Our final project for English is an 'Identity Project,' in which we write and do some art-- more specifically, make a collage, a poem, a short story, and nine vignettes. I decided to post my short story here because it's not terrible, and more posts = good (so much for quality over quantity...). Yeah, so here it is.
Sick Day
Based off various songs by Fountains of Wayne
Angela calls in to the office to tell the boss that she is taking a sick day. It is her second time this month, but she doesn’t need to be in too often, so it doesn’t matter. As soon as the call is done, she walks out the door. The subway ride is even better than usual, because the teenage boy next to her is trying so hard—and failing— to complete the Rubik’s Cube, and the pregnant woman across the aisle is shooting looks at the businessman standing nearby, who is having trouble keeping his balance and is annoying the iPod-listening girl sitting nearby. But five minutes isn’t enough to really get the feel of people, and Angela hasn’t imprinted anyone in her mind by the time the subway pulls into Penn Station. She walks quickly to her favorite Starbucks, sits at her usual table, and orders an espresso. At six in the morning, she isn’t the only one who needs an energy boost, and the shop is crowded. She settles back in her chair to watch, learn, and remember. It is her favorite thing to do.
The bleary-eyed couple sitting nearest to her are almost falling asleep in their coffee. The man (who ordered an Espresso Roast) attempts to start a conversation, but the woman snarls that she has ‘absolutely nothing to say,’ so he smiles wearily at his espresso and reminds himself that she will never be a morning person.
Angela’s gaze wanders to the next table, where a generic-looking suited man reads the newspaper while he drinks his black coffee. He isn’t doing anything interesting, but her gaze stays on him, and she notices that he keeps reaching down to feel his briefcase, as if he’s worried that it might have sprouted legs and run away. Finally he sets down the paper—now she can see that his eyes are very watery—and gets up to leave, taking his coffee and briefcase.
She turns her attention to an overweight woman sitting in the corner, sipping a frappuccino with whipped cream. The woman keeps checking her watch, and then the clock over the counter, and then her watch again. She puts down her drink to reset her watch—which takes at least five minutes—and then goes back to her drink. After about a minute, Angela gets bored and scans the room for someone more interesting.
A dark man is getting very impatient as he waits in line, and doesn’t notice that the girl at the counter is checking him out. She in turn doesn’t notice that the cup she is filling is about to overflow, and burns her hand with the coffee that was supposed to go to the blonde businesswoman waiting at the counter. The businesswoman rolls her eyes, says to forget it, and stalks out of the store. The woman who isn’t a morning person glares at everyone in general, but the older man at the counter is smiling and humming to himself as he eats a bagel. Angela notices that he has a circle of lighter skin where a wedding ring used to be. The young woman sitting next to him is reading a book, and doesn’t seem to be in a hurry at all as she savors what seems to be a very good drink. Angela moves her chair slightly, and sees that the book is 1984 by George Orwell. The young woman is probably a college student, and a coffee addict. Meanwhile, the dark man has finally gotten his coffee, and leaves as soon as it’s in his hand, ignoring or not noticing the extra-big smile the girl behind the counter gives him.
A few hours pass, and the room goes from very busy to almost empty. The employees are giving strange looks to Angela, who hasn’t moved since she sat down three and half hours ago. Angela fakes unawareness, but listens as the girl who liked the dark man snaps at the manager for overworking her, and then ends her shift in a huff. The manager rolls his eyes as she stomps out. She and her coworker are replaced by a man with cornrows and a woman with very blue hair. They flirt incessantly as the customers continue to be absent. Angela puts on her coat and moves to a table outside so that she can observe more easily.
A homeless man begging down the street is bypassed by a succession of people who seem to be very busy and very stressed. A young man walks by, looking very guilty and apologizing because he doesn’t have any money with him. The woman behind him smiles slightly and gives the homeless man several dollars. The young man turns around, and tells her that what she did was really cool. She smiles, surprised by a stranger’s gratitude. He apparently thinks the smile was a sarcastic one, and turns around again to say that he means it, and that what she did is great. She turns a bit red and grins at him, says thanks. Both of them are smiling as they cross the street, and the homeless man tucks the money into his back pocket.
The streets are mostly empty now, and Angela decides to walk to pass the time. She doesn’t go far before she reaches a bookstore, so she walks in. She likes reading people more than books, but when people are making themselves scarce, she doesn’t mind temporarily replacing them with paper and ink. As she browses through the aisles, she happens on a teenage boy—cutting school to go to a bookstore?—who is looking at the science fiction section. He jerks guiltily when he notices her, but she just smiles mildly and moves on, still watching him fidget from between shelves. Finally he grabs a graphic novel and goes to the cashier, counting out his money in change. Angela follows him with her eyes as he leaves to sit at a bus stop and ignore the book he just bought.
Angela selects a book of compiled paintings by an artist she has never heard of. After buying it, she tucks it under her arm and walks a few blocks, wandering and window shopping. When it is about lunch hour, she goes back to the Starbucks to watch again. The two flirting employees have ended their shifts, and have been replaced with a girl in pigtails and a woman whose hands are very long and look as if they should be playing piano. A man with tattoos is giving her a hard time as she makes his drink, and the woman behind him is glaring daggers at his back. The man who had been nervous about his briefcase that morning is back, this time with nothing but his muffin. His eyes still look watery, and with the brighter light, Angela can see stress lines all over his face. She decides that he is a workaholic. The group of young women nearby, however, are not. They fall over themselves giggling every other minute, much to the annoyance of a man with an iPod, newspaper, laptop, and coffee. Angela looks on as he and several other people in the room glare at everyone in general. She plays a game, deciding that if something happens to make everyone in the room smile for even a second, she will be satisfied and go home.
Almost an hour later, no such thing has happened. A young woman with a baby comes in, and everyone seems to collectively groan and prepare to deal with a screaming child. Instead, the baby is happy. He giggles as his smiling mother orders a sandwich, and when it is handed over the counter, he claps his hands. A few watching people smile, and Angela sits up. The woman sets down the baby, and he toddles to the table with her. Nothing happens for a while, but she tickles him and he shrieks with laughter. More people smile. He snags a piece of ham from her sandwich, and seems absolutely delighted to have it. He gleefully stuffs it in his mouth, and the three people remaining in the store smile.
Angela grins, stands, and leaves.
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