Ellen awoke to an annoying buzzing sound that she could not place.

What day is it?

She had worked a double shift at the telemarketers’ union because her co-worker, Linda, called in sick. Time seemed to blend together with her excessively late working schedule. The telemarketers’ union specialized in solving problems or conflicts with members’ work assignments. Ellen’s work was very routine; however, sometimes clients were belligerent, verbally abusive, or difficult. She could transfer them to another level up the chain, but lost points if she did it too often. Yesterday she had encountered plenty of belligerence, but lost zero points, which was a benefit to her paycheck (and a detriment to her mental health).

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When she finally opened her eyes, the clock read 7:45!

“Holy crap! I’m going to be late!”

Ellen needed to hurry this morning, but she had her boys to consider, and she wanted to make sure that they got a good breakfast. She knew Nigel skipped a number of meals due to his computer game addiction. Ellen didn't care for the constant late nights. She planned to address the problem on Saturday, her only day off this week. He’s going to spend some time with me no matter what, Ellen thought bitterly.