“Bike Ride”
Mar 08, 2018“You should come on the weekly bike ride with us!” said Darryl.
I was in no mood to go on a bike ride with those happy, optimistic sons of bitches. I had been driving for a couple of hours, dealing with the hellish traffic of Los Angeles. It was the middle of the day, when people should be at work, but they all seemed to be going 25 in a 65 in front of me instead.
“I was just in traffic so I'm in no mood to be on the road right now,” I replied.
“Okay!”
I just wanted to pee in silence for a few minutes. It’s a horrible feeling of whiplash having to deal with the real world and then being bombarded by a group of people living in their fantasy worlds. Everything was great for them all the time it seemed. And I can’t blame them for wanting to live that way. But that’s just not how things are for me.
I sat down at my desk. The office was quiet, like always, except for the sounds of coughing from people who should have stayed home for the day. It’s a giant open floor plan so we all share each other’s germs. Some people just don’t have the sense to not spread their sickness to their coworkers. They think they’re being company men and hard workers when they come in at all costs. They think they’re saving the company money. But they don’t think about all the hours the company loses when everyone they make sick has to stay at home, dying in bed, wishing they were well enough to go into work and be good company men.
I don’t want to be here. I never want to be here. It’s hell in the outside world, stuck in LA traffic. But it’s livelier and gives me a sense of being alive. This place just feels like death, a room full of zombies just waiting to find the next brain to eat.
My girlfriend IMs me but I just ignore it. She doesn’t realize I just got in for the day. She’s been here for hours and has had time to adjust. I need a few minutes to myself, to prepare myself.
My chin itches.
I look at the clock. Is it time to leave yet? I’d rather be outside in traffic. Maybe I should have gone with those happy people. Maybe I could soak up some of their ZEST for life. Maybe I could ride my bike and get hit by a car. I need something to make me appreciate this open cesspool.