man-handled by his boss every day?

As I was about to fall into the pit of depression and misery, Rachel's words came to mind and a grin appeared on my face. I mean come on, I was standing in front of a Mustang and with its keys in my hands! I was back to normal.

"Just 4 hours and 42 minutes to go Nate" I reassured myself.

2 hours had gone and it was lunch time. For the past 5 months my lunch consisted of a hotdog and a cigarette afterwards. Every day I see all the employees, opening their lunchboxes, chattering and enjoying the food that their mothers and wives cooked and packed for them. Even that asshole, Fred, gets home cooked food. I wonder how anybody could love him, I mean he's Fred, for god's sake!

After the break I was back to work. I had the phone in my hand. "I wonder what she must be doing at the moment" I said to myself. I was as ready as I could ever be and I was sure about calling her. It was a 'now or never' kind of a moment, but what would I say to her.

"'Hey Rachel, Nate here naah'! That's too desperate."

"'Hey Rach, whatsup babe', ughhhhh are you fricking kidding me Nate!"

"'Hey Rachel, remember me we met at the bar', no, no, NOOOO!"

"Ughh, I don't know what to do!", I shouted. This was a moment of total chaos for me. My thumb was just milliseconds away from pressing the dial button and my blood pressure started rising. I took a few deep breaths, calmed myself and pressed the dial button. After a few rings, she picked up.

"Hello?" she said, "who is this?" but I didn't say a word.

"Hellooooo, anyone there?" she kept on speaking, but I still wasn't able to say anything. It was a complete disaster. I'm sure that even God must've been laughing on me at that moment.