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the_siobhanWe put a glass of red wine vinegar on Axel's desk to attempt to catch the fruit flies. It is both hilarious and awful that this is a problem the night that asked people to come over for drunk writing.
"So he really paid for your drinks just to hear our lame zombie story?"
"Yep. Toldja' you shoulda come out last night."
"You're right, I should have. The date was a dud anyway."
"Gotta go. My limo's here."
I shoved my cell into my jacket and fished around in my pockets for my bus fare. I have to admit, I winced a little when the bus pulled up and I saw just how packed it was. My head was still a little tight from all the free drinks last night and it would have been nice to get a seat.
I wedged myself between a couple of people in office drag near the back doors and grabbed ahold of the handrail. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. If I could just hold out until I got to work I could swipe some coffee from one of the executive break rooms, that was bound to make me feel better.
I heard the low murmuring start near the front of the bus, but it didn't really register that somethign was wrong until I heard the woman beside me make a sharp little gasp. I opened my eyes and looked around. The bus was pulled over at one of the stops, some little side street that normally didn't make much of a difference and a whole bunch of people were getting off. I watched them, confused.
The bus had pulled away from the curb by the time my eyes settled on the reason. There were plenty of free seats now but he was still standing, holding onto one of the poles and looking down at his shoes. His skin was grey and I could see the edge of the enormous blue-and-white 12-step button he was wearing on the front of his suit jacket.
I walked towards the front of the bus and grabbed one of the single seats next to where he was standing. He lifted his eyes slowly to look at me and I smiled when his eyes met mine.
"Nice weather this morning," I said.
His return smile was slow and guarded. "Yes, yes it is," he said.
"You heading to work?" I asked him.
"Yes." He looked down at hsi shoes again. "It's... it's my first day back since... Well. It's my first day back." He gave me another tight-lipped smile.
"Don't worry," I said. "You'll kill it." I paused for a moment and added, "Maybe I should rephrase that."
He laughed then, opening his mouth and tilting his head back. His teeth looked like a picket fence in his black shrunken gums.
The bus pulled up at the Bay Street stop and we both got off. He gave me a nod, still smiling, before heading into one of the big bank buildings, swinging his briefcase. I walked a little further south before turning onto one of the tiny side streets and entering another office building through a side door. This one was also owned by a bank but it was all back-office workers so it didn't have the big logo on the front. I swiped my keycard to get inside and turned down a dark hallway to make my way into the mailroom.
Ahmed and Lajos were already there because they drive in from the suburbs and start work at rediculous o'clock in the morning to beat the traffic.
"Nice of you to finally join us," said Lajos. He says this every single morning.
"Not my fault, man. The agency doesn't let me set my own hours." Technically I'm a temp and don't actually work for the bank, even though I've been in the job for three years.
"You should come work at the bank permanently," said Ahmed. "It's not exciting like you kids like, but it's stable and you get benefits." He also says this every single morning.
"The day they propose I will say yes, I promise you." I told him. Both of them have been at the bank for over twenty years, and I had long ago given up trying to explain to them that my lack of full time employment was not because I was holding out for something better. "Hey either of you delivered to the top floor yet today? I want to see if I can get some coffee."
"The outgoing mail today is a big fucking mess," said Lajos. "If you take care of it, I will buy you a coffee. And a doughnut. With sprinkles"
"You have so got a deal." I grabbed the wheeled cart piled high with envelopes and packages and dragged it over to the table where I work. There are two desks in the room and more than enough space for a third, but since I'm only supposed to be a short-term employee I wasn't set up with a permanent work station. Lajos and Ahmed stole a table and some chairs out of the cafeteria one morning just so that I could have a place to do my job.
The outgoing mail was a fucking mess and I was so distracted by sorting out proper addresses on everything that I almost forgot aobut my hangover. It was still a welcome break when Lajos finally dropped a coffee and a small paper bag on my table.
"That was served to me by a zombie," he announced. "So don't blame me if you eat it and turn into an undead."
Ahmed turned around in his seat. "They let zombies work around food? That's not good."
"Dude, food service workers don't get paid sick days. They come into work with dysentery and cholera. Zombieism is the least of your problems." I took a huge bite out of my doughnut just to prove my point.
"Still. All those people around. What if she bites somebody?"
"She was wearing her 12-step button," said Lajos. "Do you think they can wear that and sneak brains on the side? My wife's brother is an alchoholic and he used to hide booze all over the house when he was in AA. Nobody knew for years."
"You can tell," I said, remembering my neighbour's glazed lifeless eyes. "I'm pretty sure you'd know."
"I still think it's not right," said Ahmed softly, but neither of us responded and we let the subject drop.
"So he really paid for your drinks just to hear our lame zombie story?"
"Yep. Toldja' you shoulda come out last night."
"You're right, I should have. The date was a dud anyway."
"Gotta go. My limo's here."
I shoved my cell into my jacket and fished around in my pockets for my bus fare. I have to admit, I winced a little when the bus pulled up and I saw just how packed it was. My head was still a little tight from all the free drinks last night and it would have been nice to get a seat.
I wedged myself between a couple of people in office drag near the back doors and grabbed ahold of the handrail. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. If I could just hold out until I got to work I could swipe some coffee from one of the executive break rooms, that was bound to make me feel better.
I heard the low murmuring start near the front of the bus, but it didn't really register that somethign was wrong until I heard the woman beside me make a sharp little gasp. I opened my eyes and looked around. The bus was pulled over at one of the stops, some little side street that normally didn't make much of a difference and a whole bunch of people were getting off. I watched them, confused.
The bus had pulled away from the curb by the time my eyes settled on the reason. There were plenty of free seats now but he was still standing, holding onto one of the poles and looking down at his shoes. His skin was grey and I could see the edge of the enormous blue-and-white 12-step button he was wearing on the front of his suit jacket.
I walked towards the front of the bus and grabbed one of the single seats next to where he was standing. He lifted his eyes slowly to look at me and I smiled when his eyes met mine.
"Nice weather this morning," I said.
His return smile was slow and guarded. "Yes, yes it is," he said.
"You heading to work?" I asked him.
"Yes." He looked down at hsi shoes again. "It's... it's my first day back since... Well. It's my first day back." He gave me another tight-lipped smile.
"Don't worry," I said. "You'll kill it." I paused for a moment and added, "Maybe I should rephrase that."
He laughed then, opening his mouth and tilting his head back. His teeth looked like a picket fence in his black shrunken gums.
The bus pulled up at the Bay Street stop and we both got off. He gave me a nod, still smiling, before heading into one of the big bank buildings, swinging his briefcase. I walked a little further south before turning onto one of the tiny side streets and entering another office building through a side door. This one was also owned by a bank but it was all back-office workers so it didn't have the big logo on the front. I swiped my keycard to get inside and turned down a dark hallway to make my way into the mailroom.
Ahmed and Lajos were already there because they drive in from the suburbs and start work at rediculous o'clock in the morning to beat the traffic.
"Nice of you to finally join us," said Lajos. He says this every single morning.
"Not my fault, man. The agency doesn't let me set my own hours." Technically I'm a temp and don't actually work for the bank, even though I've been in the job for three years.
"You should come work at the bank permanently," said Ahmed. "It's not exciting like you kids like, but it's stable and you get benefits." He also says this every single morning.
"The day they propose I will say yes, I promise you." I told him. Both of them have been at the bank for over twenty years, and I had long ago given up trying to explain to them that my lack of full time employment was not because I was holding out for something better. "Hey either of you delivered to the top floor yet today? I want to see if I can get some coffee."
"The outgoing mail today is a big fucking mess," said Lajos. "If you take care of it, I will buy you a coffee. And a doughnut. With sprinkles"
"You have so got a deal." I grabbed the wheeled cart piled high with envelopes and packages and dragged it over to the table where I work. There are two desks in the room and more than enough space for a third, but since I'm only supposed to be a short-term employee I wasn't set up with a permanent work station. Lajos and Ahmed stole a table and some chairs out of the cafeteria one morning just so that I could have a place to do my job.
The outgoing mail was a fucking mess and I was so distracted by sorting out proper addresses on everything that I almost forgot aobut my hangover. It was still a welcome break when Lajos finally dropped a coffee and a small paper bag on my table.
"That was served to me by a zombie," he announced. "So don't blame me if you eat it and turn into an undead."
Ahmed turned around in his seat. "They let zombies work around food? That's not good."
"Dude, food service workers don't get paid sick days. They come into work with dysentery and cholera. Zombieism is the least of your problems." I took a huge bite out of my doughnut just to prove my point.
"Still. All those people around. What if she bites somebody?"
"She was wearing her 12-step button," said Lajos. "Do you think they can wear that and sneak brains on the side? My wife's brother is an alchoholic and he used to hide booze all over the house when he was in AA. Nobody knew for years."
"You can tell," I said, remembering my neighbour's glazed lifeless eyes. "I'm pretty sure you'd know."
"I still think it's not right," said Ahmed softly, but neither of us responded and we let the subject drop.