Have you ever woke up to the feeling that something bad was going to happen?
Well, let me tell you what happened to me.
The day started out like any other day, except for the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I reluctantly crawled out of my nice, comfortable bed and made my way to the shower. The warm water blanketed me in a type of comfort that made it hard to leave. I dressed myself in front of the steamed up bathroom mirror and then headed downstairs to make my coffee. I sat in a drowsy daze as I waited for the coffee maker to come to a stop. Once my travel coffee mug was filled and the taste to my liking, I grabbed my briefcase and car keys and headed out the door.
The traffic was heavier than usual. The air had been quite foggy that morning, which lead to several car accidents. There were three wrecks on my route that I had to maze through. Finally, traffic started moving at a steady pace until out of nowhere a tractor trailer came to a screeching halt in front of me. With my coffee in mid sip, I slammed on the brakes to avoid having an accident. I managed to avoid hitting anyone, however, my clothes weren’t so lucky. Hot coffee ran down my white shirt and tie, leaving an icky brown stain. I should have stayed in bed.
After parking my car in the office building’s garage, I rode the elevator up to the eleventh floor and made my way quietly to my desk. Typically, I would have arrived to work thirty minutes early. On this day, I arrived thirty minutes late, but I wasn’t the only one. Several of my co-workers were late as well, due to the multiple accidents that clogged up the interstate system. I quickly got down to business in my small, beige cubicle and managed to stay busy so that the morning went quickly. Between sales calls and emails, before I knew it, it was time for lunch.
For lunch I decided to go to a little corner store at the end of the block and grab some sushi to eat. That quaint little place served quite a few of the office workers in that neighborhood. They had tables on the sidewalk where you could sit and eat, so I stayed and ate my lunch while I watched the traffic go by. The food wasn’t as good as it typically was, but they were busier than normal.
Next, I proceeded to the bank across the street to make a deposit. As I waited in line for the next available teller, I heard a commotion behind me. I turned around when I heard a woman shriek and saw her drop to the floor. That’s when I noticed a masked gunman had entered the bank. I should have stayed in bed.
I followed the others and laid flat on my stomach on the floor. I was so frustrated that I felt like I could rip the gun from the guy’s hand and turn the barrel on him before he knew what happened, but I maintained my position on the floor. He demanded the money from the ladies behind the counter and they shrieked every time the gun was aimed directly at them. Each one pleaded over and over for him not to hurt anyone, not to shoot. He grabbed the sacks of money and headed for the door. Once outside, the guard at the entry, locked the door.
Fortunately, the robber didn’t get far. Police were lined up waiting for him as he ran out of the building. He was taken down immediately with nowhere to go. I decided to save my deposit for another day, which was good because the bank had to close to get things back in order.
I made my way back to the office to find security within my meager cubicle. As I sat and continued my work, my head started to spin and I began to feel nauseous. I checked the clock. 3:04 pm. The day was almost over, I just had to make it until 5. My phone rang and I answered it as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. It had started to feel very warm in the office. On the other end of the line, was the manager’s secretary. I was summoned to his office for a quick pow wow. I got up from my desk, pausing for a moment to regain my bearings from the dizziness before I moved on.
I knocked on the manager’s door and did not wait for him to answer before I swung it open. “Sir, you wanted to see me,” I said as I tried to keep it together.
“Yes, Jack come on in. I wanted to have a quick word with you,” he said as he continued to look at his computer screen. I stepped into his office and sat down. He looked up at me stunned, “Jack, are you feeling alright? You look awful.”
“Um, yes I’m fine.”
“Well, I’ll get right to it. Unfortunately, I hate to have to meet with you like this, but corporate is breathing down my back about our sales being down. I’m having to lay off a few people and I’m sad to say you are the first of the few. It has nothing to do with your work ethic or performance, but as far a seniority, you were the last hired. I would be more than happy to be a reference for you in the future, after all you are one of my best.”
As I felt my stomach churn, I was afraid to speak. So I spoke quickly, “Well I appreciate everything you’ve done for me since I joined the team.” He got up to shake my hand and I got up to do the same. Once our hands released I ran for his wastebasket and threw my face into it. The vomit spewed out of me violently.
Once I managed to finish, my boss said squeamishly, “Tell you what, I will have someone pack up your personal items and you can come back to get them once you feel better. Take the wastebasket with you. I’ll just order a new one.”
I could tell he was trying to keep from vomiting as well. I grabbed the garbage can and headed to my car in the parking garage. I headed home and had to stop on the side of the road four times to hurl. I should have stayed in bed.
Finally, I managed to get home. I headed straight for the bed and stayed there, in between bathrooms visits, for three days. I never went back to get sushi from that store and never picked up my items from the office. From then on, I chose to go through the bank drive thru instead of going inside.
Now, when I wake up with that gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, I call in sick and stay in bed.
