The Cries of a Baby-Chapter 1

Chapter 1

That damn card. How could I be so naive! So oblivious! So-stupid. It was a perfect Tuesday. Crisp, clean September air. I draw in the oxygen. I let out an exhale.
"Honey? Are you ready?", I yell as I tug my plaid tie into place.
"Pipe down, I"ll be down soon!"
The first Sophia and I met, we fell in love. I was always the nerd. I was called suspender boy, four eyes, and flood-man. Sophia? She always read. She read newspapers, comics, books, even the entire dictionary! I always thought when two very intellectual people would get together, they would be unstoppable. Well, come July 2029, we got married. Within the next three years, we had Matthew.
"Sophia, I'll be in the car, don't forget to bring Matt.", I stated while tying my shoes.
When I was small, I always dreamed of a robot folding my clothes ot untangling my earbuds. So, my purpose in life us to make that happen. So far, our company, of which we are the CEO's, has come up with a new GPU rendering system, and a modified CPU that can power it from a Cadmium Nickel battery. We were on the brink of a monumental discovery, only about a couple years away from the final product. We were.
"Did you lock it Sophia?", I asked. She always forgets to lock it.
"Yes dear, it's locked."
Okay let's hit the road.
The drive was about an hour to San Bernardino. We always left early because we drop off Matthew at daycare. About 45 minutes in, we arrived at the daycare. When I parked my car, I saw the sign. "Closed for International Peace Day" the sign read. So, I turned around to break the news to Sophia.
"It's closed dear-", I say nervously, "for International Peace Day."
"Well", she said, "We will have to bring him to work with us."
We entered the building, and as always, were greeted by the secretary.
"Good morning Mr. Hunt."
About half way through the day, my co-worker, John Anderson, handed me a card.
"Here you go sir. Congratulations on your baby."
"Thank you very much John, I really appreciate it."
I open the card and was greeted with a cry of a baby. I closed the card and put it down on the table.
Upstairs, I begin my daily routine: observation, testing, and most of all, failing. Failing was a norm in my business. But with every mistake, came a resolution that propelled us towards our end goal.
While I was refreshing the GPU software, Matthew began to have a fit. I quickly look to see if Sophia was around. But as if the cries were a deterrent, my wife was nowhere to be found. So I asked my co-worker for some help.
"Hey Bill?"
"Yes sir, what can I do for you?"
"Can you take my baby down to the staff lounge and calm him down?"
"Sure thing sir"
Bill picked up Matthew and carried him out of the room. About 5-10 minutes later, I heard a faint rumbling.
"It's probably just my stomach", I thought to myself.
Then the rumbling came again. This time I knew it was something else. I quickly glanced at my glass of water on the table. The water rippled. Soon, the rumbling became more frequent. Pencils rolled off desks. Chairs slid across the floor. I felt the building gently sway. After a few minutes, the swaying stopped. Everything was calm. So calm that you could hear a pin drop. Then it came. The whole building shook. One by one, windows cracked and shattered. Bolted down desks were somehow unlodged from the floor. Everybody screamed and panicked. After five minutes, the intensity suddenly increased. Just then, I heard the roof collapse. Every few seconds, the collapse would come one floor further. My mind went blank. Then it hit me. My baby. I immediately heard a cry coming from downstairs. I quickly lunge over a desk, landing on shards of glass. I sprinted own the stairs, blood dripping behind me. Matthew's cries got closer. I passed a blocked door. I used my adrenaline to push the desk out of the way. Bursting through the door, I assess the situation. My son's screams were on the other side of this wall. I quickly yank out my keycard and open the door. But when I do, I do not see my child. I see open on my desk............the card.