Despair Inside Of Dreams

8: Daily Routine

October

          It was only the first week of October, and rumors were already spreading about Halley and I. They ranged from "Aries and Halley are dating? They're so cute together!" to "Did you hear that Aries and Halley spent a night in a hotel together?" but they were rumors for a reason. Some untrue, some not false, but I wanted no part in them. I wasn't mad or anything, but last I checked, rumors are spread by middle-schoolers, not seniors in high school.

          Everyday, when I was at home after school, Halley would send me occasional, cute messages and selfies. Happily, I'd respond back. I liked not having to do anything after school. There wouldn't be a lot of homework to fuss over, so you could either find me gaming or eating. I haven't had any weird dreams in a while, either. I was good with not having any more strange dreams, but they always left me curious. After a few days, I realized that the boredom was soon going to murder me. I decided to search for a job. All of my friends have jobs, and I was the only, peculiar teenager without a job. 'Shouldn't be too hard to find a job,' I thought to myself. 'I'll go into some restaurants tomorrow and ask.' I fell into a deep sleep.

          I woke up with a breath for prosperity. It was an amazing feeling being at school and not hating it. I don't know why today was special, but I didn't mind it at all. Halley and I were together for most of the day, talking about random stuff and messing around often. After exchanging kisses at the end of the school day, I decided to go downtown and try to search for a job. There were only a few restaurant near the area, but one restaurant in particular caught my eye. It wasn't a big place, but once you entered, the place looked enormous. There wasn't much lighting in there, mainly because there was enough sunlight entering through the several windows. It wasn't a bad place, either. After I parked my car, I went inside the building. The place wasn't busy at all, maybe a couple of people sitting was the exception. I walked up to the host who was smiling at me. She looked to be around my age. She was wearing skinny jeans with a plain, gray T-shirt. It made me feel a little comfortable.

"Hey, there," she said, blushing. "How many for you today?"

"Actually, I'm just looking for a job," I responded. "Would you guys happen to have any job applications?"

"Hold on a sec. I'm going to go see if my manager is here, and see if she could help you." She left. I sat down on a bench across from where the host was. The lobby was very comforting. I didn't want to be a host, really. People have commented towards my lack of having "people skill". Basically, I'm not good with talking to people, at all. I'm shy, you see. The host returned after three minutes.

"I talked with the manager, and she said that she'll be up here within five to ten minutes if that's alright," she told me.

"Yeah!" I responded. "That's perfectly fine, thanks." She smiled.

"So, what's your name?"

"I'm Aries. And you?"

"I'm Miranda. That's a pretty interesting name you got there."

"My parents think it's a pretty cool name. Relates to astronomy and star signs."

"That's pretty sweet, if you ask me. I'm a Pisces, but I never got much into that stuff." I could tell she was very intrigued by me, for some reason.

"So, are you a host here?"

"Yep. I just started last month. It's not a bad place at all. It can get a little stressful at times, but the pay is good."

"That's gotta be good." She had a polite way of talking. It made me feel very cozy. We both stared at each other, smiling. It wasn't awkward at all, which surprised me, since I'm an socially-shy guy. The manager came a few minutes later, and I stood up.

"Hi! I'm Rachelle!" she said, as she shook my hand. She had a firm grip, but she looked to be very friendly. "You are..."

"Aries! Nice to meet you, Rachelle," I responded back.

"Nice to meet you, too! What can I help you with, Aries?"

"I was just wondering if you guys were looking for someone to hire. If not, it's perfectly fine, I understa-"

"How much can you lift?" She was looking at my arms.

"Uh, probably about 100 lbs, why?"

"How would you like to be a bus boy?" Miranda and I looked at each other in confusion.

"Well, sure! I just gotta clean tables, right"

"Yep! When can you start?"

"What time would you like me to come in for an interview? Anytime works for me, I just want to make su-"

"Interview?" She started laughing. "Consider this your interview, Aries. You're hired, when can you work?"

"Well, thanks! I can start working whenever you want me to."

"How about the 15th? That gives you, what, three days to get ready?"

"Absolutely!"

"Great! See you then." She shook my hand and left.

"Well, that was easy," I told Miranda.

"It doesn't surprise me," she responded. "She's an awesome lady. Loves children, always treats us nicely, etc. If you're lucky, I might be working on the 15th. I can train you!"

"Well, I'd look forward to that." I walked up to the door. "See you then!"

"Sounds good, see you later!" I walked outside, to my car.

          On my way home, the sun set below the horizon. It was evening, perfect time for dinner. I got home, just in time. I helped my mother with dinner, and the rest of my family came running upstairs. It was after fifteen minutes that I told the news to my family.

"So," I started. "I found a new job!"

"Woah, what?" my mother asked, shocked. "Where at?"

"Country Island. It's the restaurant in downtown. I'm the busser."

"Well, that's awesome! We'll have to come see you work someday. When do you start?"

"In three days. I figured it's a good time for me to save some money and start working."

"Well, we wish you luck. How's Halley?"

"She's pretty good." My father whispered something into my sister's ear, and they both started laughing, teasingly.

          After dinner, I helped clean the dishes from the table. I told my parents goodnight and went to my room. My room has been having this weird, chilly aroma lately, and it's almost creepy, but I didn't care. I was tired after today. I sent Halley a goodnight message and drifted to a long, deep sleep.

          Birds flew by me, as I sat on a lone park bench. There were fields of grass as far as I could see. Above me was a lone tree and a clear sky. It seemed to be the only tree for miles and miles. Another dream. But, something was different. This dream was a lot more calm and relaxed, than the previous dreams. A white figure approached me and sat down next to me. I couldn't see the face because the figure was so bright.

"Aries," the figure said. It sounded like a deep, soothing voice.

"Why am I here?" I asked, calmly. The brightness disappeared. Sitting right next to me was a middle-aged man who wore a sharp, white tuxedo.

"Tell me. Do you believe in God?"

"God? I mean, I don't certainly have a religion, but I do believe in there being a God."

"Good. It makes my job a lot easier knowing that."

"Your job? Wait, are you-"

"It's time for me to go. We'll meet again." He got up and started walking away.

"Wait! You didn't answer my question!"

"The answer is 1,415, Aries. Tell that to your teacher, I'm sure you'll understand." There was a seem of brightness, appearing from the sun. I couldn't see anymore; the sun was too bright. With the light, the man and I vanished.