The Tints And Shades (Frerard)

Cubicles

Work was dull and uneventful, as usual. Nothing truly interesting happened. I just went through my normal day crunching numbers and sorting information and working and working and working.

It was about quitting time, five o'clock. I could see little drops of rain scattered on the window and falling into the puddles making ripples in the water. Yawning, I put the last piece of paperwork away in its proper filing cabinet. As I did so, I felt my stomach growl at me, begging for food in an almost threatening way.

I shook my head and logged out of my computer and slid my calculator into its drawer. I threw out some old papers that were strewn about on my desk from weeks ago, taking my time and peeking at the clock every few seconds to check the time.

Closing time was my favorite time of the day. I loved the feeling of finally getting back on my feet after a long nine o'clock to five o'clock day in an old, uncomfortable swivel chair in a quiet and cramped three by four cubicle. Alone.

4:57. Three minutes until all of the workers would exit their workspaces and stroll home.

Three minutes seemed to last forever in this place. Sitting in the small space all alone for hours made me anxious to leave everyday. I didn't want to wait. After I got my work done I just wanted to get up and leave, but that wasn't allowed, and it would probably get me fired.

Seeing as I had three minutes and no more work to do, I decided to take out a black sheet of paper and a pencil and just doodle some random character that I created in my mind. I thought for a moment, and then I had an idea. I began to draw a robot with human features. I'd heard of characters like this, but I knew they weren't real. I mean what kind of human was a robot? Such of s thing would only happen in science fiction novels or maybe comic books, I guess. But I wouldn't even know about the comics.

I'd always been a law abiding citizen, though I was also quite curious about many things and thought really deep into everything that popped into my head. I'd never really thought to try and smuggle a comic book home. I'd never had the urge to get up and secretly buy one from one of the strangers on the street, take it home, and read it. It just never crossed my mind.

I heard the click of the clock and the sudden rusteling of papers and rolling of the wheels of the crappy swivel chairs. Almost as if everyone had been watching the clock, ready to go home.

I stood up from my desk and, pushing in the chair, walked a steady beat away from my lonesome cubicle, where I had spent all day. It was still raining outside, and I didn't have a jacket on that day. I simply picked up the pace as I walked home, trying to be focused on going home and not getting distracted. That didn't work.

A familiar boy with familiar hair and a familiar, peppy and informative attitude caught my attention as he exited the old warehouse I'd seen him enter that morning. He was looking around cautiosly and suspiciously as he locked the door. He saw me and grinned widely in my direction.

I continued to walk in that direction and I nodded at him in greeting when I got near enough to him. He began to walk a steady pace alongside me.

"Hi, Gerard."

"Hey, Legend," I said. My voice sounded dull and monotone from being in such a boring place all day.

"How was your day?"

"It was... Normal," I said, struggling to find the right word.

Legend nodded, processing my words.

"Mine was quite fun, actually," he said. "I listened to music and I worked on my latest... Nevermind." He was so enthusiastic about whatever he was about to say, but he never got around to actually saying it. He seemed to be catching himself in something he couldn't tell me for some reason.

"Sounds fun," I sighed. His job sounded so much different from mine.

"Yeah," he sighed. "This is where I turn," he said as he turned the corner and left me to finish my walk alone. The rain drenched me as I moved forward down main street to my apartment building.

I walked into the main lobby, which was dimly lit and had a bright desk in the far left corner and a couch in the far right. The elevator was on the back wall directly in between two staircases.

I decided, since I was soaking wet, that I was going to take the elevator up to the third floor, where my apartment was located. The elevator arrived with a ding and the shiny, metallic doors opened. I stepped inside the metal box and pushed my finger against the button next to the number three. The elevator clanked and clattered as it rose up and up and up.