The Crew | On Hold

Chapter 1

This was the one day, when I was supposed to be right on time, or else I'd be left behind the door, but guess what - I slept past my fifteen alarms. Now I'm running late to a job interview, that is very important for me and my family, and it is making me extremely stressed today.

My nerves are tied as tightly as a guitar's strings, and every little thing almost makes me lose my shit. It is especially crucial for me to get the gig, since my mother is weak and partially disabled, but thoughts like 'what if I don't get it' and 'what if I mess everything up' keep running through my mind, winding me up even more. 

All of her life, she's worked her ass off to support me and herself, working various jobs in the trading business, therefore completely messing up her hands. At the moment she can barely work, since her hands get painfully cramped and then numb.

Since she's worked hard since she was 16 to secure income for us, it is now my turn to support her. Therefore, I cannot be late for this interview, or else we might be forced to live in the shelter, since we can barely afford food and rent.

I check the time on my phone. It's 10:13, which means my bus leaves in 8 minutes. Quickly putting on my old, worn black pants and a random black sweater, I try to make a list in my head of what I can't and shouldn't forget to take. Keys. Bus ticket. Phone. The script. Something keeps bugging me in a remote corner of my brain, but I can't get a grip on that feeling. Seems like I'm forgetting something but I can't remember what exactly it is. Probably isn't that important, if I'm not instantly remembering it. 

"Are you ready for your audition, honey?" Mom appears in my doorway, wearing her faded blue robe. Memories of how soft and nice it used to be flood me, but I don't allow myself to dwell on memories. I have to focus. 

Her raven-coloured-turned-grey hair is made into a messy bun, threatening to fall apart with every slight movement she makes. With her trembling fingers, she attempts to tighten it, but the bun has come so undone, that it's almost pointless to even try to tighten it at this point. For a second my eyes hesitate on the view of mom's trembling fingers on the worn out rubber band, but I make myself go on and pretend that the sight doesn't scare me. My mother. Trembling like this. Unable to even make her hair in a bun without trembling. Shivers creep down my spine. 

I head past mom into the hallway, where I scramble to put on my black coat. I wear a lot of black clothing, for which others blame me, but I blame mom. Ever since I remember anything, she's always worn black. And I've grown up to appreciate how beautiful the colour black really is. 

"My bus leaves in T minus 5 minutes, mom. I've gotta run," After struggling to close the zipper of my mom's recycled boots, I kiss her on the cheek. "I'll call you immediately after the audition."

Mom's light blue eyes shine with love as she moves closer to hug me quickly yet tightly. "I love you, honey. You'll do great."

I don't have any time to hug her or talk anymore, because I'm seriously in the danger of missing my bus. It would be honestly heartbreaking, because it only goes three times an hour and I wouldn't make it in time, if I ran to the nearest metro station.

"Lock the door, will you?" I'm already breathless as I bolt out of the house, leaving mom watching me as I start a light jog. The bus stop isn't that far away - only a minute and a half, if you run -, but I can already see the bus waiting for another car to clear the road, so it could pull up to the bus stop.

My light jog turns into a full on cross-country race as I try my best not to fall on the crouch sounding leaves, that I don't even have time to admire. Every year I excitedly wait for fall to come, so the leaves change colours and beautify the world, but then every year there also is the breaking point, in which the beautiful fall turns into a soggy, cold mess within a lightening second.

I'm at the pedestrian transition, when the bus pulls up at the bus stop. Panic instantly fills my mind and it seems like a massive rock has been thrown on my chest. No, no, I can't miss the bus. 

The light finally turns green and I fly across the transition. The bus is still standing, but, as I approach, it shuts it's doors and lets out a sound, meaning that it's ready to go. Hell! I bang my fists on the doors. Hot tears are forming in my eyes and the whole world seems to go blurry. 

To my surprise, the doors finally open and I jump into the bus. Tears are now pouring down my cheeks, but they've turned to tears of joy. 

"Thank you, kind man!" I call to the bus driver, who just gives me a weird look and tells me to sit down. I obey, sitting next to an old lady, who's wearing a dark violet beret and a little scarf around her neck. She gives me a kind smile and then turns her head to look out of the window. 

I wipe my eyes and look around the bus, suddenly feeling ashamed, that every living soul in this bus saw me cry like a maniac, just because I nearly missed the bus. My eyes briefly lock with a young girl, who looks at me with curiosity, but, shame burning my cheeks, I pull out the script of my small backpack and start to reread it, just so I don't have to look at anyone.

Hello, my dear reader! Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, that you'll vote for it, and, most importantly, that you'll continue reading the story. :)