day 2 - end of prologue

He finally reached the elevator doors, gruesome yellow things that resembled Vincent Van Gough’s “The Sunflowers” on acid. Abby was waiting there, as always, with a smile plastered across her face. She greeted Charlie cheerfully, but he just grunted in reply and then stared at the cracks in the floor. He usually didn’t mind her over the top attitude, but the events of the day had already used up his supply of patience. The elevator arrived and they both shuffled on, eyes averted as to avoid eye contact.

The rest of Charlie’s work day was equally mundane. Only the thought of his upcoming weekend kept him from jumping through a window or something equally as crazy. Time slowed, every second until freedom proportionally longer than the last. There were a few moment of spontaneity to dispel the humdrum, but even the antics of his younger coworkers could not cure Charlie of his impatience. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the clock struck five and Charlie was free to leave. He grabbed his coat, ran down the stairs, and hopped into his car. He went start it and realized that he had given the keys to Paul. Finally, after much hustle and bustle, Charlie secured his keys from the elderly man and sprinted back to his car. His ignorance had already cost him fifteen precious minutes of time. He rammed the key into the ignition, slipped the car into drive, and burned rubber all the way out of the garage.