Days Of Us

1 -Day the first-

-Day the first-

Wednesday, week one.

Ray was on his coffee break and it was a pretty well deserved one. It was his third day of working but he felt as if he had been there for years. He was already beginning to settle into the routine of the work day: waking up at five; starting at six-thirty; lifting red bricks until his hands were raw and taking ten minute coffee breaks.

He used the flimsy stick to stir the powder from the coffee sachet around the boiled water until it was blended thoroughly. He lifted the cup to his lips and shivered slightly as the bitter tasting liquid touched his tongue. He had never much liked coffee but when there was no other free hot beverage on offer at the site, he forced himself to try to accept the strong flavour. He reminded himself once again to buy some tea bags in the supermarket beside his house. He also accepted that he would most likely forget.

At the age of twenty, Raymond was the youngest of the workers who were employed at the site. It was in the city of Dublin, on one of the main streets near the city centre. He sat on the edge of the scaffolding, his legs dangling over into the empty air. It was his first time to sit down and observe all the surrounding buildings in the city.

Ronnie plopped down beside him heavily and Ray was almost sure that the scaffolding was going to break and that he would fall to his death. He gripped onto the edge of the makeshift deck that was used to rebuild the outer walls of the old building but all he heard was Ronnie's loud chewing as he digested a rich tea biscuit. Ray noted that, although biscuits were generally noisy to eat, Ronnie made it sound like a car collision was occurring inside his mouth. The sound was only amplified more when Ray chose to notice it, so he diverted his gaze down to the street where various city people were rushing along with their busy lives.

"Y'know," Ronnie said in his harsh city accent, "I bet if you pick out a few people and remember what they look like, you'll notice that some of them have routines. They walk by at the same time ev'ry day or ev'ry second day," he let out a hearty laugh, the sound rattled by the fact that his lungs were corrupted by cigarette smoke. "They're like little worker bees. Buzz buzz."

Ray laughed along, although his laugh wasn't so hoarse and rattly like Ronnie's. Ray was a frequent smoker but the chemicals hadn't started to influence his health yet- save for the odd chesty cough. He figured that he probably had another couple of years before they started to affect his health. Then he would quit smoking.

Probably.

He had always regretted his decision to start smoking. Although each cigarette gave him a sort of relieved rush that rivalled nothing else, he didn't want to end up like Ronnie. Ronnie was in his fifties and smoked like a train. His grey hair was thinning and his face was covered with wrinkles. He used an inhaler after what seemed like every few minutes to Ray, probably because even carrying bricks over and back was strenuous to Ronnie.

"Pick one."

"Eh?" Ray asked, pulling a face as the coffee slipped down his throat. He didn't think that he'd ever get used to the taste of the strong coffee.

"Pick someone out from the crowd," Ronnie searched in his trouser pocket and pulled out a note. "Ten quid says they'll be here tomorrow."

"I never disagreed with you," Ray stated, looking down at the crowd.

"Ya never agreed either, so I picked your side. Ten quid. Pick one."

Ray shook his head, smiling. He had only known Ronnie for a few days but he already knew that he was a very determined person. When he wanted something done, he got it done. Pronto.

Raymond fished a scrunched up tenner from his back pocket and held it out to Ronnie. Ronnie nodded and, slipping a cigarette between his lips, pointed down at the crowd that had become slightly thinner since five minutes ago when Ray had sat down first. Ronnie took a mouthful of his coffee, slurping loudly before gulping it down.

Ray looked down at the crowd. He could have picked anybody but, in truth, he was looking for someone who stood out. He was looking for one person who didn't fit the criteria for 'normal city dweller'. Although the whole crowd wasn't exactly drab and dull coloured, it looked like that to Ray. He expected someone to stand out, someone that had that essence of excitement emanating directly from them.

"C'mon, Ray. I 'aven't got all day," Ronnie called, puffing on his cigarette.

"Alright....," Ray sighed, looking back down. He searched a little in the crowd again, then he found one. She was walking from the north side of the pedestrianised street towards the city centre. She was petite with shoulder length red hair that in soft waves. She wore a plain white shirt, a black skirt that fell to her knees and a black handbag that she adjusted on her shoulder awkwardly. She was pale with a softly pointed chin and must have been Ray's age, maybe younger. The girl was beautiful- but that wasn't the only reason why he picked her.

He picked her because she looked up. She squinted as she tilted her head upwards because, even though it wasn't a particularly sunny day, the sky still blinded anyone that looked at it. Her eyes sparkled when the light hit them, so Ray couldn't see what colour they were. It took a moment for him to realise that the red haired girl was staring directly at him. He grinned down at her, then he waved.

She scowled and glared at him, flipping him the finger and ducking her head back down to look ahead of her at the street. Ray felt himself grinning wider, his cheeks starting to ache slightly. He chuckled lightly. She was something, alright.

"Her," Ray chose, pointing at the red-haired girl as she walked closer to the centre of the city. Then he added quickly, since Ronnie didn't know who he was talking about, "the girl with the red hair."

Ronnie pulled the cigarette from his mouth, breathing out the smoke. Then he whistled. "She's a beauty, I wouldn't mind seeing her again." He turned to Ray, a toothy grin on his face that showed off his yellowed teeth, and held out a big hand for him. Ray took it and shook it, gritting his teeth as Ronnie squeezed his hand like a vice with his rough one.

Ronnie laughed heartily, the sound seeming to echo through his broad body, and let go of Ray's hand. Then he lifted the cigarette to his lips once again and Ray took a mouthful of his coffee to chase away the cravings for a cigarette of his own.

He thought about the girl again. She was a beauty but, judging by her reaction when Ray acknowledged her, she didn't have such a beautiful personality. Ray didn't want someone with a beautiful personality. Ray wanted difficult. He wanted a challenge. He wanted a raw edge.

Ray wanted to lose his tenner.

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Thanks for reading the first chapter, I know it seems a bit slow but if you're liking how it's going please continue reading as it will pick up soon :)

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