2088
By Peter Rehard
2088
Peter Rehard
Copyright Peter Rehard 2011
Smashwords edition
Dedicated to the Reader
Chapter One
A buzz came from the loud speaker like a fly burning itself on a light. John stood up in routine and placed his hand over his heart; looked to his side where Saul stood the same as him with his eyes wide on the speaker box. A voice said:
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America
And to the Republic as it stands,
One nation under man, indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.
John looked over the office and the small cubical boxes pieced
together; watched his coworkers say the pledge and when the speaker
shut off, they all sat without a word or thought. John sat down quick
and Saul asked him, “Who do you have coming in today?”
John flipped a piece of paper over on his desk and said, “First
is one of the freshman.” Saul laughed, put his hands behind his
head and leaned back in his chair. He asked, “Yeah? A young
kid. Do you have a busy day?” John looked over the paper and
hoped, “Not anymore than usual.” Saul sat up and
proposed, “Then let's go out to lunch, we'll split it.”
John put his hand up to say yes and turned his chair around. He picked up a stack of papers and said, “I have conference room number one hundred-two. You?” Saul said, “Fifty-three. Don't you ever get tired of interviewing people?” John shrugged and said, “It's my job. It's ours, isn't it?” Saul smirked, “Yeah, but you're interviewing people for your own job.” John looked down at his desk and repeated, “Well, it's my job.” Saul shook his head and ended the conversation, saying, “Anyways, lunch, twelve-thirty, meet me downstairs.”
John stood up with the stack of papers in his hands. He walked through the office towards a series of halls and took the second. White walls, brown floors: smelling sterile and dead. He read the numbers to himself as he walked and when he came to room one-hundred and two, he went in and sat down at one end of a long conference table. The room was barely lit, dull and asleep. He sat there waiting. A knock came later and John, straightening his hair said, “Come in.” A younger man entered and moved over to John to shake his hand. He reached his hand out towards the boy, but pulled it back and said, “Mr. Goulis? Take a seat at the other end of the table.”
When the young man sat down, John took up a piece of paper and read from it, saying, “Goulis, twenty-eight, degree in waste management, public relations, public appearance: Wyoming?” The young man nodded and John said, “Wyoming.” He looked over at the young boy and the boy moved his hair from his face. John said, “We have rules,” lifting his hand up. The boy did not answer and John continued, “I don't know if you have ever been to an interview before, but now I'm going to ask you a few questions, just answer normally.” The boy understood and John began the interview by saying, “I see here that you have only been in college for ten years, that is the minimum for this company without prior experience. Do you have prior experience?”
The boy shook his head and John said, “Don't be shy, you can talk.” The boy cleared his throat and said, “Well, yeah, this is like my tenth year, and I know I only have three degrees, but to be honest--can I be honest?” John said yes and the boy continued, “To be honest, my parents aren't rich or anything so I'm going to school on loans.” John said, “Lots of people are.” The boy muttered, “Yeah, but since my parents aren't rich or anything, I don't get a good, um, rate. Basically four years ago payments were first do; I got a job working for the telephone company back by my college, but I've only been able to keep a year late.”
John said, “Oh, I see.” The boy rubbed his forehead and John asked, “But what made you apply for this position?” The boy didn't say anything and John answered for him, “This isn't the only job you applied for.” The young man answered, “No, I need the money.” John leaned back and yawned that it was not a problem, saying “Well, it doesn't make a difference, you're not going to be discriminated for any of that. Do you know what this job entails?” The boy shook his head and John explained, “Each day, you interview applicants for this job of interviewing applicants.” John stretched his arms out behind his head and watched perplexity come on the boy's face. John said, “Yeah, it pays three-hundred thousand a year, with, well, company benefits that depend on your age and health and tenure, but all in all, it's a simple job.”
The boy smiled and asked, “Three-hundred thousand?” John moved his chair back and the boy said, “That isn't very much.” John relented, “Who are you telling--but I have your college information, the only other thing left to ask: are you willing to relocate if you get accepted? You're in college now, would you transfer to a college here or just take on the job?”
The boy said, “I probably would transfer and go to school at nights.” John wrote the boys answer down and asked, “And one more thing: why do you think you deserve the job?” The boy thought for a minute and John said, “It doesn't really matter.” He wrote something down quickly and said, “Thank you for coming in; I'm sorry for being rude, but we have rules.” The boy tried to speak, but John cut him off saying, “We will send you a message within the next seven months notifying you of an answer.”
The boy said, “Seven,” and John told him, “That's right, seven. Thank you for coming.” John stood and walked the young man to the door and once he had left, sat back down in his chair. He took out his pen and scribbled a picture on one of his extra pieces of paper in front of him; looked down at his hands. He said, “For so long,” and let out a deep breath. He tapped his pen on the table and waited for another knock on the door.
It came later when he was nearly asleep. John lifted his head off of the table, wiped away his drool and said, “Come in.” A man entered and just like the younger man, moved over to shake John's hand. John shook the man's hand firmly and said, “Mr. Whitaker?” The man said that was his name and John told him, “Hey, how are you, please take a seat at the end of the table here. Yes, right there. Thank you. How are you today? Well, pleasant, enjoyable?” John smiled and the man said, “I'm well enough.” John asked, “You're good then, very well, let us get on with this interview, Mr. Whitaker--what an interesting name, that sounds English. Is that an English name?” The man shrugged and said, “I'm not sure.”
John remembered, “I once saw a documentary of England--sounds like an English name. Anyways, don't mind me, we're asked to be extremely enjoyable towards applicants--I am that way naturally so it takes no effort.” John took up the man's paper and said, “Well now, this looks very promising, you went to college for ten years?” The man said he had and John continued, “Degrees in waste management and public relations, very good, we do not see this often. But it says you are from West Virginia, is that right?”
The man said, “That's right, I was recently let go, back home in Martinsburg. I was hoping to find work out here. You know how it is when you have a family.” John said, “Martinsburg, I can't say that I have ever been there. How is old Martinsburg?” The man said, “It a big city now, real big.” John coughed and asked, “Oh, just like South Dakota City?” The man said, “Well, it's not quite as big as this city, but still pretty big.” John smiled and said, “I'm so glad you came in today, it was great seeing you. We have all the information we need. We'll be in contact shortly.” The man said, “When should I expect an answer?” John scratched his head and said, “I would say two weeks?” The man smiled and shook John's hand as he led him to the door.
When the man had left, John sat back down and put his head on the table. He knocked his fist on the wood once and said, “Another day.” He took out a clean piece of paper from his stack and wrote down the two applicants' names and a few things about them. He crumbled up the original papers and tossed one at a garbage can in the corner. The first missed and he tossed the second. It missed, he stood up and threw them both away. John sat down once more and put his head back on the table.
John counted to a hundred four times, looking at the white walls of the room. He stood up and said, “I'll go to the bathroom.” Leaving the conference door open, he walked towards the restroom. John went in and splashed water on his face, looking in the mirror. Fluorescent lights on the ceiling burned far too bright. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head at himself and said, “Fifteen more years.” He dried his face and hands with a paper towel before walking back to the conference room, along the brown carpet; between the walls of emptiness and once inside, he put his head down and went to sleep. There was no knock on the door to wake him up and it wasn't until his watch beeped that he opened his eyes.
He rubbed his face and said, “Lunch.” John left the conference room, went through the hall to the elevator and took it to the lobby. When he reached the ground and the door opened he saw Saul talking to the receptionist. When Saul saw him, he waved and said goodbye to the girl behind the desk. John said, “You know, you are to old for her.” Saul joked, “You don't know, people are into all kinds of things now. I might be exactly her type.” John smiled and said, “Why don't you just stick with being your wife's type?” Saul slapped John's back and said, “Lunch?” John nodded and they left the building.
He followed Saul to the garage; to his car and got in the passenger seat. South Dakota City was as alive as it ever was, with people in hordes buying and selling; eating and wasting; working and breaking along the wide streets covered inch to inch with shops and stores and offices. Saul typed into a key board on the dash and said, “Nice model huh?” John said, “Yeah, it's nice alright,” and the car took off down the garage and into the street. When John and Saul came to the main street of South Dakota City, John fell off into his thoughts. The buildings and store fronts; people and cars all stood like models of what a wealthy city would be like. Saul combed his hair in the mirror. John asked, “Where are we going?”
“They have a new Burger Palace I want to check out,” Saul said. John told him, “Burger Bun Palace tastes just like Hamburger Hot Hut.” Saul laughed and explained, “Same company.” The car took them to the restaurant and parked by itself. Saul got out of the car quick and John followed him, through the doors and into line. While they waited, Saul said, “No matter how many of these they have, there is always a wait.” John nodded and said, “I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back.”
He went around the corner and through the restroom door. John found an open stall and sat down. He took a few deep breaths and let them out saying, “Okay.” When he stood up, he saw his reflection in the mirror and said, “I don't know why.” John left the restroom and came back to Saul as he was ordering. John said, “I'll take a large drink and fries.” Saul said, “Get something bigger,” but John shook his head no, and took his cup over to the soda fountain. He filled it with cola, and Saul came after him with the food a moment later.
The two men sat at a window table and John looked out at the buildings and cars while he drank and ate. The sky was as gray as if it was stretched with rain clouds: mucked over by gas and smog. “I remember,” said John, “when I was a kid, things weren't like this. It seems like everything is made of money.” John watched women in suits and dresses; men in suits and leisure wear walk, like people in a play, moving without any real destination. Saul chewed his hamburger and said with his mouth open, “What's been bothering you?” John shrugged and said, “I just don't know. I'm feeling off lately.” Saul asked, “What is it, wife, kids, money, work?” John said, “I don't know, it's maybe a little of it all. It's like when you wake up from a nap and you sit there for a second because you're not sure if you are awake or not.”
Saul swallowed and took a sip of his drink. “I don't know about that,” he said, “but I'm telling you this because we are friends. You need to watch it. When you were doing your interviews, David came looking for you.” John asked, “David, what did he want?” Saul swallowed and said, “He said you have been late the past three days.” John asked, “Why didn't he come and talk to me in the conference room--no, I know why Saul, because he is a coward and he would rather talk about a person behind their back.” Saul chewed and said, “Yeah, maybe, but look where he is and look where you are. You know he is running for the house--favored to win.”
John shook his head and said, “Heh, yeah, I know.” Saul took a sip of his drink and explained, “Look, John, I'm telling you this because we are friends. You need to straighten out. We know first hand how hard it is to get a job and whatever you're going through is going to be much worse if you get fired.” John asked, “That was what he was saying, fired?” Saul wiped his hands with a napkin, “No, but he is your boss and you have been late three days in a row.” John stood up to get another drink and when he came back, said, “I tell you what, I am so sick of hearing about David.”
Saul told him, “You need to think differently, John. It can either work two ways. One way is your boss is a senator or a congressman, or whatever the house is and he is on your side and the other is that your boss is a senator and he has a grudge against you. John, you need to start thinking of your self and your family.” John tried to finish the conversation and asked, “So what? He told you to tell me not to be late.” Saul threw his garbage away and said, “No, I'm just warning you.” The two sat back down.
John went back to watching the cars and buildings and said more to himself than Saul, “Morning Glory Power and Waste. I work for Morning Glory Power. Do you know that when we enter our data in it goes to South-Dakota Power and waste?” Saul nodded and said, “Morning Glory is under South-Dakota” John changed the subject and asked, “Did you get any good interviews today?”
Saul smiled and said, “I got one girl today: she was a real tart.” John smirked and Saul went on to tell John how she looked and smelled, but he was not paying attention. He had gone back to looking out the windows. When Saul finished, John said, “I had the usual kind of people.” Saul told him, “That is because no one in their right mind would want your job. Why don't you start aiming for a promotion you have been here for what, twelve years?” John said, “Thirteen,” and they left the restaurant.
Saul's car drove them back to the office and when they went through the entrance John looked up at the sign and read it out loud, “Morning Glory.” He straightened out his hair and took a breath and put on a smile. When they came to their floor, John said, “Two more. I'll see you later,” and walked past the cubes, into the second hall and towards room one-hundred and two, over the brown carpet and white walls that seemed to go on forever. He went in and took his seat.
John rested his head on the wood and said, “Hmm,” and looked at his arms and legs. He checked his watch and said, “No one will be here for another twenty minutes.” John stood up and went back to his desk. On his computer he typed in 'Morning Glory' and his search turned up things he did not want. John said, “Flowers?” and went through the other options until he chanced upon his 'Morning Glory'. Out loud John said, “Morning Glory Power and Waste, under South Dakota Power and Light, sister company of North-Central, brother company of South-Eastern, in association to Southern, Western, Eastern, and Northern, under the umbrella of National Energy.”
He turned off his computer and looked over his shoulder. Saul was near the edge of the room looking at him from the corner of his eye. John shrugged and walked back towards the conference room. He entered room one-hundred and two, took a seat and waited; drew on a piece of paper until a knock on the door interrupted him. John said, “Come in,” and when the next applicant entered, he said, “Mr. Bailey?” The man nodded and John said, “An Irish man after my own heart.” The man waited by the door and John said, “Take a seat.” Bailey moved towards the chair at the opposite end of the table and when he sat asked, “You are Irish?” John said, “No, but my wife's great-great grandfather was.”
The man sat seriously and said, “My name is just a name. I'm not really Irish.” John said of course and began, “Let us get right down to the point.” The man agreed from the other end of the table and asked, “Are there many applicants for this job?” John said, “You are the twentieth today.” The man's eyes opened and John said, “That's right, there are plenty of people looking for this job. So let us get right down to it. Why do you think you should be considered?”
The man sat up straight and said seriously, “Because I need it more than the rest.” John interrupted saying, “That is what everyone says.” The man continued, “I mean it. If I don't get a higher paying job soon, I'll lose my house and my boy won't be able to stay in college. I'll work harder than anyone else, do a better job that anyone else, and care more than anyone else.” John stared into the man's eyes and said, “You're serious aren't you?” The man said, “Yes, this is it for me...this is it for me.” John lifted up the man's paper and blocked Bailey's desperation from his eyes and said, “North Dakota? What power company did you work for there?”
The man said, “No, I worked for the waste management portion of Dune Power.” When the man finished John asked, “Who's in control of Dune?” The man said, “North Dakota power and waste,” and John said, “Under North-Central?” The man said yes and John put his paper in a separate pile. He continued, “I'll tell you something, but do me a favor and not say what I say to anyone else.” The man said he would not and John began, “I interview people all day for this job, my job and there are about twenty other people that I work with that interview people for various other jobs, but no one really gets hired. All I know is that I put the people's information in a computer and that is the end of it. I don't know where we hire from. I tell you Mr. Bailey, I don't know what happens. I enter their age, race, schooling and location.”
The man put his hands over his face, but didn't say anything. John mumbled, “I don't know why I'm even telling you.” The man stood up and left then; John did not say a word. He crumbled up the man's paper and tossed it at the trash bin. It went in and John smiled; he wrote the man's name on the paper with the other two applicants from earlier in the day and stood to walk around the room. John touched the border of the table and said, “Hmm,” out loud to himself. He walked around once and said, “Forty-eight.” He went around once more and said, “Fifteen years.” He was watching the walls when another knock came from the door. John yelled, “Come in.”
A young man entered wearing a fine suit. John stood still and the man made no attempt to shake his hand, but went and sat where John's papers were. The man lifted up a paper and slid it over the conference table to where John stood. The man said, “I am Mr. Jovich, call me Mr. Jovich.”
John laughed and picked up the paper where it lied on the table. He read it out loud, “Jovich, college for sixteen years.” The man interrupted him and said, “Yale, for sixteen years.” John looked at the man. “Yale for sixteen years, etc, etc, etc,” he said. The man brushed his suit off and stated, “Graduate with honors with eight degrees, but you can see that on the paper. I am more than qualified for this job.” John turned away from the man and looked at the wall. The man with the fine suit said, “My father, the five-hundred and sixtieth congressman from Mo--” John cut him off and said, “That doesn't matter,” but the man in the fine suit said, “That is where you are wrong.”
John could not look away from the table; but the man in the fine suit pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. Jovich read from it and said, “You only went to college for six years.” John turned around and asked, “Where did you get that--forget it. Are you the interviewer or am I?” The man said, “My father has already arranged everything, this is only a formality.” John said, “If that is the case, then why not leave now?” The man laughed and said, “Where would the fun be in that?”
John sat down at the other end of the table and said, “Congressman, huh?” Jovich smiled and John said to himself, “I went to school for six years; back then, that was enough for this job.” The man asked, “But if you had gone two more years you could have had a whole different career. You're not too smart are you?” John answered, “It was the time, I made a choice; what do you care?” The man only smiled and after a minute John said, “I'm not an idiot, if this is fun for you then have your fun and leave.” The man in the fine suit smirked and John crumbled up his paper; threw it onto the floor.
He looked down at his hands and said, “Hmm,” but the man in the fine suit started to giggle and said, “You don't even understand.” John lifted his head up and down and said slowly, “My son is in college, tenth year, not Yale or a good school like that; what do you do there now? He doesn't really talk to me.” The man looked up at him curiously and laughed, with a sneer and conceit. John was staring at his hands and said, “For me college was like putting circles through circular holes, you know? You just do what they say and then your done and you get caught up in it. I guess I don't remember it well.”
The man laughed and mocked, “You must be getting old.” John smiled with half of his mouth and said, “I guess it doesn't matter. Is there anything else we have to do here?” The man in the fine suit shook his head no and said, “It is all taken care of.” John told him, “I wish I could say it was a pleasure,” but the man was laughing and did not hear him. Jovich stood up and went out the door, giggling the way, holding his hands in his pockets; John watched him without a word. “I shouldn't have given him anything to laugh at,” John said when the door closed. He walked over to the stack of papers and flung them onto the ground and said, “Hmm.” He bent down to pick them up.
John hung down on his hams and looked at the carpet. He said, “I'm going to go to the bathroom,” and left the conference room door. In the restroom he wet his face and hair down so that they were soaking. He studied himself in the mirror, said, “Years,” and began to dry his face off with hard brown paper towels. He said, “Morning Glory: National Energy. Hmm.” He combed his hair back with his hands and walked to room one-hundred and two. John grabbed his papers and returned to his cubicle. He sat down and turned the monitor of his computer off; looked over to Saul's desk. The desk was empty. “I'll go get a drink,” he said.
From outside the break room, John could see through the glass of the door that Saul was inside. John entered and took a mug. He filled it with coffee and waited for Saul to speak; watched him watching him from the edges of his eyes. “You really screwed me over,” John said. Saul leaned back, before he could answer, John said, “Don't play dumb.” Saul said, “I don't know what you're talking about, John.”
John took a sip of coffee and said, “My last appointment was a new-providence.” Saul breathed hard and said, “No.” John nearly yelled, “I told you don't play dumb. I am having a bad enough day as it is. I don't need some rich kid in there making me feel like dirt and getting me afraid for my job.” John sipped again and Saul said, “You should be afraid already.” John put his mug down and cursed, “What is that supposed to mean?” Saul lowered his voice and said, “You're slipping, quiet.” John looked over at the coffee pot and said, “Hmm. But Saul, I know, that you know just about exactly who is coming in for interviews. The least you could do is give me a warning if its going to be someone like that. His father, he said, was a damn Congressman.”
Saul took a sip and asked, “You know that? A lot of people say whatever they can to make an impression, you know that.” John thought and said, “Well, I don't know; but I don't want to have to worry about it.” Saul laughed and said, “See, look John, there isn't anything to get worked up over. It was probably just some kid trying to make an impression. He probably knows how it works and wanted to get his name put in the database right way--get you afraid some guys in suits would be after you if you didn't. I would have told you if I knew, but I didn't see anything. I'm telling you it was probably nothing.” John took another sip and said, “I'm sorry, I just...”
Before he could finish a woman walked in through the door and Saul said, “Forget it, it's nothing. I'm going to go have a cigarette. I'll see you later.” Saul went to the door and when he left, John said to the woman, “I don't know how he can afford to smoke these days.” The woman smiled and said, “He must do better than we think.” They laughed and John said, “The coffee is a little cold, have a good day.”
John went back to his desk and turned his monitor back on. He looked at his keyboard and said, “Hmm.” He looked over to the next cubicle and asked the younger man that worked there, “Did you touch my computer?” The man said no and went back to work. John sat and took out the paper he had written the first three applicants names on. He began to type the information into his computer, reading the names out loud while he typed. When he was finished inputting the data for one applicant he said 'done' and moved onto the next, as he had done for years.
When John finished the three and came to the next page where he was to enter the last applicant's information, he looked around and saw Saul sit down. Saul waved at him, but John saw his eyes dart quickly back to his computer. He looked up over the cubicle walls, hear feet and saw a man in a business suit come through the door. John put his head down and started to pretend to type, but from the top of his eyes he watched the man come closer. The man in the business suit walked up to John's desk and John didn't turn around until the man said, “John.”
He turned around in his chair and said, “Hello David, good afternoon.” David didn't say anything back, looked him in the eyes and waited. When it became uncomfortable, he asked, “How were your interviews today?” John said, “Good, they went well.” David kept his face like a picture and asked, “Any promising candidates?” John shook his head no and said, “Just the usual.” David tapped his foot on the floor and asked, “No one?” John shifted around and said, “Well, there was one younger man that had just graduated from college in Wyoming. He was the stand out of the group.” David waited for John to add something, but when he saw that John was finished, he said, “I see. Have you finished your entries?”
John tapped his keyboard and said, “I'm finishing up right now.” David looked in at the computer and told him, “Good, that's good, I'm going to need you to enter the data for secretarial, custodial, and service applications.” John looked over at Saul and said to David, “David, isn't that under Saul?” David followed John's path over at Saul's desk and said, “I gave him something else to work on, I need you to enter his data.” John pushed his keyboard back and said, “But--” but before he could finish David asked, “Is there a problem?”
“No,” said John, “it's just that I'll have to leave late.” David said, “Then it works out, because you came late today.” John did not have an answer and David added, “That is what, three days in a row now?” John did not bother explaining. He said, “I'll enter in the data.” David turned to walk away and over his shoulder said, “Good.” As he walked, a woman from one of the cubicles reached her hand out and said, “Good luck in the election.” David said, “It is more or less wrapped up, but thank you.” John looked into his computer and heard his coworkers congratulating David all the way to his office. When his boss' door close John turned to look at Saul; but Saul appeared to be busy to look back.
John, biting his cheeks, stood and went over to Saul's desk and said, “I need the data for the people I have to enter.” Saul handed him a paper without turning around and John took it back to his desk. He began entering the new names, hitting his computer keys hard; as he worked there was a buzzer. The end of the day came and computers beeped as they turned off. Saul left first and then the other odd employees.
John typed quickly to finish. The lights were turned off. He saw David leave. John was all alone. He looked over his shoulder, to his sides; when he saw that no one else was left in the building he said, “Hmm.” He finished the last name and sat for a moment longer looking at his reflection in the screen. He said, “Forty-eight years...fifteen years.” John brought up his company on his computer. He looked at how many employees worked there and how long it had been in business. John spoke out loud and looked at National Energy, reading how many people worked there. John said, “Hmm,” and stood up to leave.
He walked past the elevator and opened the stairwell door. He went down quickly and came out the back entrance of the building, walked across the street to the parking garage, went up, passed the rows of new cars with flashy designs, got in his car, started it and leaned back in the seat. He said, “Home,” and the car began to move without his hand on the wheel or foot on the gas. John looked up into the mirror and rubbed his face and combed his hair back; brushed out his shirt and fell asleep that easily; woke up from a beep and when he opened his eyes, saw he was in his driveway. John turned off the car and left, moving towards his front door.
Before going inside, he took a deep breath. John went in and put his keys on a table; moved to the kitchen and saw his wife standing over the stove. He put on a smile and said, “Hey, honey.” His wife turned around and said, “Oh, John, your home.” She turned back around and John said, “Yep,” and his wife ignored him. He filled a glass with water and drank it slow. He wondered, “Where are the kids?”
His wife didn't answer and after taking a sip, he repeated, “Honey, where are the kids?” She turned back around and said, “Oh, school or in their rooms. They were talking about the elections earlier, something about voting or going, I can't remember. They are probably in the their rooms.” She wiped her hands on her apron. John waited for her to talk to him next, but he gave up and asked, “How was your day?” She banged a plastic spoon on the counter and said, “Now that you mention it, it was quite horrible. I was on the phone with the bank for an hour and a half. They want to raise our mortgage rate, because we have been sending minimum payments the last three years.”
John took another drink and said, “I don't think they can do that.” His wife banged the spoon again and said, “Of course they can, they own the house; they can do whatever they want.” John put the glass down and said, “We only owe a million on it.” She turned and said, “No, with interest we owe twice that.” John opened his mouth to argue, but he changed his mind and said, “In a year or two the kids will be done with college and they will take over their loans. With that out of the way we can have the house paid off in no time.”
His wife laughed and John asked what. She said, “Your son is talking about changing his major again. He only has two degrees for ten years of school. Do you know what that means? I would expect you do. Two years: they will be done? Maybe in ten, but what do you care? Two years and we won't have a house to live in.” John moved over to her and said, “You know that won't happen. Everything is going to be fine.” He put his hand on her arm, but she threw it off and said, “You don't even try. Marcy, from across the street, her husband has three jobs. Three jobs, John. He works for that flour company north of here as a manager, but he is a consultant to...to Sell Mart; and do you know what else?” John said no and she said, “He is a representative.”
John picked up his glass and said, “What does that even mean?” His wife snapped, “It doesn't matter, but what matters is that he gets three salaries.” John smiled and said, “I'm sorry I don't have as much free time and energy as Marcy's husband.” She banged the pot she was cooking with on the burner and said, “She says he doesn't do anything. She says they just pay him.” John went over to her and said, “Honey, I don't want to fight, just tell me what you want me to do.”
She turned around and looked him in the face saying, “I want you to care. I want to have everything paid off, I want to be like everyone else. I want new cars and a new house, and vacations in Arizona. I want it all. John, I want you to care!” John tried to hold her and whispered, “I care, I do.” She yelled, pushing him back, “You sure don't act like it.” John touched her face and said, “Please, let's not fight, I'm tired.” His wife pulled away and cursed, “Whatever you want, John,” but before they could say another word there were taps on the stairs and John looked over to see his son coming down. He walked over towards the steps and said, “Hey, where is your sister?”
John's son walked past him and said, “Not sure, dad.” John followed after him, smiling, and asked, “How was school?” His wife gave him a dirty look and he asked again, “How is school going, what are you learning?” His son sat down at the table and said, “I don't know, its going...like its going, good.” John asked, “How are your grades?” His son looked up at him and said, “God, give me a break, that's all you ever talk about.” His wife turned with fire towards him and John said, “Sorry, well, what are you learning about?” His son laughed and said, “Something you wouldn't understand.” John said try me, but his son grew with conceit and said, “Guidelines for excess time disposal in the workplace.”
He didn't say anything and his son said, “See, I told you.” John waited a minute and said, “Your mom tells me you're thinking about changing your major.” His son yelled, “Thanks mom,” and she turned around angrily again. John sighed, “I'm sorry, forget school, what else is going on?” John's wife took out three plates, piled spaghetti on them; put one in front of her son. She looked at John and then brought a plate over to him. John said, “Thank you. What has been going on... you know my boss is running for congress or the senate or something.” His wife rolled her eyes and brought a glass and plate over to the table for herself.
John's son was busy eating and said absently, “Oh yeah?” John nodded and asked, “Anyone else running, do you know about it?” His son said, “Yeah, I know about it dad. There are about three hundred people up for election this month.” John asked, “Like who?” His son shook his head and said, “What, do you want me to list them all?” John took a bite of spaghetti and said, “No I was just asking.” His son kept eating and spoke with his mouth full, saying, “Think about it, there are ten senators from each state and god, California has four hundred representatives now, do you really want to talk about it?” John said, “No. I think he is running for the house.” He said under his breath, “You don't really know what your are saying anyways.” His son nodded absently and said, “House huh, dad?” John said yes and asked, “What about the president, when does he come up for election?” His son laughed and said, “Not for another six years, dad, ha--but president of the house and president of the senate is sometime next year, why do you care? What's going on with all of these questions?”
John took a bite and said, “Nothing, just thinking,” and his wife said, “I don't want to talk about politics at dinner. You know what is on tonight though? It is Thursday.” John's son laughed and said, “You are really into that show, mom.” She took a bite of her spaghetti and said, “NewLife is such a nice show, don't you think?” Her son said, “I guess,” and continued to eat. She added, “You know, wouldn't it be nice. They take a family and build them a new house and give them new careers and put their kids through school and give them everything they could ever want. How can you not love it?” Her son said, “You can't,” and she looked at John and said, “They would never come here though.”
John finished his dinner and when his son was done, took both plates to the sink and washed them. His wife said, “I hope your sister gets back from the mall before it starts.” John put away the plates and said, “I thought you said she was at school or in her room?” She stabbed him with her eyes and passed her plate over. John washed it and tried to talk to his son; but he had already gotten up to leave. His son opened the back door and John asked, “Where are you going? Maybe we can--” His son said, without looking back, “Going out, see you later dad.”
John put away the plates. He heard the front door open. His daughter came in; he watched his wife and daughter talk for a minute in the living room, leaning his head in through the door. “Hey sweetie, how are you?” John said. She answered, “Good, daddy, I forgot, I'm going to need three-hundred dollars for tomorrow.” John asked for what and she said, “I need to get some clothes and a few things for school.” John put his head down and said, “Okay sweetie, remind me in the morning.” His daughter said she loved him without looking and sat down on the couch next to her mom. John watched from the doorway as they talked and watched television. He went back into the kitchen and sat at the table.
John tapped his finger a few times and said, “Hmm,” out loud to himself. He got up, walked back into the living room and asked “How is the show?” His daughter snapped, “Shh, daddy,” and his wife said, “Can you turn off the light?” John left, turning the light off behind and opened the refrigerator. He yelled back into the living room, “Honey, did you get any beer?” She asked what and he said, “Beer.” She told him it was in the garage.
John went into his garage and saw the pack of beer sitting on the floor. He pulled one bottle out and said, “Warm.” When he went back into the house he walked to the path into the living room and said, “It's warm.” His wife laughed and said, “Then put ice in it.” The two girls laughed and continued watching their show. In the kitchen, John twisted off the cap, took a sip and swallowed it hard, sitting at the table, tapping his fingers. John watched his wife and daughter for a time from the kitchen.
When John could handle it no more, he stood up, moved over to the back door, looked out, and then a moment later went out; walked towards the front of the house. On his porch he leaned against the support for the awning and looked over the neighborhood. He took a sip and said, “Hmm.” The yards were all groomed the same way, with the same bushes and flowers in the same exact spots. The houses were painted off colors of white and the driveways were all paved. Street lights dotted every house. John laughed and said, “They are all the same.” A few of the houses had lights on and some did not; some of the houses were empty and others had cars outside. John stared over the neighborhood and kept saying 'hmm' to himself.
He drank his warm beer slowly and watched the moon move through the sky. The night was lit up by city lights and he could only see three or four stars in the smog haze. He said to himself, “I wonder how many stars there are up there.” When he finished his beer and put it on the rail of his porch, he remembered, “Morning Glory and National Energy.” He leaned with his hand on his chin and the night moved on. When his legs were tired he said, “I guess I'll go to sleep.”
Chapter Two
John woke up to the buzzing of his alarm. The spot where his wife
slept was wrinkled and empty. He crawled out of bed and stumbled to
the bathroom; started the shower. He put the water hot, stepped in
and let it cook his face red. He said, “Another day,” but
he did not move or wash himself. When the water scalded his body, he
shut it off and grabbed a towel. John stood in front of the mirror
drying himself off as he studied his face.
He got dressed and went downstairs. His wife was already at the kitchen table drinking coffee and when he walked past her, he laid his hand on hers. She didn't pull it away and he said, “Honey, I don't want to fight with you. I'll take care of everything; and you don't have to talk to people from the bank. You don't have to talk to anyone, I will take care of it.” She smiled and said, “I just get nervous.” John told her that he understood and that he was sorry.
His wife got up and poured him a cup of coffee. He drank it slowly and said, “I have to be on time today, I'm going to leave early.” She nodded and when he had finished drinking, he washed out the cup and asked, “Where are the kids.” She said, “They are still sleeping. I don't think they have school until later today.” John looked at her and said, “Forty-eight.” She went into her coffee and corrected him saying, “Forty-nine.” He asked, “What?” and she told him, “You are forty-nine.”
John rubbed his neck and asked, “Do you ever get that feeling that you are walking on a road that doesn't end, and you don't know where it is going or what is on the sides of it?” She laughed and told him, “You know I don't think about things like that. Have a good day at work.” John put his hand on her head before leaving. He said, “You too, I love you.” She took a sip of coffee and he walked through the living room and out the front door.
John had his keys in hand ready to open his car door, when he heard his neighbor call at him, “John, hey John.” John turned and said, “Morning, how are you?” His neighbor had the morning paper in his hand and said, “Good enough morning as it is. Wait, listen John, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.” John asked what, and the neighbor said, “Well, it's about your car. The new rules say if your car isn't a new model, you are supposed to store it in your garage. The way you have it now is three cars in your drive way; it's against the rules.” He looked at the three cars in his driveway and said, “It bothers you?” The man said, “It doesn't bother me, those are the rules.”
John opened his car door and said, “I don't have any room in my garage, but I'll make some.” John sat down, but the neighbor came closer and said, “Your house,” and John said, “What about it?” The man moved the newspaper to his other arm and said, “It looks like it could use another coat of paint.” John rubbed his face violently and said, “Okay,” and his neighbor added, “I'll give you my friends card: a real good guy; went to college for eight years. He knows what he is doing when it comes to paint and he doesn't charge too much.” John said, “I don't care how long he went to school,” closed the door, started the engine and waved. He said, “Work,” and the car started to drive.
He said, “Another day,” and looked out of the car windows as he had done thousands of times before. John moved through the streets of his suburb, past the model houses and people onto the main highway. Behind he saw the thousands of similar houses set in burbs, lined up in rows. Ahead through the windows he could see the metropolis of South Dakota City slowly growing: buildings and offices that shined with wealth; stores and shops that glowed with money; people all looking out for themselves. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He didn't say anything.
The car moved on and John opened his eyes to a beeping sound to see the sign above a tunnel glowing. His car moved into the dark barely lit passage. He could not see the concrete sides of the tunnel; he heard the other cars moving beside without lights. All his eyes saw was darkness and he did not know what was ahead of him or behind him. He said, “I am blind in here. I wonder what everything really looks like?” John's car continued driving through the tunnel as it had done thousands of times before.
There was a dim light ahead and it grew. John raced towards the light. As his car exited the tunnel, the sunlight exploded in a flash and John was blinded. The light filled his eyes with pain and he covered them, rubbing away the sting. When he regained his sight, he first felt his car swerving to the right. John grabbed the wheel, but it was of no use: the car's guiding system had lost control. His car slid towards the side railing of the highway. He heard a scraping of metal and felt a jolt as he crashed into the steel guard rails. His head flew back into his seat, down into the dashboard, and then into the side of the window.
In pain, John rubbed his head and eyes. Dizzy and unsure what happened, he looked through the steam of the engine. He could vaguely see the cars exiting the tunnel looking over at his accident; but no one stopped. John tried to regain his consciousness. A robotic voice came over the radio in his car. It said, “Accident. Accident. You have been in an accident. Do not move. Assistance will arrive shortly. The tow service you have on file has been contacted.” John closed his eyes again and leaned back in his seat and waited, with his hands on his face.
The ambulance arrived first. A man knocked on John's window and mouthed, “Open up.”John opened the door and the ambulance driver said, “Are you hurt? Can you move?” John touched his forehead and said, “No, I don't think so. I just hit my head a few times.” The driver and the EMT helped John out of his car and walked him to the back of the ambulance. They sat him down, checked his eyes; looked at his bruises and said, “Everything seems to be okay, how do you feel?”
John looked around and then at the two men and said, “I feel weird.” The men asked how so, saying, “Do you have a headache or do you feel nauseous?” John said no, “I feel like everything is different. I feel fine, but everything looks different.” The EMT checked his eyes once more and said, “It is probably nerves. You were in an accident; that can shake you up. Why don't you let us bring you to the hospital?” John argued, “No, I can't. I have to be at work.” The driver shrugged at the EMT. The EMT said, “Just take it easy for the next few days.” The driver asked, “Is a tow truck on the way?” John nodded and the EMT wrote out a waver. They both signed and the driver said, “You can wait in your car until the tow truck gets here. Try not to go to sleep for the six hours.
The ambulance drove off and John crept back into his car. Later the tow truck arrived as the sun marked the beginning of the work day. The mechanic came over to John's window and said, “Really wrecked it huh?” and got John's information. He walked around to the side of the rail where John's car had hit and looked at the damage. John stepped out of the car and the mechanic said, “It's a shame, what happened?” John told him, “I don't know. When I came out of the tunnel the car lost control and ran into the rail.” The mechanic asked, “Did you press anything?” John said, “I was just looking at the tunnel.”
The mechanic tapped the hood of the car and said, “Well, I can tow it in. We will have a look at it.” John asked, “I need to get to work, I can't be late. Could you give me a ride there?” The mechanic looked at his watch and said, “Where do you work?” John told him, “Morning Glory,” and the mechanic bit his lip. He said, “Yeah, I'll add the extra miles in your bill. You can sit in the truck while I get this hooked up.”
John went into the tow truck and watched the mechanic hook up a tow cable to his hitch; he looked at South Dakota city, hustling and churning like a machine. He could still see the suburbs behind him quiet like doll houses. The mechanic finished setting up and came over to the driver seat, started the car and took of. Behind John's wrecked car was pulled along. The mechanic had his hands on the wheel and straightened out his truck and said, “That's something else how your car just lost control like that. We will give it a look over. It shouldn't be much trouble.”
They were silent and John looked into the city. The truck drove along the highway and then onto an off ramp. The mechanic said, “You get checked out yourself?” John nodded and said, “Just a couple of bumps and bruises.” The truck made its way through the busy and isolating streets, passed the zombies with coffee cups, briefcases and purses and stopped outside of John's building. He opened the door and said, “Thank you.” The mechanic said, “Come by later today: around three and I'll tell you how everything looks.” The mechanic handed John a card. He thanked the mechanic again, closed the door and walked through the glass swing doors of Morning Glory.
John checked his watch and said, “I'm going to be late.” He hurried past the ghosts in the lobby, onto an elevator and flew up. When it stopped on his floor, John jumped out and jogged through his office to his box. He heard the loudspeakers click off and saw people sit down. John hurried to his seat, turned on his computer and looked around. On his desk were four sheets of paper. He said, “The applicants,” and read through them.
Saul's desk was empty and the other coworkers were getting their daily tasks organized: filing, calling, making appointments; but John stared at his computer. A man across the room shuffled papers. John shook himself awake and checked his messages. The first was a memo from the human resources: he did not read it. The second message was a company newsletter and he deleted it. He looked through the next four which were notices of his four applicants for that day. John went past them quickly and carelessly. He was ready to get up when his computer made a beeping sound. He said, “Another message.”
The name on the message read 'CC' and John asked, “Who is that?”. He said, “CC,” out loud and opened the message. It said, “Be careful.” John repeated the message and turned around. He looked at his coworkers and the four offices along the far wall. “Be careful,” he said, but when he looked back down to check the message it had disappeared: deleted itself. John stuck his head over to the next cubicle where the younger man sat and asked, “Have you had any problems with messages being deleted?” The young man said no and paid him no attention.
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