In the Downtime After Destiny

1. The Rising Sun

When the rising sun peered in through the streak-free front window of 626 Mayerwood Avenue it was disappointed to find Rita and Jerome in the same place it had left them. 

They had taken bathroom breaks of course, and plenty of new fingerprints dulled the gleam of the stainless steel fridge. Sometime after The Late Late Show Jerome had slid from the fashionable leather loveseat down to his old beanbag chair. Rita had subsequently rearranged herself and the couch's throw pillows so her head was pointing south-west instead of north-east, a decision which had nothing to do with the feng shui book conspicuously left out on the artisanal coffee table and everything to do with getting her nose as far as possible from Jerome's feet. 

But the housemates were essentially unmoved, watching today's morning talk shows in yesterday's clothes and eating doughnuts that were now officially two-day-olds. As the sun carried on with its business, Rita and Jerome lounged in a state of grace known only by those with no list of things to do.

But serenity, like doughnut freshness, cannot last. After the sun, the next sign of trouble was the timer-driven coffeemaker gurgling to life. Then came the shower, thundering water into the tub somewhere above. Finally, Kelly bustled down the stairs, all ironed clothes and life goals.

Kelly's résumé was correct in touting her as 'detail-oriented'. She was the kind of person who would come into a room and immediately notice if someone was upset or confused or say, just for example, contorting their face because of the strange and surprising pain in their chest. Kelly would notice that kind of thing, if she wasn't already annoyed with everyone in said room.

"There's still some of my special recipe risotto in the fridge if anybody wants real food for lunch," Kelly called back to the living room as she poured a travel mug of Arabian Blend.

"Cool," said Jerome.

"What are you two up to today?" Kelly oh-so-casually wondered as she searched the fridge for the skim milk.

"Uh... this?" said Jerome.

"You don't work later." Kelly snapped on the travel lid.

"Nope," said Jerome.

Through all of this Rita had been quietly listening. On another day she might have been questioning what had become of their once strong friendship with Kelly. Or even considering if it really was time for she and Jerome to stop hitting the snooze button on life. On this day however, Rita's thoughtful silence was caused by the realization that no, there was no way a poorly chewed honey glaze could really be the cause of this much grief.

"Rita?" asked Kelly. "Any plans?"

"No, but I think... Hunh. Yeah, I think maybe heart attack."

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