Don't drink.
A spasm of emotional and physical distress clouded his mind, as the road behind him flew past. Having one last chance to keep his job, stop signs were decor, and the lights associated merely sped up the pace of action. More likely to end the life of an innocent by-passer than be late,*Thomas*was determined as one can be to finally do something right. After all, he'd surely be fired if he was late another day.
The morning radio buzzed as Thomas swiveled and swerved through the concrete jungle of New York City. While stuck momentarily in traffic, Thomas glanced around the surroundings and met eyes with a young woman of what seemed to be a strong familiarity. Thomas cranked down the*window*of his blue, 95' Eagle and stretched out his head into the warm April air.
"Afternoon" Thomas said quietly, second guessing himself mid-word over the possible reactions from this*woman.*
Her cool green eyes lit up, and with a quick sigh of delight, smiled at Thomas and turned to face him
"Thomas? Is that you? My my it's been a while. What have you been up to?"
Thomas returned a somewhat lesser of a smile, trying to hide the jubilant flow of memories such an encounter brought back.
" Heh - I've been doing uhh.. great, how'bout you Karen? You look just as great as you did back in law school."
"I could not be any better! 'Catching some breakfast and then on my way to work. I just got hired to a new firm and*start*today! Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to know where the Cornell Law firm is? Big tall building, blue glass panels? That's all the director told me"
Having had any affection cut to kisses from grandma since his dorming days, Thomas replied quickly in the high of the moment.
"Oh wow, congrats! Kinda, I've been working at a law firm a few blocks from there for quite a while now. Take Brendan St. down towards the pier. Once you've reached the Kmart, take the next right near a tall gas sign. If you see a Swan... Cleaners... you've gone too far"
Thomas quickly flickered his eyes to the passenger seat, and gently slid his janitorial*
uniform onto the floor, and out of sight. He crisped his collar, and subsequently returned his gaze to Karen.
"Thanks! Well it was nice seeing you "Terminator", I guess we'll see each other in court some time, huh?"
They both laughed as Karen’s turn signal turned green, leaving Thomas with a smug little grin on his face.
"Thomas the Terminator" he said out loud slowly, while staring up into space. "Those*
were the days"
Images of his wild college days swam through his conscious. Parties and hangovers, concerts and cheating on tests, an instant satisfaction met his being. It had been years since Thomas felt as good as he did then, having been kicked out of college and juggling jobs ever since.
The traffic subsided as Thomas made his way to Halloway. Despite Halloway*
being one of the richest firms on the East Coast, working there as a custodian was hardly a nice job.
"I guess the fat-cat bosses ate too much of their self-elected Lawyer of the Month cake" he would say while rolling his eyes at the sight of a nasty, clogged up toilet.*
Thomas passed by the employee lot and parked in the Walmart spots just across the street. Last time a hands worker parked in the employee lot, his car got keyed, and spray painted with obscenities by "the kids down the block". Throwing on his work slacks, Thomas got out of his car and walked towards Halloway. A bright light shined in his eyes, and he shaded them with his hand to look up. Above him, the reflective panels of Halloway's exterior directed the morning's sun onto him, casting a luminous blue glow.
His eyes stared at the skyscraper with eyes wide, as his face turned from awed to panicked.*
"Tall building...blue panels. Ah! I gave Karen directions to Halloway, not Cornell!"
Every bit of excitement from the conversation on the road faded, as the problem at hand captivated Thomas' every train of thought.*
"If I go in and keep my job, not only will I have ruined Karen's first day on the job, but when she walks into Halloway looking for Cornell, she'll see me cleaning the floors... But if I don't go in I'll get fired and have to live in the car again"
The stress of all his past failures and the one at hand infuriated Thomas. He threw his work hat on the ground and stomped on it as he walked back towards his car.
"To heck with it all!" he loudly exclaimed, while slamming the car door and driving off.
Thomas slouched in his seat as he sulkily drove around town. Karen would be at Halloway in an hour, and knowing so, Thomas felt his legacy of disappointments stronger than ever. Finally reaching the point of dizziness, the old car stopped at a small coffee shop near the east side of town. He entered the shop, back arched, face drooping, and got in line to spend his last few dollars. Soon behind him stood a young girl. The girl had energetic eyes, and was wearing a cheap-looking white gown with expensive-looking dress shoes in stark contrast. Thomas' eyes then turned to the child’s hand. Accompanied by a thin, paper bracelet around her wrist, a wad of money hung loosely in her grasp. Thomas closed his eyes as his depression evermore encased his mind.
"Kids these days have more money than me. I guess there's just no hope for people like me..."
His eyes popped open as the young, sprightly barista called out to him - "I can help you when you're ready sir!"
"Just give me a cup with a shot of peppermint" he said grumbling, throwing an assortment of coins on the table from his pocket. With a day as such, Thomas could only sit frozen in his own misery. He probably could have stayed there and soaked in dismay for hours, but minutes after he got his drink, a high-pitched squeak rung through the room.
"Eeeeek! Give! Me! My! Drink!" The little girl stomped and pouted as little girls do when they don't get their way.
"I'm sorry sweetie, that man over there had the last shot of peppermint"*
The barista's finger led to Thomas, who's cloudy eyes once again saw the girl with the hospital gown, this time, with fiery eyes matching her long, braided red hair. She pounded her feet against the floor as she came up to Thomas, put her hands on her hips, and gave him the disgusted, pouting face of a girl her age.*
"You're a old ugly bully!" The little Girl kicked Thomas in the shin and ran out the door crying.
Thomas buried his face in his hands, letting the tears flow as his life seemed to be falling from under him in a matter of minutes. He sulked out of the shop, only to be met by an even more appalling scene. Windows broken, tires slashed, his old Eagle had been completely trashed. Painted in bright orange letters read, "Don't show up to work tomorrow", followed by other profanities and derogatory slurs. Thomas had enough. It was all too much. He ran towards the pier without a hint of hesitation.
Meanwhile, a few stores down the coffee shop, the young girl from the shop ran into her mothers arms, and cried on her shoulder.
"A mean man took all the yummy stuff mommy!", the girl whined.
"I told you to stay by me and that we were just getting a few things. You just got back from the hospital Jane, you have to be careful!"
"But mommy, i just wanted some peppermint drink that's all! And the mean man took it all!"
"Jane! You just got diagnosed with high-risk diabetes! You could have died if you would have drunk that. We went over this in the car!"
The mom grasped her*child*tightly, thanking God for keeping her daughter from what very well could have killed her.
Thomas' vision was blurry and shifting from the tears in his eyes and pain in his*head. He started stumbling from dizziness and fell face-first onto the long, cement*bridge overlooking the deep Manhattan sea. Crawling his way to the edge, he looked at*his reflection in the water, and at the scene behind him. Behind him, cars were*zooming by, a bit fast for it being so early, and seemingly all going one way.*
Thomas' mouth was open and quivering with agony. Blood dripped from his forehead and stung his already swollen eyes. His head hug drooping down from the side of the bridge, for he had not the energy to lift it up. Reaching his arms over as well to wipe the fluid from his eyes, Thomas glanced at his watch, and barely made out the time on the hands of the clock.
9:57, it read. Thoughts of Karen and how he had ruined her first day of work again stabbed Thomas.
"She'll be pulling up to Halloway in a matter of minutes..."*
With a lifetime of misfortune thrust into one unlucky man on his final hours on earth, Thomas, with his last will, pushed his body off the ledge, and plummeted to his death.
The water was disturbingly still, as Thomas' body lay there, aside the bridge. Quite the opposite however, was occurring on the bridge its self. Even more so than the moment ago, cars were flying down the bridge at speeds far above the speed limit. The cause of such chaos? No, not the tragic suicide of an innocent man, rather, a much more interesting catastrophe.*
A few blocks from Halloway Legal, A tall building, once sporting beautiful blue panels known as Cornell law firm was engulfed in a scorching inferno.
The morning radio buzzed as Thomas swiveled and swerved through the concrete jungle of New York City. While stuck momentarily in traffic, Thomas glanced around the surroundings and met eyes with a young woman of what seemed to be a strong familiarity. Thomas cranked down the*window*of his blue, 95' Eagle and stretched out his head into the warm April air.
"Afternoon" Thomas said quietly, second guessing himself mid-word over the possible reactions from this*woman.*
Her cool green eyes lit up, and with a quick sigh of delight, smiled at Thomas and turned to face him
"Thomas? Is that you? My my it's been a while. What have you been up to?"
Thomas returned a somewhat lesser of a smile, trying to hide the jubilant flow of memories such an encounter brought back.
" Heh - I've been doing uhh.. great, how'bout you Karen? You look just as great as you did back in law school."
"I could not be any better! 'Catching some breakfast and then on my way to work. I just got hired to a new firm and*start*today! Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to know where the Cornell Law firm is? Big tall building, blue glass panels? That's all the director told me"
Having had any affection cut to kisses from grandma since his dorming days, Thomas replied quickly in the high of the moment.
"Oh wow, congrats! Kinda, I've been working at a law firm a few blocks from there for quite a while now. Take Brendan St. down towards the pier. Once you've reached the Kmart, take the next right near a tall gas sign. If you see a Swan... Cleaners... you've gone too far"
Thomas quickly flickered his eyes to the passenger seat, and gently slid his janitorial*
uniform onto the floor, and out of sight. He crisped his collar, and subsequently returned his gaze to Karen.
"Thanks! Well it was nice seeing you "Terminator", I guess we'll see each other in court some time, huh?"
They both laughed as Karen’s turn signal turned green, leaving Thomas with a smug little grin on his face.
"Thomas the Terminator" he said out loud slowly, while staring up into space. "Those*
were the days"
Images of his wild college days swam through his conscious. Parties and hangovers, concerts and cheating on tests, an instant satisfaction met his being. It had been years since Thomas felt as good as he did then, having been kicked out of college and juggling jobs ever since.
The traffic subsided as Thomas made his way to Halloway. Despite Halloway*
being one of the richest firms on the East Coast, working there as a custodian was hardly a nice job.
"I guess the fat-cat bosses ate too much of their self-elected Lawyer of the Month cake" he would say while rolling his eyes at the sight of a nasty, clogged up toilet.*
Thomas passed by the employee lot and parked in the Walmart spots just across the street. Last time a hands worker parked in the employee lot, his car got keyed, and spray painted with obscenities by "the kids down the block". Throwing on his work slacks, Thomas got out of his car and walked towards Halloway. A bright light shined in his eyes, and he shaded them with his hand to look up. Above him, the reflective panels of Halloway's exterior directed the morning's sun onto him, casting a luminous blue glow.
His eyes stared at the skyscraper with eyes wide, as his face turned from awed to panicked.*
"Tall building...blue panels. Ah! I gave Karen directions to Halloway, not Cornell!"
Every bit of excitement from the conversation on the road faded, as the problem at hand captivated Thomas' every train of thought.*
"If I go in and keep my job, not only will I have ruined Karen's first day on the job, but when she walks into Halloway looking for Cornell, she'll see me cleaning the floors... But if I don't go in I'll get fired and have to live in the car again"
The stress of all his past failures and the one at hand infuriated Thomas. He threw his work hat on the ground and stomped on it as he walked back towards his car.
"To heck with it all!" he loudly exclaimed, while slamming the car door and driving off.
Thomas slouched in his seat as he sulkily drove around town. Karen would be at Halloway in an hour, and knowing so, Thomas felt his legacy of disappointments stronger than ever. Finally reaching the point of dizziness, the old car stopped at a small coffee shop near the east side of town. He entered the shop, back arched, face drooping, and got in line to spend his last few dollars. Soon behind him stood a young girl. The girl had energetic eyes, and was wearing a cheap-looking white gown with expensive-looking dress shoes in stark contrast. Thomas' eyes then turned to the child’s hand. Accompanied by a thin, paper bracelet around her wrist, a wad of money hung loosely in her grasp. Thomas closed his eyes as his depression evermore encased his mind.
"Kids these days have more money than me. I guess there's just no hope for people like me..."
His eyes popped open as the young, sprightly barista called out to him - "I can help you when you're ready sir!"
"Just give me a cup with a shot of peppermint" he said grumbling, throwing an assortment of coins on the table from his pocket. With a day as such, Thomas could only sit frozen in his own misery. He probably could have stayed there and soaked in dismay for hours, but minutes after he got his drink, a high-pitched squeak rung through the room.
"Eeeeek! Give! Me! My! Drink!" The little girl stomped and pouted as little girls do when they don't get their way.
"I'm sorry sweetie, that man over there had the last shot of peppermint"*
The barista's finger led to Thomas, who's cloudy eyes once again saw the girl with the hospital gown, this time, with fiery eyes matching her long, braided red hair. She pounded her feet against the floor as she came up to Thomas, put her hands on her hips, and gave him the disgusted, pouting face of a girl her age.*
"You're a old ugly bully!" The little Girl kicked Thomas in the shin and ran out the door crying.
Thomas buried his face in his hands, letting the tears flow as his life seemed to be falling from under him in a matter of minutes. He sulked out of the shop, only to be met by an even more appalling scene. Windows broken, tires slashed, his old Eagle had been completely trashed. Painted in bright orange letters read, "Don't show up to work tomorrow", followed by other profanities and derogatory slurs. Thomas had enough. It was all too much. He ran towards the pier without a hint of hesitation.
Meanwhile, a few stores down the coffee shop, the young girl from the shop ran into her mothers arms, and cried on her shoulder.
"A mean man took all the yummy stuff mommy!", the girl whined.
"I told you to stay by me and that we were just getting a few things. You just got back from the hospital Jane, you have to be careful!"
"But mommy, i just wanted some peppermint drink that's all! And the mean man took it all!"
"Jane! You just got diagnosed with high-risk diabetes! You could have died if you would have drunk that. We went over this in the car!"
The mom grasped her*child*tightly, thanking God for keeping her daughter from what very well could have killed her.
Thomas' vision was blurry and shifting from the tears in his eyes and pain in his*head. He started stumbling from dizziness and fell face-first onto the long, cement*bridge overlooking the deep Manhattan sea. Crawling his way to the edge, he looked at*his reflection in the water, and at the scene behind him. Behind him, cars were*zooming by, a bit fast for it being so early, and seemingly all going one way.*
Thomas' mouth was open and quivering with agony. Blood dripped from his forehead and stung his already swollen eyes. His head hug drooping down from the side of the bridge, for he had not the energy to lift it up. Reaching his arms over as well to wipe the fluid from his eyes, Thomas glanced at his watch, and barely made out the time on the hands of the clock.
9:57, it read. Thoughts of Karen and how he had ruined her first day of work again stabbed Thomas.
"She'll be pulling up to Halloway in a matter of minutes..."*
With a lifetime of misfortune thrust into one unlucky man on his final hours on earth, Thomas, with his last will, pushed his body off the ledge, and plummeted to his death.
The water was disturbingly still, as Thomas' body lay there, aside the bridge. Quite the opposite however, was occurring on the bridge its self. Even more so than the moment ago, cars were flying down the bridge at speeds far above the speed limit. The cause of such chaos? No, not the tragic suicide of an innocent man, rather, a much more interesting catastrophe.*
A few blocks from Halloway Legal, A tall building, once sporting beautiful blue panels known as Cornell law firm was engulfed in a scorching inferno.
No one in the building survived
