The Day Had Finally Arrived

The day had finally arrived. Tom quietly shuffled around his room, careful not to wake his wife, gathering his socks from the dresser, tie and suit from the closet and shoes from next to the door as he quietly closed it behind him. Dumping everything on the couch, Tom headed to the bathroom with a pronounced bounce in his step to wash up for the day ahead. Staring in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, he stared into his own eyes and was nearly brought to tears as he thought about the relief that would come today. The weight that would be lifted from his shoulders as something finally went his way after so long.

While putting on his freshly pressed suit, he thought to himself, today is where it all changes for us. She doesn’t know yet but this is going to make a difference for us and the kids.

Lacing up his worn but shiny shoes, he went over the conversation that he would be having in just a short while. Treading lightly on the worn creaky wooden floors, Tom took one look into the kids room, cracking the door as quietly as he could. The pink mess of blankets hid his sleeping daughter from view as they gently rose up and down with her breath. His son was asleep facing the door and as Tom made to close the door, one of his eyes opened and blearily found his dad's face. Putting a finger up to his lips and winking, Tom watched as his little boy smiled and rolled over to go back to sleep.

Taking one last look in the mirror by the door, Tom straightened his tie and could not wipe the grin off his face even if he wanted to, but today, why would he?

He picked up his keys and shoulder bag and was off to change his future forever. Emerging from the apartment building, he was met with beautiful sunshine that warmed his face and for some reason heightened his nerves. He set off down the street, passing other apartment buildings and small businesses, nodding to those few people that were out and about, reciting his responses to the expected questions he would face.

Tom made his planned pitstop into the small café that he frequented when he used to be up at this hour, when he used to be employed. There were some painful memories that this room brought back, some more harsh than others but all unbeknownst to anyone in his life. This was the place each morning where he would cross paths with coworkers on their way to work, talk about whatever game there was the night before, grab some coffee and make the rest of the trip to the office together. Towards the end though, this was the place that he felt the most turmoil as the work situation spiraled downward, resulting in him staring up at the building from the street with all of his belongings in a box in his arms over one year ago.

But that was behind him. This room no longer held that same vortex of pensive thoughts as it once did, although it wasn’t exactly comfortable. Starting to rethink his choice of coming here before his big day, the barista called his name and set his coffee on the counter for him to grab.

Deciding that it wasn’t wise to skulk anymore, Tom emerged back onto the street and made a left at the next streetlight, peering back over his shoulder as he did so as his well trodden route to his old work would have been to the right. No, he thought, today is a new day and a new beginning.

Resolutely turning back around he ducked into a small courtyard to drink his coffee and refocus himself on the task at hand and marvel at how much longer this walk was than normal. But that was to be expected, he assumed, when so many thoughts were swirling around your head as you juxtapose the life you lost to the one you are about to attain.

Popping a piece of gum into his mouth and disposing of his coffee in a can, Tom set off for the final leg of the journey. The buildings around him changed from apartments and family owned businesses to more corporate buildings with 50 floors and chain restaurants as he made his way further into the heart of the city.

Images kept crossing his mind of walking back through the apartment door and standing on the edge of chaos as the kids crisscrossed the living room looking for homework and clothes as they got ready for school. His wife calling to them to make sure they had this or that as she got ready herself to drop the kids at school and get to work. He imagined walking up to her and lifting her off her feet in a hug and telling her that his search was finally over. After months and months of tenuous living, getting turned down by many and not even answered by more, the weight was now lifted. He imagined telling the kids that daddy would be starting work again soon and although he wouldn’t be there to say goodbye most days before school like he was now, this was a great thing for all of them. Even if they didn’t understand right off the bat, they would understand further down the road, he told himself.

A loud car horn shook him from his daydreams and Tom realized that he was just a block from his future. Spitting his gum in the trash, he found a window, carefully checking that there was no one on the other side, and did a once over of his appearance. Finishing up with straightening his tie, Tom walked with confidence, his bag bumping gently on his left hip, looking for the first glimpse of the smallest office building in the area. Small, he said to himself, but that’s not a bad thing. That just means that we’ll be close knit and have more responsibility, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The building was in view and his heart and pace quickened. Walking past the windows, he caught glimpses of desks and plants and personal belongings, making him smile as he thought about having that once again himself. Tom turned to face the door, took one last deep breath and reached for the handle.

The door didn’t move.

He reached for the other door and pulled but it didn’t move either.

Taking a step back and reading the sign attached to the building, it said that he was in the right place. Perplexed, he cupped his hands around his eyes and peered into the building but saw no movement. Trying each door one more time, he started to panic, checking his watch which showed he had six minutes to spare.

Backtracking along the building he focused more on what he saw through the windows and realized that there was no one there. Panic now threatening to overtake him, he made sure that there was only one entrance and went back to the front doors to try them again.

They would not open.

He checked his watch a second time, three minutes to go, but there was something else that made his heart sink. The small dial within the ticking hands read “6.” That meant that it was March 6th. Racking his brain, everything in his body deflating, he said out loud, “My interview was on the fifth, which means it was... yesterday.”