The Alternate

Awake

   The sun breaks through the window, the light hitting his face. Steven opens his eyes to another Friday morning.  Friday's were all the same for Steven,  hot shower, shave, a pill and a big bowl of oatmeal. It wasn't that instant oatmeal garbage, but steel-cut with some dried fruit for flavor. He watched the news while he ate. They were talking about a crazy person who led police in a car chase that claimed two lives, plus the driver.  Steven sat there shaking his head, as he finished up the oatmeal. After cleaning his dish, he went to the room and got dressed for work. He was an accountant for a medical lab that was located in L.A.  He traveled from the Valley to the city by the metro redline. His start time was 8am, but they didn't much care at this point when he got there, because of his mental illness. Thankfully one of his alternates was
an extremely accomplished mathematician. Jackson Tyler  worked Wednesday/Thursday shift, it was part-time work that paid well. It was the only real reason why he was working at Olympic Medical Care. However most preferred calling it O.M.C. For legal reasons they filed the w-2 under Steven. Because technically he was the real person. Steven had a car but mostly traveled by bus and train if he was going to be gone for long periods of time. He never knew when he might be triggered and blackout. For instance that time he woke up in Vegas.
    Steven liked keeping to a schedule. It helped him feel like he was in control. He finished putting on his red neck tie. Walking into the living room, finally dressed and ready he grabbed his things. Before leaving he checked the house to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, then remembered his black journal. It was a daily log for the alternates to write in, while they were in control. He ran back to his room and picked it up from the nightstand.
Locking the front door, he left for work. After a few buses he finally reached the train. While waiting for the train, he read the entry for the week that was in the journal.

Journal entry: July 5th- 9th 2015
    Saturday was good, I took care of some stuff around the house. I did all that before ten in the morning, after that I practiced for that night and the next, because I had a couple gigs. Saturday night I was going to the Guitar house and Sunday there was a club in Hollywood. The club's name is  the Fly Goose. Played a bunch of cover songs and a few originals. I made two hundred each night. I left the money in the cookie jar. Sunday was probably the most enjoyable of all. I got a number of this beautiful redhead. I didn't bring her home for the obvious reasons.
'That explains the phone number on the sticky note I found earlier with the money in the cookie jar.' he thought.
   The train pulled into the station. Once it came to a stop the doors opened and the people inside the train came out in a wave. Once they all cleared out, the people boarding including Steven, got on and took their seats.
Steven continued reading...

July 11th, 2015
   I got a job guarding a stripmall on Monday nights and Tuesday nights. I followed the instructions for getting a job that you laid out for us. I gave them your resume and your information for taxes. I'm not required to carry a gun so you don't have to worry about being a hero.....
   As Steven read the entry in his journal, a man stands in front of him while riding the train to work. He looked up to see the man was staring at him  intensely.
"Yes. Can I help you sir?" Steven said with a warm smile on his face. The man responded by grabbing Steven by the collar of his jacket and lifting him up to his feet.
"You almost got me arrested last night, bub. For that alone I should kill you or at least leave you beaten and bloody down here in the subway."
"Woah buddy, I have no idea what you are talking about? If I could explain what is wrong with me? You see I have dissociative Identity Disorder," before Steven could continue, the man backhanded him. Leaving a red mark on the left side of his face.
"Shut the Hell up! I don't care about your mental state buddy." he raised his fist to punch him in the face..
Some people took notice of what was going on. A man who had been taking the subway for years, stood up.