Into the Light

Chapter 11: bankruptcy

Book Two: Metamorphosis. Chapter: 11

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being."

Carl Jung

Heavy eyes open but are weighted by the thoughts of the workday; eyes close and adjust to the light. Blake phases in and out. Tyger rustles the gravel and prepares to attack a cornered cricket. The disdainful faucet drips and the plugged-in appliances are vampires of electricity. The sun fights to shine over the city of windows and a misty morning, an autumn morning, a morning filled with people wearing black raincoats.

Blake taps the rhythm of his heartbeat on the tip of his nose and then fights to his feet, floats to the shower with his slumped shoulders and soaks in the hot spray. Life passes by in blinks for Blake, every sound and footstep echoes as he gets ready. With a tie tied too tight, he can't feel the cold on his face as he steps out onto the sidewalk. The city streets are alive with clusters of foot traffic. Losing time to daydreams of chocolate chip cookies and million-dollar scratch off tickets, Blake makes it downtown.

The guards do not bother him and the office is empty. He's early for the first time in months. The air is smooth on his tongue and the scent of garlic pickles drifts over from Richard's cubicle. A car air-freshener cut in the shape of a pine tree is pulled out of his drawer and hung on Darth Vader's neck. The computer fires up with a low hum and Blake stretches as he sits back. The familiar scent of jasmine swirls to his nostrils as Juli comes strolling over in tan suit and a curt smile lifts.

"Why didn't you text me back after you left the club?" Juli asks.

"Lost my phone. No joke. I have to buy a new one tomorrow," Blake says.

"That explains it. We have to talk but first how was the opulent evening in the burbs?" she asks.

"Oh. I didn't know I told you about that?"

"You did. On the way to the club. So?"

"Well it was crowded with people who have people. You need a reference just to look at them. People just living to out do their neighbor and buy the next fashionable piece of art as their souls seem to be bought and paid for."

"Well thank you for such detail. When I usually ask a guy how was it? I get fine or shitty. By the way," she says and pauses to long for Blake's liking, "you get the news yet?"

His heart rushes a beat and a bead of sweat forms on his forehead.

"No. What? Haven't gone online to read the paper today," Blake says hoping his mishap didn't so how make its way onto the internet.

"Well it isn't that kind of news. It's office news. Auggie got fired. Something to do with tampering with the database. Someone hacked them and adios Auggie."

"Sucks for him. Can we talk later? I'm sort of behind after taking that sick day and all," Blake says

"Drinks later? We have to talk about what happened that night."

"Sure, it was a weird night" Blake says and squeezes his knees so hard his fingernails bend.

The day is almost done and Juli C. walks up to Blake like a strutting cat. The ending bell dings and the office quietly goes on standby. Blake checks his emails and there is nothing from the bookie.

On the street, the yellow cabs whizzing by becomes a blurred tunnel of light like a time lapsed photo to Blake. No cabs stop for them. He turns to Juli.

"Can we walk? It's not that cold out?" he asks.

She nods but isn't happy about it.

The hurried race on the sibilant city sidewalk begins with a first step until a last step is taken to a dive bar, sawdust floor included, named Shaky's. Hipsters and theatre people are packed in like a subway car. Conversations about Fixie bicycles and the Rothko exhibit swirl among the deep v-neck sweaters and scarf clad thespians. A suitable table in the corner is found where Blake and Juli can scope out the twenty-somethings with the scorn they deserve.