Mundane.

Life is mundane.

Opening my eyes, I blinked twice.

Raising my balled fists, I quickly wiped the crust from my eyes as I sat up.

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

Smacking my hand down on my alarm clock, I sighed.

Yawning as I stretched my arms high, I yanked off my blanket even as the yearning to lay back down and fall asleep came over me.

Stepping with my toes on the stone floor, I hissed as the biting cold inched its way through my body.

I really should call someone to fix the heater.

Shivering slightly as I made my way over towards the bathroom, I opened the creaking wooden door and came face to face with myself.

Like those of a dead fish, Bleary eyes gazed back at me in the mirror as I made my way over to the sink.

Twisting the knob, I waited momentarily as the water turned cold.

Once I was sure it was cold enough, I cupped my hands and dipped them in the cool liquid before splashing it on my pale face.

A deep chill ran down my spine as I wiped my hands on the soft fabric of the towel next to the sink.

Letting my hand linger in the warmth for a moment longer, I finally let go and began unbuttoning my PJs.

Pulling my shirt off, I let it drop to the ground and pulled off my pants, leaving them to sit in a messy pile on the floor.

Walking over to the smooth glass doors of the shower, naked as the day I was born.

I once again cursed under my breath, this time I would make sure to call the electrician.

Reaching up I turned the showerhead to the wall as I flipped the knobs.

As I waited for the water to heat up, I tuned out to the pounding of the water jets against the wall.

How did it end up this way?

An image of a smiling youth, so full of hope, passed through my mind.

Sizzle!

I hissed as a drop of boiling hot water splashed on my wrist.

“Shit!” I cursed as I rushed to turn the knob for the cold water on.

After the water had cooled down some, I stepped hesitantly into the shower as I let the water run over my body.

Grabbing the bar of soap off the rack, I began running it over my saggy skin.

The slight jut of my beer belly pressed against the glass frame as I washed the soap off.

Once I was fully cleaned off, I put the soap bar back on the rack and grabbed the shampoo.

Pouring out only a little dab of shampoo, I began running my hands through my greasy hair.

I silently hoped the bottle would last a bit longer but it seems it’s almost empty.

Sighing as I finished cleaning my hair, I twisted the knobs and stepped out of the shower.

The freezing cold air of winter once again bit into my skin, I hurriedly wrapped my towel around me in a vain attempt to keep out the cold.

It was no use, however.

Shivering, my teeth clacked as I rushed to dry myself off.

Opening the bathroom door roughly, I walked over to where my small closet lay.

Yanking it open I grabbed one of the only two sets of clothes in it and hurriedly put them on.

Sitting down on the bed and slipping on a pair of hole-riddled socks, I sighed with contentment as I placed my feet on the ground.

The cold not bothering me too much as my body slowly awoke.

Waking up from my moment of bliss, I shuffled over to the table in the corner of the room.

Reaching my arms to the cabinet above it, I opened it and pulled out a box of cereal.

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Reaching in again and pulling out a bowl and spoon, I laid them carefully on the table and poured the cereal inside.

Picking up some of the cereal with my spoon, I quickly began munching on it.

Hmmm, it’s dry.

Maybe even stale.

I suppose I'll get more later.

After finishing the cereal, I stood up and brought the bowl and spoon to the sink.

Turning on the tap I began scrubbing them with the sponge until they were clean.

Grabbing a couple of water bottles from the corner of the small counter, I quickly filled them up before turning off the sink.

Walking over to the front door, I grabbed the key to the small apartment out of the cabinet.

Bending down and picking up a pair of dirty sneakers from the ground, I placed my feet inside, careful not to stretch them out.

Pulling the door handle, I waited as a squeak emitted from the slowly opening door.

Once it was open enough I stepped out before locking it behind me.

Walking down the stairs, I listened to the soft echoes of my footsteps against the cracked marble.

Entering the parking lot, if you could even call it that, I quickly made my way over to a small cart beside a beat-up Suzuki.

Pulling out the key from my pocket, I put it in the bike lock attaching the cart to a pole, and twisted it.

With a soft click, the bike lock fell apart onto the pavement.

Once more lamenting, I bent down and picked up the bike lock.

Shoving it into a compartment of the cart, I began wheeling the cart out of the parking lot.

As I pushed past the roughly trimmed hedges, I exited onto a street that was beginning to get busy.

The normal work rush hour traffic would begin soon.

Wheeling my cart down the same sidewalk I traversed every day, I pushed my cart to the edge of a crosswalk and let it down gently.

Staring at the light, waiting for it to go green, I ignored the quick glances of others who were passing by.

Cupping my hands together and rubbing them back and forth, I tried to get some feeling back in them before they became numb.

Hastily lifting my cart as the light turned green, I shuffled down the worn pavement.

Breathing a sigh of relief as I heard the rush of cars begin just as I reached the other side, I began wheeling the cart to my usual spot.

The loud honking of horns echoed behind me as I made my way over to the small wooded park.

With a few benches and luscious trees, the park made a good place for people to picnic or for couples to walk through.

The dark green hue of the leaves painted the forest in a nice picture, the trees shifted in the cold winter air, the leaves already beginning to fall.

Wiping a few of them off the cart, I set it down by one of the benches.

Flipping open the top so it turned into a small umbrella, just enough to cover me.

I began setting everything up.

Pulling out a small electric stove, I connected it to the battery bank and waited for it to heat up.

Pulling out a sign with the menu on it, I gazed at the early morning workers as they commuted to their jobs.

A tall man with a business suit passed right in front of me, his gaze buried in his phone.

I stared after him as he went off behind the hedges and out of sight.

Time passed slowly as the hordes of corporate employees slowly drizzled out.

After a few hours, I glanced up as I noticed a grandmother with her grandkids making her way over towards me.

I smiled politely at her as I waited for her order.

“What do you guys want?” she asked them.

“I want that thing!” said the older one, a little boy who pointed at the picture of a crepe on the menu.

“Me too! Me too!” shouted the younger one, a little girl.

The grandmother beamed at the kids before raising her head to look at me.

“8 dollars,” I said.

The grandmother nodded and reached into her purse, pulling out a 5 dollar bill and 3 ones.

Grabbing the money, I stuffed it into a compartment in the cart before pulling out a bunch of ingredients.

As I began to make the crepes, I leaned into the warmth provided by the grill wishing I had a jacket.

Once they were done, I stuck them into the cardboard holders and held them out for the grandmother.

Grabbing them gently, she handed them to the kids with a smile.

“What do we say?” she asked.

The kids looked down awkwardly for a moment before glancing up.

“Thank you!” they said simultaneously.

I smiled at them in return.

As their retreating backs disappeared from view, I let out a deep sigh.

My expression returned to its perpetual sadness as if the color had been washed out from a painting.

The wrinkles on my brow deepened as I wondered if I would be able to make this month's rent.

If only I could be a kid again.

Relaxing into my stooped posture once more, I leaned closer to the warmth emanating from the grill as I began recalling memories of my youth.

Once, a young boy had a dream.

A dream to one day stand in those ivory towers he saw every morning.

A dream to walk among those he once idolized.

A dream to be known, to be remembered.

To be immortalized.

However, eventually, reality closed in and embraced him with its ever-hateful arms.

As reality rained down unchecked upon his innocent shoulders, it whispered to him.

“You either give up on your dreams and die.”

“Or you live long enough to realize they were just that.”

And so the boy was innocent no more.

Freedom?

Happiness?

Fun?

Those are concepts only the young can truly understand.

As the weight of reality settled on his burdened shoulders, he realized.

He never truly understood what was, until it was no more.

However… Perhaps there is always light to be found inside the darkness.

Woof! Woof!

The hungry barks of a dog reached my ears.

Turning my head, my sorrowful face bloomed into a beaming smile.

My eyes crinkled as I watched the skinny pooch pad up to me, his tail wagging.

Reaching into the icebox I kept inside the cart, I pulled out a couple of hot dogs and tossed them to him.

“Nobodys picked you up yet, huh?” I wondered aloud.

I had noticed him a couple of days ago strutting about the street unattended.

I had hoped someone would have found him by now, and I hadn't seen any flyers.

Smiling as I watched him wolf down the hot dogs, I could help but muse to myself.

Maybe I'll get some dog food instead of cereal?