Jeff pulled into the parking lot, hoping for a convenient spot. He found one, four rows in. He pulled in, facing the five-story, concrete daycare. He watched as it blocked the sunrise, even absorbing the pink sky.
Closing his eyes, Jeff took three deep breaths, exhaling each to the rhythm of his heartbeat. He opened his eyes, but the hulking brick was still there. He got out of his car, stood up, and stretched so hard his arms quivered above his head. As the feeling returned to his legs, Jeff started the march to work, shoulders slumped.
On the third floor, he saw a level of activity he couldn’t explain. It wasn’t December, and Jeff could think of no reason for the festivities. Heads popped up over their cubes. They talked to their neighbors, then disappeared. Jeff thought it looked like a game of whack-a-mole. He went over to the closest face he knew.
“Charlie! Hey, what’s going on?” asked Jeff.
“Hey, Jeff, you missed it! Alice got fired! Embezzlement!”
“No,” said Jeff, with an intonation like a quiet steamboat horn.
“Yeah! It was amazing. FBI, cops. They had Ronnie from security escort her out. That was right before you got in. Surprised you didn’t see her on your way in,” said Charlie.
“Wow, but,” Jeff paused, “that’s not funny.”
“It was from our perspective, man,” said Charlie, half-shouting. Like he was bored with Jeff’s interrogation, he returned to his previous conversation — likely less judgmental.
Unsure of what else to do, Jeff set off for his cubicle. On the way, he passed Alice’s old cubicle. He looked in. It was empty. Broken glass, from something delicate, lay on the floor. Her chair, on its back, was still rocking. Jeff pictured how the scene must have played out.
Jeff shook his head, clearing the horror from behind his eyes. He continued to his cubicle.
He arrived at his cell and spun his chair around. A broken Christmas ornament was on his seat. It was a pile of red and silver. He stared at the display without thought. He picked up the mess and set it to the left of his keyboard. He went to the supply closet to get some superglue.
