This piece was written by Christopher Rein, a sophomore at the San Luis Obispo Classical High School. He was a finalist in the short story section in our writing competition.

Two Months Until Malaysia

    The man walked slowly from his place of work to the bus stop to catch the 5:20 PM bus to his apartment.  His pace slackened gradually with every step, starting out as a brisk walk as he left the door, and ending with a slow shuffle as he neared the bus stop.  He contemplated his day.  It was uneventful in truth; he had mostly filled out and then filed hundreds of pages of paperwork.  He worked at the law firm Hungadunga and McCormack as a paralegal.  The September weather was far more interesting, the overcast skies and frigid air heralding in the creeping winter.  He arrived at the bus stop, his feet losing momentum as he sat down on the bench, three minutes earlier than 5:20, at 5:17.  The bus stop was silent; occasionally the silence was punctured by a woman behind him sipping coffee, or tea; the man couldn’t tell, nor did he care.
    At 5:22 precisely, the bus lumbered into the stop, the dark windows reflecting the cloudy sky.  The sounds of the doors opening and the bustling of individuals getting off, while mundane, were nearly musical to the tired man waiting for the bus.  The routine and habitual trudge onto the bus was repeated; it had been done countless times before by the man.  He had no intention of quitting his habits just then.  He sat down in his seat, a small seat across the way from a smiling elderly woman; the man did not know why she sat there, but he knew she was always there.  She waved hello at him; his reply was a simple good evening; despite his curiosity, he never bothered to ask any details of the woman’s life; he didn’t even know her name.
    At approximately 5:47, the bus screeched into the man’s stop.  He exited the bus, the old woman waving good bye, and stretched.  He thought to himself that he couldn’t stretch while on the bus.  As he arrived at the base of his apartment building, his stride loosened and simultaneously quickened.  The sun had all but dropped behind the horizon as he reached the third floor of the apartment complex; he fumbled in his pocket for his keys; the insufficient light provided no relief in his search.
    At 5:58 PM, his doorway opened up and he flicked the light on, bathing his small abode in dim yellowish white light.  The two windows on the adjacent south and east sides of the apartment (being at a corner of the complex) had not been opened that day.  It was a foolish mistake, and one that caused his apartment to heat up dramatically.  They were quickly opened to release the thermal discomfort they had caused.  The man scoured his fridge for an appropriate beverage; finding none, he settled for a glass of cool water.  This done, he browsed his cabinet for a suitable dinner.
    Despite his reputation amongst friends and family for being gifted with culinary skills, he rarely made any substantial effort for the creation of his own provisions.  Unless special occasion or company permitted an exception, he had always thought it was excessive and improper to create all but the most Spartan of foods for his meals.  In line with his philosophy, he poured a small cup of rice into a pot of water for his dinner.  At approximately 6:45 (he had stopped tracking the time at this point and relied upon an estimation), his dinner was done.  The plain meal of rice was complemented by a raw carrot.  Being alone he eschewed the small table in his room in lieu of eating the dinner on his couch; a television show about a very loud-mouthed chef travelling to foreign countries and eating the cuisine, this week visiting Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, was playing.  At 10 o’ clock precisely, he dragged himself to bed.
    At 6:00 AM the next morning, he restarted his daily ritualistic routine; returning to the bus stop at 6:58, two minutes earlier than the 7:00 bus.  He was at his work place by 7:56.  His work place was a large law firm; though it had the names of only three lawyers, it had nearly 20 who were partnered, and several dozen staff members assisted in various endeavors.  The building was a red brick structure built to last; it was stocky-looking despite its three floors; the man entered through two large doors in the front.

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