2016 – Day 18

Start writing a story that...

Step 1: begins with this sentence: He read the sign and stood thinking

Step 2: add a character who: is wearing a hat

----

He read the sign and stood thinking, trying to decide how low he was willing to go for work. His stomach churned, and he could hear his father's voice in his head, telling him not to waste his time on film school, but he went anyway, and here he was. Darren breathed in, filling his lungs with air until they ached, then slowly exhaled. He wanted to remember everything about how he felt before his life turned into a great embarrassment.

The next night, Darren and his roommate, Bryce, ate dinner on the couch while they watched college basketball. Bryce, having put down some money, watched the game anxiously, swearing at each missed shot. When he swore, his plate shook, and Darren stared at the crumbs of food that fell to the floor and between the cushions. The mice will be back, he thought.

During commercials, Bryce quizzed Darren about the new job.

"Wait, so are you delivering packages?" he asked. "Literarily, working in the mailroom?"

"Yeah," Darren said. "It's pretty cliche, except I'm not really just starting out, right?"

"They know you have a Master's degree and that you've worked on actual movies?"

"Movies, yes. Degree, no. I was afraid they wouldn't hire me."

"Of course, not. You're way over qualified!"

"But at least I'm still in the industry."

"I guess," Bryce said, then whipped his head back to the TV screen. "Shhhh, it's back on."

Darren stared at the TV, too, but he hardly noticed the game. He thought about his time on local film shoots, the small production assistant jobs that hardly paid the bills. The feeling that he was in the movie world, but only for six weeks at a time. The desperate search for the next job, which often didn't materialize in time to cover his expenses, sending him further into debt. The exhaustion he felt when he was working and the anxiety he felt when he wasn't. The screenplays that he'd started and felt he could never finish.

On Monday at 8:00 a.m., Darren arrived at his new place of work, the local CBS affiliate, and was escorted to HR to get his ID badge.

"You'll have a yellow badge," said the woman at the desk as she took his photo. She had extremely long nails covered in purple polish and accented with sparkling diamonds in the pattern of moons and stars, and he watched with fascination as she somehow manipulated the printed photo and managed to laminate it onto the ID card despite having to work around her nails.

"Is yellow good?" he asked, smiling.

"Just means you have access for mailroom-related duties," she said, handing him the card. "The ID will open most any door so you can drop off packages, but it registers a certain way in the system. They like to make sure you're only going where you're supposed to."

"Got it."

When he arrived in the mailroom, he noticed how quiet it was. Aside from a radio playing classic rock in the corner, all he could hear was the hum of overhead lights. He had imagined the room to be a bustling hub of activity, with people moving everywhere all at once, pushing mail carts and organizing letters, but all he saw was a single wall of numbered mailboxes and a set of metal shelves holding assorted office supplies. At the sole computer in the room sat A.J., his new boss. He wore khakis and a blue button-down shirt with a tie, and atop his head was a well-worn Red Sox cap.

"Good morning," Darren called out.

"Mornin'," A.J. said as he typed something out with just his index finger. He then looked up at Darren and frowned. "Are you wearing jeans to work?"

Darren looked down at his jeans, which were slightly worn but, he had thought, still had a clean appearance.

"Yes," he said. "I didn't want to ruin any slacks. I thought these would be good for physical work."

"You're not building a bridge, you're delivering mail. And when you're in the hallways, you have to represent the company. Go home and change."

Darren stood speechless. Was this how they initiated the new guy? He tried smiling, but A.J. only shook his head and frowned.

"Go get changed, newbie," he said. "Nice pants, dress shirt, and tie. And no hats."

"But you're wearing a hat," Darren said.

"You work here 20 years, you can start wearing a hat."

Darren stared at A.J., still uncertain of what was happing.

"You want to keep this job?" A.J. said. "Go change."

Darren turned around and headed for home. He thought about what he was willing to do for work on the entire drive home and back.