Friday
A dark cloud approaches from the west. It rolls over the landscape toward the small, isolated town. A sudden crackle and boom, alerts the man away from his work computer to the outside window. He sighs, driving home in this type of storm was the worst. He begins to pack his Tupperware in a well worn tote bag. He routinely drags out the last few minutes of each day; with a flick the lights turn off. He heads to the outside door without even a glance back. A wall of rain greets him as he opens the entrance office door. As he heads to his car, he nods to his manager. She stands under an umbrella smoking a cigarette; patiently waiting for her coworkers to leave so she can lock up.
With a slam of the car door, the man starts the car and mutters discontent at another day wasted. The high tempo punk music came onto the radio as he slowly looked for a podcast to listen on his drive home. His drive was over an hour long, just long enough to listen to something meaningless and keep his inner thoughts distracted. The daily drive was a blur. He parked in his normal spot in front of his apartment. The rain still coming down in sheets made him hesitate before opening the car door. He decided to run to his front door. He was excited to see his girlfriend and puppy. The small dog greeted him with a full body wiggle. He hugged his girlfriend and they began making dinner together. As they normally do, they shared the events of the day and comments on politics. At dinner, they watched a new show and were content with a quiet Friday night. The man took his dog for a walk in matching raincoats and rubber boots. After the walk, the man decided to take a shower because he was already wet. He striped down in the bathroom. Staring into the mirror he looked away quickly. He never understood people liking their looks. He jumped into the hot shower. He used a rough wash cloth to scrub over his entire body except his right foot. There he gently washed his new butterfly tattoo which was only a few weeks old. He finally cracked a smile; at least it’s Friday.
Monday
A dark cloud approaches from the west. It rolls over the landscape toward the small, isolated town. When a crackle and boom, the woman directs her attention away from her cigarette. She wasn’t worried about driving home in this storm. She stands taking drags from her cigarette as her coworkers pack up for the day. One by one each nod to her as they walk to their car. A light rain comes down as she walks to the entrance office door. The last employee meets her at the door and locks eyes with her. He was never the nicest to her but she knew he held his tongue at work. She saw his social media posts. He brushed past her without word. She headed inside and walked around the office turning off lights and locking doors. Once the tasks were finished, she walked to her car.
With a slam of the car door, the woman starts the car and mutters discontent at another day wasted. The high tempo punk music came onto the radio as she slowly looked for a podcast to listen on his drive home. Her drive was over an hour long, just long enough to listen to something meaningless and keep her inner thoughts distracted. The daily drive was a blur. She parked in her normal spot in front of her apartment. The rain stopped a few minutes prior. She looked up. Her wife and puppy stood in the open doorway. She leaped with joy at seeing them greet her. The small dog greeted her with a full body wiggle. She hugged her wife and they began making dinner together. As they normally do, they shared the events of the day and comments on politics. At dinner, they watched a new show and were content with a quiet Monday night. The two of them took their dog for a walk. All three had matching jackets on. After the walk, the two decided to take a shower. As she striped down in the bathroom, she noticed her wife gazing at her in admiration. She loved when her wife looked at her. They jumped into the hot shower. As they washed, they joked about silly inside jokes. Once her washing was completed, her wife stepped out to dry off. The woman remained in the shower for just a few more moments. She looked down at her butterfly tattoo on her right foot. She smiled; at least it’s not Friday.
Aster Zine 