Marvel's creations

chapter four: unexpected connection

Marvel was standing in front of the counter during his night shift, thinking about how his life has changed during the past 3 months. He thought that by now he would be good, but he was far from good. He hasn't seen his mother since they parted ways back in California, he was missing her so much that it made him sick. He spent these 3 months working all night and offering his services all day. That meant that he only had a total of 4 hours sleep which was horrible. Moreover, he still didn't manage to save money to get his own place, but it wasn't that bad since he and mike became sort of best friends by now. He had these constant voices in his head, mostly his father's voice. Tom's voice was constantly following marvel every day, telling him how he is a loser, reminding him of his old good life. Although marvel knew they weren't real, they got to him every time.

A long side working hard for money, he was working hard to stay away from all the distractions around him: drugs, suicide-which sometimes is too tempting to him that he is lured to it but then restrains from it. As for the drugs, mike tried to persuade him several times, he refused it each time. It was the end of the month which means that tomorrow his salary would be with him, and this month's salary joined by the scraps he had been saving for the past 3 months. He finally can afford a visit to his mother. He was burning with excitement to see his mother, they face time each other every now and then but it's never the same. When you talk with someone and he is physically in front of you, it's easier to show feelings and give in, you don't even have to talk; facial expressions between you and the person in front of you and the warmth you feel could express any emotion that you want and would definitely replace any talking. In this case a simple hug could solve any problem, just to know that someone is actually there for you. Lying on the phone is way too easy, since you can't see the person's facial expressions or anything, the conversation is ineffective. His day dreaming was cut by a woman shouting.

"are you here!"

"yes, sorry ma'am"

The woman continued to order all sorts of different unrelated things. He knew mike would be furious by this order, since he told him that he works in the night shift because there was normally no work during these hours. In comparison to marvel, mike was the opposite in everything; while marvel was determined to work hard and maybe someday he could get back what his father selfishly took, mike was just working to get money for weed or drinks, living for the sake of living nothing more. As a child, mike was the chubby boy that you would normally find sitting in a corner during recess. He grew up loving that corner, he didn't want to get into college when his parents offered four years ago; they thought it was the gap year that most kids take before college but when it continued for two years he was made to choose either going to college or leaving the house for good. It's pretty obvious what he chose. Despite their differences in everything, they sort of came along together. But even mike's company didn't help marvel with the constant loneliness he felt. The feelings he had ever since his father missed his first baseball game, he always felt alone as a child and it got bigger with him through the years. No matter how hard his mother tried to make him feel loved, there was always someone missing in the picture: his father.

The shift has ended for marvel; he often didn't feel the time passing by because he used it to think about everything- he was his own doctor since he couldn't afford one. He entered the locker room, changed into his clothes, waited for mike, then they got off together. It was a chilly day and Marvel was shivering since he forgot his jacket back in the house, the streets were not so empty. As marvel walked to his 'house' he could see the sun rising just down the street, as if it was really there. After a twenty-minute walk in the chilly weather, they finally arrived home. The building wasn't really a sight for sore eyes, it was creepy, dark, and most importantly dirty. They got inside, in the end of the first floor's corridor was a baby with pampers just crying at the floor, marvel fought the feeling that urged him to go play with the baby but there was no time to waste. They went up the dirty staircase that was mostly broken and had gaps in it, the carpet covering them had stains all over them, some were vomit, some were blood and god knows what else. After reaching the fourth floor, he could see the apartment's door in front of his face, a yellow door that could be easily recognized between the other doors. Mike kept trying to open the door for five straight minutes, it's often hard for him since his hands are shaky from all the drinking and other stuff he does, eventually marvel just took the keys from him and opened the door himself. The place was still dark from the inside; it didn't really get much sunshine even in the middle of the day. It wasn't an apartment at all, in fact, it could be called a room but with a kitchen and a bathroom. It didn't have many furniture either, just an old stinky couch, where mike slept, and next to it was a pillow and a blanket-marvel slept there of course, it was bad but not like the subway's toilet- there was a small table with a television in front of it. In the kitchen was hundred-year-old-fridge and a few cupboards. To be honest the bathroom was beyond describing, but let's just say it was, in fact, just like the one marvel slept in before. They both got into their pajamas and started to fall asleep when marvel started talking- which was rare because normally mike would do the talking.