Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
'There's something wrong with you Mark.' repeated through my mind in a chaotic loop. I felt sure she was the one doing it, maybe not at first, but she'd seen how it bothered me by now and had probably started doing it out of spite.
I got off the couch in a sort of languid daze, peering out of the window I saw Laura march up the garden path and get into her car. Whether I had slept at all was a question that remained unanswered, with my head throbbing and my vision blurring, it certainly didn't feel as though I had. I watched as she drove off to work, feeling bitter that she hadn't spoken a single word to me. The couch must have grown additional springs in the night, ones that served the sole purpose of digging into my side and harassing me in my slumber. I went upstairs to shave and the mirror was not kind this morning, it revealed a multitude of problems that I was still coming to terms with as I got myself ready for the day. The thought of eight hours at the office loomed heavily in my mind. Hopefully Phillip would occupy himself by bothering someone else today. I absolutely did not want to be bothered by him after the night I'd had. I put on a shirt and trousers, neatened up my hair and put on my shoes.
The lawn was in desperate need of aeration. I had recently purchased an aerator and had not yet had an opportunity to test it out. Down in the shed I scrutinised my new purchase with fondness, there were a number of dials and levers that I fiddled with in childish fascination. It was quite a grizzly bit of equipment to look at, with its rotary driven cylinder armed with a series of large spikes. They were designed to puncture the surface of the lawn to a depth of around five to six inches, it was decidedly mediaeval and one thing was certain, I wouldn't want to run over anyone's foot with it. Except perhaps Phillip's. All in all I was very pleased with it, especially because it would also act as a scarifier and meant I wouldn't need to use the dethatching rake as frequently.
The aeration was really a top priority. If it didn't get done right away, days would go by with the lawn scarcely getting the nutrients it needed at the root, meaning my fertilising efforts would be severely hampered. I wheeled the heavy machine up the path toward the lawn. It was quite possible that I looked utterly ridiculous pushing it around in my business attire. But hopefully none of the neighbours would see. It was amazing how quickly and effortlessly the machine ploughed through the surface of the lawn, the job was done in practically no time at all.
When I arrived at the office people were acting strangely, perhaps there was something going on I had not yet heard about. There had been a great many company announcements as of late. We were regularly being bombarded with reminders about the rules, there were always new notices being put up regarding this policy or that. I always kept out of office politics and just quietly and diligently got on with my work. As in any office environment gossip seemed to be the fuel that kept the wheels in motion, there just seemed to be more gossip today than usual. I noticed quite a few people huddled together whispering to one another. I didn't care to enquire about what was going on and spent my time working quietly in solitude. As the day was drawing to a close I headed to the main door and started putting on my coat. Phillip came storming over with a nasty expression on his face.
