Moonlaker007 Offline

The Miraculous Day Part 1

Tired, Tommy sat in his living room, finally home after the daily grind. Spending it either in his cubicle, or floating around addressing computer related issues, he is an IT guy, and all the glamour that comes with it.

As he sorted through his mail, he found a postcard with a picture of his old school mixed in with the envelopes.

Studying it, he felt many memories come flooding back. He and his friends hanging out in the parking lot, playing baseball, and then the days he would spend talking with Lorelei in the library.

Lorelei. Wow, he hadn't thought about her in years! Thinking back, he could recall her brown eyes, that never failed to draw him in, and keep him captivated. Everyday, he had really just sat there, hanging on to her every word. Hours would seem like minutes.

It had not been just her beauty; accentuated by dark hair and dark brown eyes. No, it would also be about her beautiful personality that remained humble despite being just about the smartest person he had ever met. Even to date.

Then, in their junior year, she and her family had moved. They tried to stay in touch, of course, but at that age, anything, or anyone that didn't follow you into tomorrow would simply be left in yesterday.

Ending his trip down memory lane, Tommy read the card. Apparently, the library had announced a “Day of Forgiveness” for all overdue library books. On Saturday, they would open the library from 8 am until 8 pm, offering to take all books back with no fees applied!

Book? What book?

Looking at the card again, he could see his name; Thomas Sanchez, and then the name of the book. Seeing the title brought a smile, it had been years since he had read that book. When he did read it, he laughed often.

Unable to find it in his apartment, he knew that it had to be in his storage unit, miles away. He decided to wait and go there after work the next day.

Checking the freezer, to see what Monica, his current girlfriend, had prepped for him, he opted for one particularly interesting looking container. Taking it out and opening it, he thought, chicken it is as he popped it in the microwave.

As he ate, he considered driving to Atlanta, see the old school and neighborhood. Could be a nice weekend getaway, return the book and then spend the rest of the weekend showing Monica his Atlanta. With every bite, he added to his plans. By meal's end, it still sounded like a great idea.

Calling Monica afterward, she sounded excited about the trip as well. This could be just the thing to get me through these 30th birthday blues, he thought. He had been dreading his upcoming birthday for a long time.

Countdown to 30: 99:00:00 hours.

At lunch the next day, he told his coworkers about the postcard, and the upcoming trip. Kevin, a younger guy from sales jumped into the conversation.

“So looking for some company on this road trip, or are you planning on taking Monica?” he asked. Other ears nearby perked up.

“Road trip? Who's talking road trip?” Ken asked. Ken, Tommy's supervisor in the IT department had a true flair for asserting himself into every situation.

“Oh, I'm going to Atlanta, with Monica, actually.” Tommy shared. Kevin looked at Jeff, another guy from sales. Tommy had always felt like Kevin and Jeff were really cool. He appreciated their extroverted ways, and how they made it look so easy.

Not once had he ever felt like they might be mocking him, or treating him any differently than anyone else.

Until today.

Their look went from grin to sad quickly.

“What?” Tommy asked them, wondering what that might be all about.

Kevin looked at Jeff, both of them obviously debating on whether or not to share something.

“Dude.” Kevin finally said. “Listen, we weren't gonna say anything in case we were wrong, but we saw Monica with her ex last night around seven.” He confessed, not having a clue what to say next.

Tommy laughed.

“Ha! Man, you almost got me with that one. Seriously, I spoke to her last night at around nine. She was home, and alone, I can assure you.” he said, confident that his friends were joking him.

“Okay, Tommy. Hey, maybe we just saw someone who looked like her, it's cool. You got nothing to worry about.” he said, hoping that his words would offer some later consolation for Tommy. He knew better, though.

Ken, who had been eavesdropping, chimed in again.

“Hey, Tommy, just in case these guys are right, you don't have to make the trip alone. I will gladly be your travel buddy this weekend. Hey, I know some awesome party places around Atlanta!” Ken said, his sensitivity meter broken. Again.

Tommy rolled his eyes, then thanked them all for their concern and offer. Lunch over, he left the break room. Kevin and Jeff just looked at each other and sighed.

“Road trip.” they said at the same time, then went back to work.

Ken went back to his office and made a few calls to Atlanta. This would be a weekend to remember, if he had anything to do with it.

Leaving work that evening, Tommy decided to drive straight to Monica's apartment. I'm sure it wasn't her, it just couldn't be.

Standing outside of her apartment, he couldn't ring the bell. He thought about knocking, but felt that might be too bold. After another ten minutes, he resolved to ring the bell. Soon.

Pacing up and down the hallway, several residents rushed past him, in a hurry. He never saw them, as he began to rehearse the coming conversation aloud.

“Aha! You're lying! Kevin and Jeff saw you last night with your ex Dominic! I know you were with him, tell me the truth!” he said firmly, as an elderly man walked by with a cane. The old man stopped to watch Tommy.

“No, that's too strong. Maybe another approach. Something like Monica dear, are you a cheating whore?” Tommy asked her, from the hallway. She couldn't hear him of course.

His frustration only grew.

The old man laughed and applauded Tommy.

Tommy looked up, acknowledging his audience, and decided to draw him into the conversation.

“Do you think I'm coming on too strong?” Tommy asked, looking for a pearl of wisdom.

The old guy shrugged.

“TV's busted.” he said.

Tommy just stared at him, feeling a pressure building up inside him, which he would finally release with just a few words.

“Changing channels!” he yelled and walked back to Monica's door ringing the bell. The old man walked away.

Trying to calm himself, he waited for a full minute before ringing the bell again. Then, a third time. Nothing.

Now, he knocked. So hard in fact, the door cracked on the outside.

No response.

The old man stopped and looked back.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the key that he had forgotten until just that second. Walking inside, Tommy yelled out Monica's name. He would only hear an echo.

Stopping after the first step into the apartment, Tommy's heart sank.

The apartment had been emptied. A few champagne bottles lay at his feet. In the middle of the room, a box of his things sat, like a waiting puppy. Leaning against the box, a 32-inch television. His brain completely shut down.

After another ten minutes of standing still, a beep on his wrist reminded him that his life had just been shoved into the next hour of his life, like it or not.

Countdown: 78:00:00 hours. 77:59:50. 77:59:40...

His internal countdown stopped as he heard someone clear their throat. Looking back, Tommy saw the old man looking at him, his head bowed in apparent apathy.

“She left you, huh? I am so sorry young man. I understand what you are going through, been there myself.” he said, his voice consoling Tommy in the moment.

“Yes, she did. I don't know what to do, now. I feel like I can barely hold my head up, much less try to take this stuff downstairs.” he said, wishing that the old man could help.

“Well I think I can help you, son” the old man replied. Tommy looked up, ready to politely refuse, when the old man approached, leaning on the cane.

“Thank you, sir, but no, I wouldn't want to...” Tommy began, as the older guy stood near him.

“Well I don't mind, really. Here, let me take this off your hands.” he said, dropping the cane and picking the TV up without so much as a grunt. Once up, he began walking toward the door, like a man half his age.

Tommy stared at the cane, his mouth wide open.

The old man stopped at the door and then turned.

“Like I said, TV's busted. Found that cane in the hall.” he said as he started to turn, then he asked, “Say, you know anything about hooking up cable?” he asked hopefully. Tommy wasn't there, at least not mentally. He had disappeared into a surreal place in his mind.

The phone call that came at just after nine pm that night for Kevin and Jeff would not be a surprise. They offered their condolences, letting him know how much they hated being right.

Tommy's world would go into reboot mode.

The next morning Ken met Tommy at his desk, to let him know that he would probably need to nap on the drive to Atlanta.

“You know, to be rested for what's coming Saturday night.” he explained. Tommy knew better than to ask.

Looking at his watch, he calculated the countdown: 59:14:35

For just a moment, he imagined that this had become the countdown of his actual life. He imagined a random game show announcer shoving a microphone at him.

“You have fifty-nine hours left to live! What will you do next?” Mr. Big Smile would ask him. Without missing a beat, Tommy would bite off the top of the microphone, and begin chewing it. Everyone would run away screaming. This pleased Tommy immensely.

That night he made his way to the storage unit. Adding his things from Monica's apartment, he found the book and it's library card still intact. He had considered canceling the trip right then and there, but decided that it would be nice to get away. Maybe regroup.