Chapter 2 "This day is just getting better..."

i pulled up to my driveway sometime around 5:30 pm. technically it wasnt my driveway, it is my landlords but im sure a 60 year old man in a wheelchair wont be driving anywhere anytime soon. "Damn, damn, damn, im not gonna make it." i muttered to myself as i jumped out of my car and ran towards my front door. my hand went straight for the doorknob only to see it was locked. i never lock my door. something was wrong. "hey John!" i yelled up to the open window on the second floor "what gives? why is the door locked?" john was my hermit roomate that never left the house. John popped his head out the window with an Xbox headset on. "sorry, i had a girl over. i didnt want you to sneak up on us." John replied with a smile from ear to ear. "how do you get girls when i never see you leave the house?" i screamed up with confusion. but before he explained i cut him off remembering i was late for work. "hey stupid throw down my work shirt! will ya? im late again." i said with a sigh. "ok hold on a sec, i just want to beat this guy on Halo." - "Now John!" i blurted with disbelief. "okay, jeeze! sorry." john muttered something to the headset around his head and dissapeared shortly only to return with a plastic bag with what i hope to be is my work shirt inside. "heads up." john said as he dropped the bag. the bag floated down the side of the apartment building, only to land on the hood of my car with a thud. i sprinted back to my car ignoring johns wave goodbye to grab the bag off my hood, and proceeded to fling it through my open moonroof while at the same time jumping in the drivers seat.



peeling away from the ugly Brownish-yellow apartment, i decided to check johns handiwork and make sure if he threw me the right shirt. using my right hand i proceeded to tear open the tied up plastic bag. it was tougher plastic than it looked, the damn thing just wouldnt open. i let go of the wheel with my other hand and held the steering wheel with my knee as i wrestled with the plastic bag that was guarding my work shirt with its life. forgetting completely about the driving portion of my mission, i tore open the plastic bag with an overdramatic amount of force. as if the plastic bag was retailliating for me destroying it with such anger. the elastic-like plastic that this bag was made of decided to make my deep green work shirt lunge at my face. now completely blind with a large green blotch covering my face, steering with my knee, and most likely disobeying the speed limit. im a death trap waiting to happen. as quickly as i could i tore off the green shirt that was holding on for dear life and placed my left hand back on the steering wheel. "the Green Shirt of Death" i muttered to myself as my heart slowly returned to its original pace. "this day is just getting better and better.." as i regained my sense of direction, i realized i was only two turns away from my job. thankfully im almost there and i havent killed myself yet. i finally turn the last corner to see a large green and orange glowing sign with a neon coffee cup next to some writing that says The Mansion Cafe' . it was a rather nice place. even though it looked nothing like a Mansion. it was a two story house with many rustic accents, as well as two large reddish-brown marble stone pillars holding up the balcony resting right above them. just off the corner of one of the marble pillars hang a tacky green and orange neon sign with small tea-lights surrounding the outline. it was a quite beautiful place. with the exception of that god-awful neon sign.


my boss was waiting for me when i pulled up to the parking lot. he was a fairly short, stubby man with a receding hairline. "where the hell were you Jack?" my boss said with agitation in his words. "we need somebody to operate the cappuccino machine and nobody else has a clue how!" he said with not only agitation, but a hint of frustration this time. "sorry bout that, i was locked out of my house for a while. i couldnt get my work clothes." my boss is extremely strict when it comes to dress code, so i knew that would get him. "wheres Leo? he knows how to work it." i explained. my boss replied with a grunt and a sigh as he said. "that little idiot burnt himself on the steamer again. damn near almost took half his face off!" i smirked a little as i pictured it happen in my head. "okay, okay im on it. relax, dont worry ill work overtime today ok?" i cringed as i said those last five words. my boss' frown slowly turned the other way when he heard that too. he knows im a hard worker and id more than make up for my tardiness if i stayed late. "ok but i need you to fix the lighting around the sign tonight. it keeps cutting out." he said. "it may just be a loose wire or something, but ok no prob." i sighed and walked through the entrance to another day of boredom.