Tomorrow

By Garett Ng

Tomorrow will be a new beginning and a new start, thought Richard. I will begin to turn things around tomorrow, he continued to muse. I will do everything I’ve said I would do and I won’t break any promises, he decided. Everything should and will be perfect. I won’t be fired, he ultimately concluded.

Richard turned and shut off the lights to his bedroom.

Precisely, 75 minutes after his alarm clock went off, Richard finally woke him up from his beauty sleep. He looked at the clock and realized he was late for work. Shit, he thought.

Running to the subway station, he just missed the line that passes through his building. I’m so screwed, he thought, as sweat formed on his forehead and he began perspiring uncontrollably.

Richard finally arrived on his floor, a full fifty minutes late. He took the back entrance to avoid bumping into anyone. Unfortunately, a director and a co-worker were there chatting.

“Coming in a little late?” the director asked.

“Oh, you know, the subway.”

“Don’t let it happen again.”

Richard took a big gulp and dragged himself to his desk. He had a voicemail and dialed in. It was his co-worker Mark.

“Hey man, is the meeting at 8:30 or 9?”

Richard’s heart raced. What was he talking about? He checked his calendar. No meetings. Nothing.

Next message. It was his boss.

“I’m on my way to the 19^th. I guess I’ll see you there.”

Oh, I’m so fired, Richard screamed in his head. He went racing down the hallway.