In Plain Sight - Part 1

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Kevin became more and more annoyed and irritated at his surroundings. His true birthday had come and gone completely unnoticed a few weeks prior. His flower truck smelled like decaying wood and the pre-summer heat and humidity was turning into an unbearable environment. He flipped on the air conditioner and to his dismay, it had just broken. You're fucking with me. He felt trapped in a dead end, pointless and random job to which he had zero connection, all the while trying in vain to convince his "friends" that graduating early was a good idea. When asked why he wouldn't just continue school, his answers were becoming less and less valid. He avoided admitting to not being able to have a bank account – or even that he didn't have one at all.

Kevin delivered a bouquet of roses to a small health clinic downtown South Arbon. The nurse who received them burst into tears of joy, "He remembered! Hey Sheryl, guess what. Kyle remembered our half anniversary!" Kevin gave her a fake smile and left. Fuck Kyle.

After his final flower delivery for the day, he came back to Rogelio's Flowers and collected his payment from Brad. "You're doing great, Kevin. Here's this week's pay," he handed him $360 cash in an envelope, "If you keep this up, I might have to give you some more responsibilities around here. You look like upper management material too," he said with a gleeful smile. Oh upper management material for a sketchy flower company. Score! Kevin didn't say a word and took his payment with another fake smile. The last thing he wanted was to ascend the corporate ranks of a rundown flower joint. Do you have any idea who I am?

Kevin made it back to his apartment. Walking and taking public transportation in the heat was simply not something he ever wanted to do or even felt like doing. If only he still had the Dargle income, he could have comfortably purchased a car. Now, he had a finite amount of savings and an embarrassingly small amount of income that could barely cover his essentials. Even a cheap car was out of the question – at least until he found something else to do.

His phone rang. Sarah. He closed his eyes and braced himself as he answered, "Hello?"

"Hey – what's going on, Kevin? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever."

Kevin answered, "Yeah I don't know. Just been busy I guess," he said with little enthusiasm. There was a pause because he waited for her to say something. She didn't. "What's going on with you?"

"I know you're going through a bit of a funk or something, but I miss you, Kevin. We all kind of do. You just kind of vanished off the face of the earth," she said sorrowfully.

"I just have a lot on my plate. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to abandon you guys," it was hard to look any of them in the eyes while they sported some degree of success, while Kevin was forced to walk headfirst into a dead-end failure position. "How are you doing?"

Sarah answered, "I'm good. Making more headway on the Ian Avery thing. But it's no big deal. Kevin, you should come to Chronos. I'm here. Can you come out here?"

Kevin pulled his phone away and looked at the Dargle app. There was a Dargle dot for Sarah, Aaron, Robert, Cathy and at Chronos Coffee. They were all clearly listening in on Sarah's end of the conversation, especially since it sounded like she had him on speakerphone. "Alright. I'll be out there in a bit."

He hung up his phone and collapsed on his bed. The willpower to get up and travel back downtown was nonexistent. Gravity was just too strong. He would get up, walk out, find a bus, take it to 3rd street and then walk to the coffee house – in the heat again. Why his friends couldn't send one of their own to pick him up in a car was beyond his comprehension. He'd go out there and become the 5th wheel as they talk about their progressing lives. Loads of fun.

Kevin got up, got out, found a bus, reluctantly paid $1.50 to take him to 4th street – because there was construction on 3rd street – and walked up the sidewalk. He passed by a homeless man holding a sign that read Lost Everything. Anything helps. God Bless. He rolled his eyes. What on earth could that guy have done that was so irreversible? Was he unable to have a bank account? Kevin passed him right by, shaking his head with an attitude.

He saw his reflection in the Chronos Coffee window as he approached the door. His face was pale and his eyes had dark shadows underneath. He sighed and opened the door.

A bashful smile grew across his face. His five closest friends sat at a table with a small cake and a candle with frosting words that read Hi Kevin. No birthday, no holiday – literally just a cake with green frosting just to say hi. They greeted him in a friendly manner and Sarah gave him a hug. They knew he was feeling down and they got together to cheer him up with a cake – even if he wasn't even in the mood for cake. It was a perfect moment. A moment with true friends – people that would be by his side whenever he needed him.

Of course, not really.

His heart began to sink again after, knowing that everything that was happening – it was only temporary. Sure they missed him now. The cake was cute – but they had no idea for whom the cake was really for. The conversations at the table were lively but fake, at least from Kevin's vantage point. It felt as if he were sitting at the top of the stern of Titanic as it slowly got pulled below the ocean's surface – just trying to "make the best of it." He didn't know when, he didn't know how, but sooner or later, he would have to leave. Leave everything.