“I know you can, you just don’t want to. This is ridiculous, I want to speak to your supervisor. You can’t just let me sit here in the dark. I have several exotic pets and I have family heading over soon. I have hundreds of dollars of food in the freezer right now. Who’s going to pay me back, who is going to compensate me if all the food goes bad? Can you sit there and tell me that you’re going to be OK with this? Are you going to let my pets die? It’s been an hour and my food will go bad soon if you don’t bring the power back on. This is highly illegal. I need it on right now-”

Saylee Green rubbed her temples, “I’ll be more than happy to bring my supervisor on the line, but I must advise that they will give you the same answer. We need at least a partial payment to put in the request-”

“Yes, whatever. I’m done talking to you, get your supervisor. I’m going to tell them how uncooperative and unprofessional you have been. You’ll be fired for this. You’ll see. Get them on the line”

“I’ll go get my supervisor, it will be just a brief hold as I bring them on the line with us”

“yeah, sure”

Saylee pressed the hold button and sighed.

The first call of the day, and it had to be a rude customer.

She glanced at the queue of multiple calls holding on the screen. This is going to be a long day-

“Hello, this is Elroy speaking”

“Hey, Elroy, how’s it going? This is Saylee speaking. I got a customer on the line whose upset that their service was terminated. I sent just you their file. Did you get it? They are requesting for a restoration of service, with an extension, plus to waive their disconnect fee”

“Are they now? I see they haven’t made a payment….in over a year. 14 months since their last payment to be exact. Their account has four broken extensions and three returned payments within a year time frame. Did you tell them that we can’t restore service without a minimum payment?”

“I did, that’s when they wanted to speak to a supervisor”

Saylee heard an audible sigh on the other line.

“Go ahead and bring them on, I’ll take the call”

“Okay, I’m bringing them on now…”, A beep sound is heard as the customer has been transferred to the phone conference room, “Hi Martha, thank you for patiently waiting, I have Elroy on the line. He’s an account supervisor. He will be taking it over from here”

Elroy cuts in quickly, “Hi Martha, Like Saylee said, I’m an account supervisor here with Powerplus Services. I was told that-”

Saylee transferred the call. Before going available for the next call, she rubbed her temples.

The queue feed at the top of her screen showed 148 calls were waiting in the queue.

It was going to be a long day

Before Saylee exited the after-call screen to take another call, her cell phone’s screen lit up.

She got a text from her daughter Kayla, “Mom can u pick me up? Call my school, please. I’m feeling sick”

Oh Thank God

Saylee reached over, grabbed the phone, and sent back a response; “*bee emoji* over there soon. Please take it easy. love you! -mom xoxo *heart emoji*”

She shot an email to her boss, that she leaving for F.L.M.A. to help her daughter.

Her boss sent a message back with a single “OK”

She felt somewhat guilty, as she was grateful for the excuse to leave work early. She had a feeling that her daughter wasn’t as sick as she claimed.

Her mother’s intuition was rarely wrong. Saylee’s gut was telling her that Kayla was exaggerating her sickness to get out of school, or she was not drinking enough water.

Probably both.

Saylee badged out of the building sped and walked to her car. It was a few minutes walk from the office building to the parking garage.

Glancing through the phone notifications as she walked, she grimaced.

Saylee was hoping for an email back from her boss in regards to her request to be part of a major project.

No response yet in over two days. Perhaps it’s time to start looking for some external opportunities…

Saylee tossed her phone onto the passenger side of the vehicle. Reversing the vehicle slowly before driving off.

A grin spread on Saylee’s face as she recalled the safety minute from the morning’s meeting; Keep your eyes on the road and off your phone. Oh and please be careful to not hit any of the coworkers walking across the parking lot as you back your vehicle out. Don’t be like Greg.

As she drove through the garage, she gave a respectful nod to one coworker. A polite wave to another.

She was driving in silence, glancing into the side-view mirror. She watched her work building growing smaller in the distance. Dreading the thought of returning to work tomorrow.

Is this what burnout feels like or am I just pathetic?

Saylee grimaced.

----------------------------------------

Saylee opened the entry door. Kayla rushed in after her, dropping her backpack onto the floor with total disregard for any of its content, and flew onto the couch with a lazy plop.

She shook her head, “for someone who claims to be sick, you sure are energetic”

Kayla rushed in, plopping face-first onto the couch. When she spoke, her voice was muffled, “I am sick, and I’m sick of school. My head and tummy hurts”

Saylee walked over and sat by Kayla’s side. She ran her hands through Kayla’s hair, “Sick of school? You’re in fifth grade, it should be a fun time. Well, perhaps the classes can be a dash difficult at times I imagine, but I’m sure friends and recess make attending school somewhat enjoyable. Am I right?”

Kayla lifted her, looking at Mother with a scowl expression, “They canceled recess because they said something about construction, and I’m also mad at Samantha for not sharing her chips. She ate them all and told me no I can’t have any”

Saylee patted Kayla’s shoulder, “I’ll give you some water, I’m sure your stomach will feel better after that. If you complete your homework tonight, maybe I’ll share some chips from my hidden stash.”

Her teenage son Issac walked into the living room from the hallway, wearing a beanie, a hoodie, and sweatpants. He made exaggerated steps toward her in his bear-themed slippers, “Mom! give me a bear hug!”

She wrapped her arms around him, “You know I also do! Here’s a fresh mama bear hug, coming right up”

Issac stepped back, and sat down on the couch next to Kayla, “You’re home early”

She nodded towards Kayla, “Your little sister here may have been a little dramatic when she told me she and the school that she was sick.”, she looked over at Kayla, “Next time you exaggerate or lie about being super sick, I’ll tell you to stay at school. I don’t want you using the sick card whenever you’re feeling a little mad or don’t want to be at school”

Kayla gave her mom a frown, “I wasn’t lying, plus my tummy still hurts”

Saylee shook her head and walked towards the kitchen, yelling back, “I’ll get you water, you’re probably dehydrated. You can’t just drink only juice every day at school”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Kayla yelled back, “The commercial told me juice is the drink of champions, water is basic”

As Saylee poured water into the cup, she heard the front door open.

In unison, her two children yelled, “Dad!”

She turned around, a little startled as she got a surprise tender kiss placed on her forehead.

Dalmon smiled at her. He had permanent dark bags under his eyes from his night shift. He had a semi-short haircut and a five o’clock shadow. He wore a gray polo, with a company logo patch on the right side of his chest that said; “Secure Security Staffing Co: We protect yo’ stuff”. Dalmon pulled her close, careful not to bump into the cup in Saylee’s hand, “You’re home early today, this is wonderful. We can spend some time together before I sleep.”

Kayla walked in, taking the cup from Saylee’s grasp, “It’s because mom picked me up”

Kayla sneered after tasting the water, “Warm tap water? Gross. Can I have a water bottle at least?”

Dalmon tried to hold back a chuckle but failed.

Saylee signed, “No water bottles. You’ll live, trust me. Now drink your water”

Kayla walked away, holding the cup with two hands, with a look of disgust.

Dalmon looked at her, with his eyebrows raised, and a goofy smile, “I don’t want to make dinner tonight”

Saylee placed her hands on her hips, giving him a playful smirk, “Neither do I”

He gave a toothy grin, “Sounds like we’ll need another battle night. If you’re up to it of course. If you’re too tired or not up for it, I think a pizza is always a solid choice”

Battle Night was a tradition that started a few years ago, where Saylee and Dalmon played a quick competitive game, the loser being held responsible for making dinner for the evening. It helped them spend quality time together, as their colliding work scheduling had put a strain on their relationship in the past. The games ranged from rock-paper-scissors to board games. Depending on how ravenous their stomachs were, would determine the length of the competitive game.

Issac walked in, his eyes deadlocked onto his phone as he strode in, he slid down onto a chair at the dinner table.

Saylee walked up and ran a hand through Dalmon’s hair, “It’s still early, but you look so tired…”

“pfft, I’m fine. I’m more than good for a quick game. How about-”

Issac looked up from his phone, excitement suddenly present in his expression, “I want to join in on game night! What game will it be? Can I pick the game?”

Dalmon held up a hand, “Whoa whoa whoa! Before we determine the game for Battle Night, did you finish your after-school work?

Issac gave a chagrined expression, “I didn’t quite finish all of it because I wanted to take a short break. I’ll finish everything else after dinner”

Saylee and Dalmon both gave him a knowing look.

“uh huh, sure”, Dalmon walked over and lifted the phone out of Issac’s hands gently.

“Please, I swear I’ll get the work done after dinner”

Saylee crossed her arms, “Don’t procrastinate, just get it done now so you don’t stay up late again. Also, no phone until the work is done”

Issac pushed himself off the chair and grumbled, “Fine”. He walked away, stomping towards his room. Saylee tried not to laugh, watching her son stomp off with the comically sized Bear-foot slippers.

Dalmon yawned, “I’ll take a short hour nap. Guess after the nap, Kayla can pick the game, I’m sure Kayla will be joining in on the game night. Let’s both take it easy and have a pizza night.

Saylee gave an exaggerated shrug, “Guess so”

She paused, then leaned in to whisper into his ear, “Perhaps we can still have some 1 on 1 time later tonight while the kids are sleeping”

Dalmon grinned, “why wait?”

She cooed, “The wait will be worth it, now; get some sleep”

----------------------------------------

The four sat around the table, a board game set up in the center. They stopped playing since the delivery.

Pizza slices sizzling on each of their plates.

Dalmon raised a slice, “Let’s dig in!”

The steam still present on the slices, they all happily grabbed their slice, biting into them with glee.

Saylee, looked over at Kayla after finishing her slice, “Kayla, are you feeling better?”

Kayla, looking embarrassed, “I…may have lied”

Dalmon raised his eyebrows and glanced at Saylee. He was still chewing, he flicked his eyes towards Kayla.

She looked over at Kayla, giving her best mother tone, “Now sweetie, why did you do that?”

“I was mad and I didn’t want to cry in front of everyone during lunch so I went to the nurse’s room”

“What, why were you upset?”

“Samantha made me mad. She said something mean and told me lies about Issac”

Issac stopped mid-bite and looked over at Kayla, looking uneasy.

Kayla looked away for a moment, folding her arms tight.

Dalmon, wiped his mouth, “Take your time”

Kayla averted her eyes away from the concerned eyes of her parents, her arms were crossed tightly. She took several breaths, and moisture formed around her eyes. She spoke quickly, “Samantha told me that Issac…is going to die. She said that he went he loses his hair it’s because he’s super sick and that-”

Issac quickly stood up. His eyes were facing the ground, and his face hardened. He turned and ran out of the room.

Dalmon got out of his chair, “Shit, wait. Issac, please wait”, Saylee could hear Dalmon’s steps as he sped walk down the hall towards their son’s room. Dalmon kept calling out to Issac as he gently knocked on his door.

She walked over to Kayla. She kneeled, placing a hand gently onto Kayla’s shoulder, before kissing the back of her head, “Kayla sweetie, Samantha doesn’t really know how Cancer works. She also…she also doesn’t know how well Issac is healing. Right now, Issac is recovering. The doctors say the treatment has been working great. So, I need you to be strong for your brother. Issac is a little scared, so if you stay strong for your brother, Issac will be just fine, in no time. We don’t want Issac to have doubts while he’s healing. Okay, sweetie?”

Kayla placed her head on her mother’s shoulder. Saylee pulled Kayla in closer, consoling her softly as she could feel her daughter’s sobs.

----------------------------------------

Saylee put the car in idle at the drop-off, “Now, remember, try to forgive your friend. She doesn’t know. It’s not her fault. Everyone learns and grows. Now, I know it can be tough, but next time you’re upset, call me and tell me the truth. OK, sweetie?

Kayla opened the door, “Okay okay, I will”

Saylee shouted, “I love you-”

Kayla had already shut the door.

Saylee took a deep breath and watched her daughter approach the schoolhouse doors.

She drove off once she was content that her daughter was safely inside.

----------------------------------------

The morning sun was blocked behind multiple layers of gray clouds.

Light rain ran across the windshield.

Saylee pressed next.

She pressed next firmly again.

Her thumb aggressively pressed next again.

“Why are there so many talk shows? Who wants to hear people talking first thing in the morning, all this talking is going to put me to sleep on my way to work”, she grumbled to herself.

Saylee quickly glanced up, the light was still red.

“All I want is some upbeat pop music. Give me any music, Is that so much to ask? It wakes people up on their way to work. I don’t want to hear talking on my way to work before all the hours of talking at work”, she continued muttering.

She pressed next again.

“Screw it. I guess I’ll step up and be DJ this morning”

She connected her phone to the dash, quickly glancing up again, making sure the light was still red before searching through her playlist.

She placed her phone down onto a nook within the center console-

HONK

She tensed as the echoing sound of honks rang out from the vehicles behind her.

“I’m going, I’m going, call the hell down!” She yelled as she pressed down hard onto the gas.

The rain pelted the windshield.

----------------------------------------

She drove for a few minutes in silence.

Her phone lit up.

Dalmon.

She glanced around her surroundings before reaching over to answer her phone.

“Hey handsome, Kayla is safely at school and I’m almost at work”

Dalmon yawned, “Did she seem OK?”

“She’ll be alright. A few hours at school with her friends and she’ll be smiling once again. I’ll let you know if she’s still feeling down when I pick her up after school. How is Issac?”

“He’s still sleeping, I’ll text you on how he’s doing whenever he decides to wake his ass up”

“Teenagers. Okay, my love, I’m driving right now. So, I’ll message you soon. Love you”

“Love you too beautiful, I’ll be thinking of you. Don’t let anyone ruin your day today okay? Love you, text you soon”

“Okay, love ya”

“Drive safe, call me when you get off work”

“Bye, my love”

----------------------------------------

The windshield wipers were going at full speed.

The fourth song started to play, she was a few minutes away from reaching her destination.

The shuffle was good this morning. Each song playing on her playlist usually slaps.

and yet…

She wasn’t feeling it. She pressed firmly on the pause button.

The image of Issac staring at the ceiling, deep in thought this morning when she quietly opened his door, flashed into her mind.

Issac in response to her standing at the doorway, turned away to face the wall.

She recalled telling him, “Good morning, I love you. Please take it easy today. Call me if you need anything”

He took a while to respond before saying, “Uh huh, I will”

After a long silence, she closed the door.

She sighed. She tried to shoo away the feeling of sadness that Issac didn’t say I love you back.

Issac’s a teenager. He probably stayed up all night. He was probably too tired and forgot to say love you back. That’s all.

She’ll give him a call on her lunch break, to check up on him.

Nodding to herself, she took a sip from her coffee.

All she could hear was the rain hitting the windshield and the scraping of the windshield wipers.

Those started to fade as she got lost in her thoughts again.

Her phone rang.

Startled, she carefully glanced over at the phone’s screen.

Why is he calling this early?

She quickly pressed send to voicemail.

I’ll just talk to him in person. I’m almost there.

The phone rang again.

Ignore it

She pressed sent to voicemail again, then took another sip of coffee.

The ringing returned.

Loudly sighing in agitation, she placed her coffee down, picked up the phone, and swiped accept. She pinched the cell phone tightly between her head and shoulder.

The boss was a morning person, while she was not.

She forced a smile before she spoke, “Hey! Good morning Hugo. Is everything OK?”

Hugo answered with a tone that was pure energy and optimism, “Good morning Say, I just finished reading your email. Thank you for sharing with me your ambition to grow within the company. I like the initiative that you reached out first. After some consideration, I do feel like you’d be a good fit for this project. I wanted to discuss a game plan on how to make this happen…”

She felt her spirits lift instantly. Her forced smile broke out into a natural one. She adjusted the phone on her shoulder, “Hey, Hugo, That’s amazing. I am interested to hear more of your thoughts on how to make it happen, but right now, I’m driving. Can we talk about this around-”

There was a split-second eruption of intangible noise before the intense slam of silence.

The several thoughts prior stopped, the current thought frozen as she experienced the euphoria of the absence of all her senses.

The sounds, the light, the sensation of touch, the smell, and the recent taste of coffee-

Gone.

For that second, the absence of everything was overwhelming and yet oddly comforting.

She let out a soft exhale before the calm.