The Last Day

Everybody hates Monday

- I am a dedicated employee. I like what I do.

The barista looks at me with a raised eyebrow while she puts the saucer with the black coffee cup on the balcony.

- Your coffee. – She says.

I feel the smell for a while and then I drink all the content in two gulps.

- Do not get me wrong, it's not self-promotion. In fact, today is my last day at the work. I'm retiring. And even now, I'm on time. – I tell her in a solemn way.

She smiles to me, because of my retirement not for my job commitment. Sometimes I think this is the everyone's dream: retirement!

- Enjoy your free time starting now. I still must work for at least a dozen of years before my retirement. – She says, and I can see the sorrow in her face.

I say goodbye and leave the cafeteria. After all these years of service, and I can say they were really many years, only two things stay the same: a coffee before the day begins and, of course, this sadness that Monday causes in people.

That's it, today is Monday! The International Day of Delay. When the people decide to prolong that Friday's holiday, when they suddenly realize they are sick and cannot go to work, the day when one of their relatives (the ones they never told us they had!) dies. Well, I think you understood me.

I do not like Mondays. I think no one likes Monday. But I must tell you I have my reasons and they are not the same as the other people's reasons. People don't like Monday because is when the weekend ends, and they must get back to their boring lives. A boring job with no expectations that will persists for all the week.

Well, it's not my case. I hate Mondays because everybody has that sadness expression while you seem to be the only one happy in the city. It seems you are not part of the team. You are the freak one. This feeling drains all my energy, and, in my job, energy is all that matters.

- Good morning! – I greet the hot dog salesman on the street corner. He replied me back in a robotic way. I think he hasn't sell anything until now. Another poor soul crawling in a sad Monday.

I come across on the green sign. I Always follow the rules. We must give good examples to the youngers. "Haste makes waste", as they say. Well, why so hurry when, in the end, everyone's destiny is the same, right?

I walk into the building, pass my access card and head to the elevators.

- Gathering department, please. – I inform the attendant. He pushes the sub level button while nodding the head.

The elevator's doors open. I thank him and walk across the corridor then I get into the "renewable energy department" (the nowadays name for our department). On the left side of the door there is the old register and I punch in the card. The clock shows 8 o'clock. Right on time! I congratulate myself mentally.

I see a few heads turning to me while I walk to my desk.

- What dedication! – I hear from one of my coworkers. – Arriving on time on a Monday. Especially when it's your last day before retirement.

- I like my job. What can I do? – I answer him honestly.

He turns his face to the computer screen and start typing something on a Facebook post in a frantic way. I sit on my old wood chair and look to my daily task box. Empty. It seems no one was expecting me here today, despite all these years I have dedicated to this job.

As I have nothing to do, my mind starts flying away about Mondays. Always it! Did you know that human resource consultants think the best day to fire someone is on Friday? According to their studies, a person must be fired always in the end of the week, so the person will have all the weekend to absorb the situation and, on the next Monday, he (or she) will be no more angry or sad about it and it' finally when this person will be ready to look for another job.