i_avoidliving Happy Times [Narrative]
There were no post-its for her that morning at the diner. George had been happy enough because she'd all but trampled the I have an AA meeting lie excuse, the doctor's appointment fibs, death in the family falsehoods or the good ole short notice emergency tricks. Even Deloris, the sweet, nurturing soul that she was, started to become suspicious.
So she worked a full shift at work, which meant she got to experience a full eight hours of boredom. Names were entered and categorized into the computer, files were filed, documents were shredded and Crystal the receptionist was avoided like the plague.
To keep her sanity, George started decorating her nails with hole reinforcement stickers. She had some fun hot pink and neon green colors that she layered to give herself a fake manicure with, but they kept falling off each time she was required to type.
Toward the end of the day, she left a scandalous two minutes early.
Two minutes later, she walked right back into the offices of Happy Times Employment Agency. She stared at Crystal, who was less expressionate than even George in her horn rimmed glasses.
"Where the hell did Chicago go?"
Crystal stared at George. George was beginning to feel slightly retarded under the older woman's scrutiny.
"Did I just go crazy? Where the fuck did Chicago go?!"
Crystal stared.
George stormed to her supervisor's desk. Deloris Herbig (as in her big brown eyes) was picking up her purse and shutting her computer off as she caught "Millie's" half-frustrated and half-panicked expression.
"Millie, what's wrong dear?"
"Chicago just disappeared."
Deloris laughed, "Don't be silly dear! I can say with a fair amount of certainty that Chicago is still in Illinois. I happen to be a big Bears fan you know."
"I went outside and it isn't there anymore," George, who was known as Millie to the living, kept a very flat, petulant tone as she spoke.
"Well silly, it's not as if you can see Chicago from the City!"
"Huh?"
"Oh, Millie! You are such a card."
With that, George's supervisor patted her on the shoulder and left to go home for the day. George quietly fumed inside of her head, her eyes took on a certain bug-eyed quality as she contemplated whether or not she was going insane.
"This is bullshit!"
George stormed back to her desk to look up addresses of clients. It was as if while she wasn't looking that the addresses had all been changed to The City, whatever the fuck that meant. Stunned, George slumped into her rolly chair and let out an aggravated ARRRRGH!
By the time she looked again at her computer screen a sticky note had been left behind. It was her next reap. G. J. Heffe, 2453 S Broadway Ave, ETD: 7:32 PM. George snatched at the note and looked up from her cubicle.
"Rube!?"
She took off running from the office, desperate to find someone who could make sense out of the situation. Rube was generally good for that. Unfortunately the City gave her nothing familiar. For her coworkers, it had already become too familiar.