NaNo - the new story, Chapter One

Chapter One
A completely normal, ordinary morning takes a swift left turn towards bizarre right after breakfast.

Getting out of bed in the morning is the single greatest feat I accomplish most days. This is not to say my days are easy - it's more a commentary on how hard it is to get myself out from under the covers. It's amazing the rationalizations your brain can make at 6 am. Things that usually seem vitally important, like showering and brushing your teeth, can be rationalized away. I mean, I showered yesterday, and brushed my teeth before I went to bed. I can just wet my hair down and the coffee will certainly cover the morning breath, right? And what's the big deal about being exactly on time to work? It's not like it's ever won me an employee of the year award, or anything like that. I'm not even sure it's responsible for my continued employment. I think that has a lot more to do with the fact that I know where all the bodies are buried. And I don't mean that figuratively.

This particular Monday morning I weighed the merits of calling in sick versus the chances that they'll believe I'm sick on a Monday. I was a bit congested, thanks to some dehydration and the onset of allergy season. I could probably rustle up a decent sounding cough, and no one likes a coughing employee. But then, it is a Monday. And even though, statistically speaking, it would be perfectly normal to take twenty percent of your sick days on a Monday, no one seems to. I haven't called in on a Monday since 1997. Even when I do have a fever, or am puking up my spleen, I drag myself in on Mondays. It's the unwritten rule of business. Still, this might be the time to break out of the mold. I really, really, really did not want to go to work today.

(  The alarm bleated again and I smacked the snooze button. (read more) )