Amans

21. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

Rinnnngg! Rinnnnngg!

"Thank you for calling Daily Dosage, this is Edith, how may I assist you?"

Amans stared out in front of him, the giant pile of traffic reports on his desk remained untouched.

It seemed that even though he hadn't been present at work, his workload hadn't stopped.

He sighed and used the palm of his hands to rub his eyes.

Amans didn't know what he was doing. After the rush he felt last night, he couldn't focus on anything. His mind kept going back to the feeling of accomplishment and the praise he received from the crowd as they chanted his name.

It should have been like any typical Monday for him, but it wasn't.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Namaste."

Amans didn't even bother to look up.

"No Beatriz, he only answers to that name onstage, in here he's just good old Amans."

Oscar reached down and patted him on the back.

Amans raised up slowly and eyed Oscar, "Don't touch me," he said slowly.

Oscar looked at Beatriz nervously.

Amans would usually let the terrible twosome do their terrorizing, but today he wasn't in the mood.

Rick walked up behind Beatriz, "What's going on here? I don't pay you to stand around talking."

"Amans just threatened Oscar," Beatriz blurted.

Rick looked at Oscar, and he nodded in agreement.

Amans rolled his eyes, it was only 9:40 in the morning and he was already thrown in it.

Rick focused his attention on Amans, "So is this what you're doing now? We threaten co-workers at Daily Dosage?"

Rick's voice was escalating, and the other employees began to quiet down and look in their direction.

Amans remained quiet.

"That was a question Amans."

"It seemed pretty rhetorical to me," he responded.

"Oh, and where did this phony act of confidence come from suddenly?"

"He performed at the Millhouse Poetry Competition last night," Beatriz scoffed, "so he's probably thinking very highly of himself now."

"Oh, is that so?" Rick smirked, "Well allow me to pull you back to reality. You," he pointed his index finger at Amans, "work for me," he pointed his thumb back at his chest, "so this little fantasy you have of becoming a famous poet or whatever and traveling around the world, you can throw that out of the window! You're not a writer."

Amans's tightened his fist under the desk.

"I have you filling out traffic reports for me, and you barely finish those! You're a nobody Amans, always have been, always will be, so you better buckle in tight--"

Bing!

Amans's eyes widened, and he looked at his computer screen. The email icon had a green one next to it, signifying that he had received mail.

"What was that?" Rick asked.

Amans ignored him. He clicked open the email and began to read:

Hello Namaste,

We are writing to inform you that you are the winner of the Millhouse Poetry Competition of 2018!! CONGRATULATIONS!! Please respond--"

Amans's heart nearly stopped beating.

He leaned closer and let his eyes scroll over the email a few more times as he tried to let the words sink in.

Out of the hundred other poets that participated in the competition, he won!

A huge smile spread on his face, and he wanted to jump up and down from joy.

"What are you grinning about?"

Amans looked up at Rick, smiling larger than ever.

"I quit."

Rick blinked.

Beatriz and Oscar's jaws dropped.

"What did you just say?" Rick asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You heard me," Amans laughed as he stood up and grabbed his satchel off the floor beside his chair.

He logged out of his computer and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

Brushing past Oscar, Amans made his way to the front entrance, passing all the shocked faces of his co-workers.

"Amans!" Rick yelled, but Amans continued walking.

Rick had controlled his life for two years, he could not have the last minutes before his freedom.

Amans reached Edith at the front desk, and she smiled at him,"Go show the world the real you."

Amans smiled back and reached for the front door.

"Amans if you walk out the door there's no coming back."

Amans stopped and looked over his shoulder, "Exactly."

He pushed open the door and took a deep breath as it closed behind him.

This was the game-changing moment of his life.

He laughed and jumped in the hair, closing his eyes and thanking God for the miracle.

He could feel everyone's eyes on him through the glass windows, but he didn't care.

Amans raced down the stairs that led to the lobby, humming all the way down. He passed by Michael sitting at the front desk, his head buried in the morning newspaper as usual.

Having a second thought, Amans doubled back and headed into the men's room one last time before leaving Daily Dosage for good.

He locked the door behind him and stared at his face in the mirror, "You did it," he whispered.

He splashed some water on his face and patted it dry with a paper towel.

Amans was sweating profusely from all the excitement, and he couldn't decide what to do next.

But he did know one thing.

He had to pee.