Some Days Are Longer than Others

The alarm blared and he awoke. He threw the sheets off and slipped his feet into a pair of slippers. After breakfast, he washed his face, brushed his teeth, and dressed in his usual grey suit and deep blue tie and then promptly left his suite. He spared no glance in the mirror, for it would be the same as the previous thousands of times.

He stepped out into the hallway and walked to the elevator. He pushed the button and waited.   It opened up showing no other occupant. He stepped in and rode the elevator alone.

He watched the display flicker with each passing floor until it stopped at the parkcade. The doors slid open and revealed a corridor illuminated by bright LED lights. He walked out through the exit and into the parkcade.

Several vehicles still remained parked. Machines of explosive power waiting to ferry their masters to their destinations. In time, the air will come alive with sounds of shifting gears and growling engines, composing a symphony of life and animation. Right now, the echoes of his footsteps reverberated throughout without accompaniment or clashes; a single instrument playing in a silent orchestra.

He climbed into his car and started the engine. At the parkcade gate, he pressed a button on his fob and waited as the gate slowly rose up. He checked his rear view mirror and saw row upon row of vehicles still sitting quietly. Once the gate was high enough, he pressed the accelerator and drove towards the highway and was on it within minutes.

He steered onto the right lane and found himself trailing a semi. He thought about changing lanes and passing it, but decided to just settle within its wake. He wasn’t going to be late and he was in no hurry to get to the office. He turned on the radio and found a channel that played bland 90s pop. He reclined his seat back slightly and listened to the music as a multitude of cars and trucks rushed by him.  

The semi took an off ramp at the next exit and its departure gifted him with a view of downtown. Monolithic buildings of tinted glass and concrete populated the skyline. A mass of humanity so numerous that it would take days to account for them all. Like grains of sand on a beach or flakes of snow on a mountain he thought to himself.

He got off at the next exit ramp and joined the hundreds of cars that circulated through downtown. He braked as he approached a red light. Throngs of people began moving when the walk signal was lit. His eyes glazed over as he composed a checklist of objectives to do at the office. As soon as the light turned green, his awareness refocused upon the road. He made quick glances to his left and right before driving through.

He drove into the underground parking lot of his office and rode the elevator with several other people. None spared a glance although a few muttered a greeting. All of them were busy typing up messages on their phone, including him. His client required updated charts and forecasts within the hour. Apparently the capital requirements for their next project were off the mark. He had to call an impromptu meeting and have sections of the proposal reworked.

Once in the office, he called together his team members and they set off to work once they were given their assignments. In his office, he began corresponding with his client on certain parameters and budge constraints. Numbers were exchanged followed by amendments to contract clauses. Time past by as he grappled with the various salient issues. He hardly glanced at the clock until his stomach started rumbling. Feeling depleted, he decided a late lunch was in order. He sent a quick message to his team and took the elevator to the first floor. 

When he emerged outside, his eyes blinked in the sudden brightness. He couldn’t afford to spend anytime waiting, so he decided to head towards the nearest fast food restaurant. Given that it was well past noon, the lines were significantly smaller. The cashier followed her basic script and he ordered a burger and coffee to go. A few minutes later, he grabbed the proffered bag with spoken thanks and promptly left.

He removed the wrapper on the burger and began consuming it while taking time to sip the black coffee with each bite. Crowds of people went by him. Some ran, most walked. A few nearly collided with him, their faces showing confusion as though he suddenly appeared before them. By the time he returned to the office, just over half of his meal was consumed. As soon as he returned to his desk, the entire meal was gone.

The work continued. The few correspondences that were had were composed of terse sentences or one word answers. Emails of amended documents, charts, and spreadsheets were exchanged. Binary answers and the manipulation of data constantly flowed between him and his charges.  

Day turned to dusk and then into darkness. Their eyes were bleary with fatigue but they finished revising the proposal. Some said brief farewells and went on their way home. Others just left.

He stopped by another fast-food restaurant to purchase a burger. He ate it while situated in the parking lot. Once done, he tossed the trash into the nearest receptacle and drove home.  

It was well into the late evening and the once bustling highway was nearly deserted. Twin points of red light and cones of white light dotted his view. Fewer accompanied him the longer he drove until the way forward was bare of motorists. In the silence, he could hear the thrumming of his car engine. In the darkness, the illuminated highway exits guided him home.

When he entered through his suite door, he immediately changed for bed. He brushed his teeth and flopped onto his mattress.

He looked at his phone. He missed messages from a couple of his friends.  He decided to call them tomorrow if he remembered. He reached over to switch his table lamp off and paused as his eyes fell upon a framed photo of his wife. Their fifth anniversary would have been in a couple of days. 

Her laugh was melodious and her sense of humor was a balm on many grey days. She was his rock as he was hers. She brought the good in each day until life suddenly decided that should stop.

He stared at the photo for a moment longer before switching the light off.