Jared, a middle-aged grotesque man with a beard, lived in an unkempt apartment. His only companions were the cockroaches eating the old bread he left out. His days were routine, very predictable. The alarm would yell at 6:45 a.m. -- Jared replied by mumbling, groaning and slamming his fist on the inconsiderate alarm. He would stumble to the bathroom, turn on the shower, then proceed to take his morning poop. As a retail worker, he was required to wear his uniform, consisting of tan khakis and a blue shirt with the company logo.
Coffee and toast was his go-to, and then it was straight to work. One morning, Jared's alarm didn't go off; he woke up at 7:30 a.m and still continued his routine, but as he was sitting on the toilet, he had an unpredictable un-Jared-like thought: Today is not right. His toast came out burnt, not the caramel brown like it always did. His coffee tasted like cardboard.
Saturday came along, so he dialed his pizza place and ordered the usual, large pizza with a coke and wings to be exact. The pizza guy on the other end of the line was not the same guy that always takes his order, Jared thought: This week is not right. He dismissed the thought and waited for the doorbell to ring. The pizza was late and Jared was getting anxious. One Hour later the door bell rung and Jared sprinted to the door ready to pay and eat. When he opened the door a Caucasian man in his late 20s was there with visible face tattoos but no uniform. This alerted Jared but he tried to stay calm, "27.50" the man said.
Jared gave him $30 and told him to keep the change. The man declined and said he had change and that he didn't want the extra money.
Jared grabbed his pizza and forcefully gave him the money and started closing the door, when the door was almost going to shut the man intervened with his foot. Jared dropped the pizza box and all the cheesy slices fell on the floor. Jared tried to keep the door closed but the man was stronger, Jared swore like a sailor but the man's silence was louder. The man with tattoos on his face pushed real hard and Jared fell to the ground. The man put his foot on Jared's throat slowly putting his weight and crushing his esophagus. Jared whimpered and struggled for breath. The man's eyes were lifeless, dark, and haunting. The man smiled exposing his yellow teeth. Everything paused in Jared's present time, everything was detailed and moved slow. He stared into the man's sinister face and the thought hit him like a thousand bricks, he knew this man.
Jared grabbed his leg with the goal of pushing it off him only to discover that the more he struggled the more the man with the tattooed face weighed down on him. Jared's face turned bright red, his eyes bloodshot and desperate. He stopped fighting and accepted the undeniable fact that he was going to die. As his breath became labored by the second one of Jared's persistent thought was: this week was not right.
We could live life as cautious as we would like, The truth of the matter is that life happens and it's as unpredictable as death. Don't wake up and have your usual toast and black coffee, maybe you'll find that you also like banana pancakes with a tall glass of milk. Don't be a Jared.
