A Matter of Days

Day Three

Ah, Friday.

The man got out of bed and began his morning routine while the song on the radio finished out. It was followed by a man's voice giving the latest weather report.

Oh, good. They must've replaced that old reporter girl.

✧✧✧

~KATE

Kate couldn't remember how she ended up here. One cut had led to another which had led to another, and now she found herself in a room that smelled like all the cleaning products in the world mixed together, wearing a hospital gown and socks. She could hear someone next door crying, and someone in a room far away was singing. There was a guard posted outside the door, who turned to look at her any time she moved. She had asked to use the restroom at one point, but the guard followed her and stood outside the open door as she went.

Now she was lying back in her room, picking mindlessly at the bandages on her left forearm. She would have rather been reading her book, but they took that away along with her purse, shoes, and of course her pocket knife. Her knife, she understood, but taking away even her book? What harm could she possibly do with a 150 page paperback romance? And what was she supposed to do while they observed her for 72 hours?

What scared her more, though, was what would come after the 72 hours.

What am I supposed to do when I go home? Just get better? As if it's that simple. I'll be back here in no time.

A nurse came into her room with a clipboard. "May I sit?"

Kate gave a small nod, not making eye contact, and she took a seat at the end of the bed.

"Kate, were you intending to kill yourself?" Her voice was calm, soothing.

"No."

"Do you want to get better?"

Kate's eyes became watery. Yes, she truly did want to get well, but she didn't think that it was possible.

The nurse then explained to Kate that-- if she was open to it-- there was medicine available.

"Would it change the way I think?"

"Well, I guess you could say that, yes."

Well, maybe I can get better.

✧✧✧

The man put on his red tie and started up his car. He drove to the Coffee Bean, and as he passed his favorite mural, he paid close attention to the man's confident smile. If only he could exude such confidence, what worlds he would conquer.

~ANDRE

The seizures had come and gone, just like the euphoria. He gasped and struggled to pull air into his lungs, but it was a laborious process which yielded little. For the last 12 hours he had noticed his heart rhythm changing, beating faster some minutes, and slower others, and sometimes he could swear that it'd been an hour since the last time it beat, but that was just in his head, he was sure.

The next heart beat came with a loud bang.

This must be the end.

Another bang, and he thought it sounded like it was coming from his door.

That's weird.

This time, a louder BANG as his front door collapsed. Andre looked up as blurry figures in blue jumpsuits rushed in to him. They were saying things to him, but he couldn't figure out how to answer. One was pulling on his eyelids and shining a bright light in his face, another was touching his wrist. One called out "Antifreeze poisoning" from his bathroom. Then, he heard a familiar voice which he identified as his sister's, saying "Oh, Lord! Oh my dear God! Is he gonna be okay?" The blurry figure that had been touching his wrist stood and walked away. Andre turned his head to watch and saw her touching his sister's shoulder and heard her saying, "Everything's gonna be okay. He's pretty far along, but we can still save him. He's gonna be okay."

✧✧✧

The man walked up to the counter in the Coffee Bean and was surprised to be greeted by a different woman than normal. He glanced around but the usual gal was nowhere to be seen, not that he cared.

~ANNA

Anna came to, speeding down a highway heading south. Her face was expressionless, even as she relived the events of the night before. She had tried to break up with her partner and things had escalated, like they always did. Red had permeated his face reaching even the tips of his ears, and there was visible anger coursing through his fists which slammed against whatever was in front of him, and through his wordless roar which seemed to vibrate even the furthest corners of the house.

As he ran out of breath his roar had grown quiet, and as he slowly turned to face her, the determination and wild amusement in his eyes had made her blood stop. For a moment she had felt like she was floating, but then she realized she was actually falling to the floor. He watched her crumple into a heap and scooped her up in a strangely gentle manner to set her on the couch. As he turned away she had jumped up, grabbed her keys, leaving even her cell phone on the entryway table, and ran out the door. She sprinted to her car and jumped in, with him just a few steps behind her, all the more enraged at having been tricked. She slammed the door and began to drive.

She still didn't know where she was going, but at least she was free.

✧✧✧

The woman at the counter had also observed this man's habit of ordering the same thing everyday and handed him his coffee without him asking for it. The man looked at her approvingly, thinking that she must have read his mind.

I could get used to this.

✧✧✧

The man in the red tie arrived at the park n' ride, boarded the bus, slipped his token through the slot, and started back to find a seat. He was relieved when the bus driver didn't so much as turn to look.

~PAT

It had become obvious by the end of Pat's last shift what impact this new token machine would really have. He had begun his day yesterday by calling out thank you to the riders, but had eventually given up hope that anyone would respond. By the end of the day he wasn't even trying anymore. These wonderful, amazing people who were off to change the world just slipped their tokens in and walked past as if he wasn't even there. They acted like the bus drove itself.

Maybe it should. Maybe it doesn't even matter if you're here. No one would even notice if you were gone.

Pat suddenly shook his head, his cheeks bouncing with the movement.

I've beat you before, Self-Doubt, and here you are again. Back for a rematch, huh?

He stood and turned so he was facing the riders and shouted triumphantly, "Thanks for choosing Compass Park n' Ride!"

Author's note: My hope for this story was that my readers would gain an awareness of what impact, positive and negative, we can have on those around us as we go about our day. We can't know what others are going through, so we ought to keep an open mind and give them the benefit of the doubt. Please be respectful to the people around you, friends and strangers alike. Say hello, smile, and in general please be kind.