Ethereal (Short Story)

A Day In The Life

The overwhelming cloud of Cuban smoke did not disturb Eliezer Vadas in the slightest as he puffed on his morning cigar.  He had been smoking for the past forty-eight years after all, and knew that it would be wisest to smoke on his patio if he were indeed bothered by the cigar's potency.  Since he was not, he quite enjoyed smoking on his living room couch, facing the glass doors of the patio as he did so to enjoy the view of his backyard.  He also knew that it would be sensible to smoke in his pajamas as opposed to his work clothes, but proceeded to do the act in his corduroy suit regardless.  After thirty minutes had passed, Eliezer checked his watch and sighed; it was ten after eight.  He ground his cigar into a copper ashtray as he murmured "Father, forgive me, for I have sinned," and rose from the couch.  Afterwards he grabbed his briefcase, and went outside through the patio doors, making sure to lock them before setting off for the Ace Diner.

The streets of Vermont were both calm and hectic, as they always were.  Men and women walked with a silent determination as they made their way to work, while children on their way to school teetered to the nearest bus stop with wide, cautious eyes.  Despite seeing familiar faces on a daily basis, Eliezer had never given so much as a nod or smile to anyone on his daily commute.  The same was true for his visits to the Ace Diner, in which he spoke to no one but the hostess, Tess.

"Well how are you doing, young man?!" Tess exclaimed the moment Eliezer walked through the door.

Eliezer gave Tess the generic chuckle he gave to everyone who jokingly referred to him as a 'young man' despite the fact that he was sixty-five years old.  "Things are as good as they're gonna get, Tess.  What about an old lady like yourself?"

He watched as the bubbly, thirty-something year old waitress laughed and strutted towards a pot of coffee, her curly auburn hair bouncing as she did so.

"Things are looking just dandy for me, Mr. V.  I mean, do you know how much money I have stashed away by now?" Tess asked coyly as she poured plain, black coffee into a tall styrofoam cup.

"Enough to go to beauty school I assume?" Eliezer had been listening to Tess's elaborate plan to quit her job and attend cosmetology school for the past two years.

"Yep!" she chirped as she pressed a lid onto the cup and carefully handed it to Eliezer. "I really think it'll work out for me this time, Mr. V.  It's so close I can feel it!"

Poor girl, Eliezer thought as he gave Tess a tight lipped smile and dug into his jacket for money.  She truly believes that she was destined to be anything other than the pretty woman who's been working at the same place since she was fourteen.

"Keep the change," he told Tess as he handed her a five dollar bill.

"Oh Mr. V.!" Tess's hand flew to her heart as though Eliezer had never tipped her before. "I just don't know what to say!  I couldn't take this, I couldn't!"

"I'm sure you could.  Have a nice one, Tess." And with a tip of his hat, Eliezer left the diner and headed to work.

The Ebullient Company, which was two blocks down from the Ace Diner, was one of the many places Eliezer felt indifferent towards.  He had been the head graphic designer of the company's greeting cards since he was twenty-five years old, but had seen so many people come and go that he saw no purpose in building strong relationships.  His demeanor was well known amongst his co workers, so it was not at all unusual when the receptionist merely nodded at Eliezer upon his arrival.  He nodded back, and began to fill out his time card.

Name: Eliezer Vadas

Date: September 11th, 1996

Time In: 8:45 AM