One-Shot Stories

The Vacation*

You hang your head as you place the phone into its cradle. Just another day at work. Another long, boring, mind-numbing, grind-you-into-powder day at work. As you make a note of the call on your computer file, your best friend and coworker stops next to your desk. A tall, thin lizardman with a bit of a cocky demeanor, Kurt had been invaluable to you throughout the entire time you'd known him. Not just because he had a habit of being bluntly honest, but because he also tended to lean toward wanting to take care of you when you weren't doing well.

"Hey, do you want to go get a coffee? My treat!" His sharp-toothed grin actually brings one to your face, and you feel a wave of relief wash over you. You nod happily; anything to get away from the desk for a while. Especially after that last call.

Off in the breakroom, the two of you chat about how work had been going and the way upper management had been cracking the whip so hard lately. It was exhausting for you, and you said as much.

"Yeah, I can tell, kiddo," Kurt says flatly. At your raised eyebrow, he sighs. "You look like hell. And not like the 'I just had fun and stayed out too late' kind. You look like you're one foot in the grave."

You blink at the unflattering description and touch your cheek. Did you really look that tired?

"Look don't take it wrong, alright?" Kurt reaches over and gently pats your hand, but his expression is worried. "But if you've got some time off you can take... I really think you should take it. You're going to kill yourself working as hard as you do."

"I... I do have a little saved up," you say quietly, and he snorts.

"You haven't taken a day off in over a year. You have more than 'a little' saved up, kiddo," Kurt says, shaking his head. "Now what you're going to do is fill out the forms that you need to to get that time off, and submit them before the end of the day." He holds up his hand as you start to protest. "Nope. You're going to do it, or I will on your behalf." His tone shifts slightly as he looks back at you. "Kid, you're worrying me, okay? Just... listen to me on this one."

You knew that Kurt would never be dramatic about anything without being sincere, so reluctantly, you nod, and Kurt lets out a heavy sigh in relief. The rest of the short coffee break is spent talking about what you might do when you take your time off, and before you know it, it's time to get back to work.

Following Kurt's advice, you submit the paperwork for your vacation time before you leave work that evening. You had a lot saved up, actually, and you decided to use a fair bit of it at once and take a long weekend off. That should be good enough to help you recover, and it still left a little bit in case of emergencies.

By the time you get home that night, you're completely flat-lining in energy, and you spend a moment as you walk in the door to call for some takeout. No way you could cook like this. You flop heavily on the couch and turn on the TV, mostly just for background noise.

You sigh heavily as you look at the old postcards hanging on the wall behind the TV. Your collection had grown really quickly over one point in time, but lately, it had stagnated. You hadn't added a new one to the collage in over two years. Sure, some of them had been gifts, sent to you by friends and family from their far away trips to exotic lands, but you couldn't help but notice that the number you yourself had added had dwindled to nothing. You'd been so adventurous a few years ago... and you couldn't help but wonder what happened.

Your phone chimes as you receive an email from work, and suddenly you remember what happened: career change. You'd gone from having a job you loved that paid well, to an office job you hated that didn't. That and the way they constantly pestered you during your off hours made it nearly impossible for you to be able to get away and just...well, relax.