The next day the house phone rings and rings. The machine
picks up and my manager from Denny’s is on the line. He started leaving
messages for me earlier in the day. At first the messages were of concern but
the message get more and more angry and violent the longer I don’t pick up or
call back.
“Geoff, pick up this goddamned
phone!”
He screams into the answering
machine
“Hello?”
“Hello!”
“So you got thrown up on?”
“So what?”
“It happens!”
“Hello?”
“Are you coming back in?”
“Why did you leave the floor
without telling anyone that you were leaving?” “Goddamn it, pick up this phone!”
(Audible Scream) and click.
Mr. Bock has left a total of fifteen messages. I can hear
them through the ceiling. The answering machine is directly above my room.
I was laying in the dark. Suddenly I smell cigarette smoke.
“Honey?” It was Bill.
“Sweetie?” He is standing outside my bedroom in the dark,
smoking. He begins to speak but has long pregnant pauses in between each thing
he says.
“You’re gonna have to pick up the phone sooner or later.”
“Getting puked on is not the end of the world.”
“Not that I would know.”
“It is pretty gross though.”
“Actually the more I think of it, it is disgusting.”
“Honey you lay in the dark and fuck them and that job.”
“You deserve better than that!”
I listened to his feet shuffle away.
I plan on going back. I think. Yes, I need a job.
I have no money and no food. I will have to swallow my pride
and call Mr. Bock the manager back soon. I know that there is a limited time window
on how soon I will have to call him back and still have my job.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and come to
sitting.
I’ll take a shower and I will start to feel better.
I come to standing and head out of the bedroom.
The basement is dark so I don’t turn the lights on until I
get to the shower.
I reach in and turn on the water and as it starts to warm
up, I peel off my clothes. Kicking my underwear to the floor I reach over and
flip the light in the shower on. I step in and let the water run over my head.
The water runs into my eyes and down my body. The steam immediately begins to
cover the glass. I don’t like not being able to see outside the shower so I run
my hand over the glass and wipe away the fog. I have only been in the shower
for ten minutes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement on the other
side of the glass.
I raise my hand and wipe the glass again.
This time I find Chris on the other side of the glass
watching me shower.
to be continued…
Geoffrey Doig-Marx holds all written and electronic rights to his writing "A Day in the Life/Down the Rabbit Hole". It cannot be reprinted in part or whole without his written consent.
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