The Chicago streets and sidewalks were covered in yellow leaves the size of a palm of a hand. October 2011 arrived with a warm surprise of sunshine and and 70 degree temperatures. There wasn't a single fresh scent of anything cooking in the small rectangle kitchen of Albert Olson. Memories of his long 10 day trip to China were comforting and tranquilizing. From dining out to walking through the serene gardens of Beijing, the colorful spinning of artful cuisines to delicate flowers created Alberts acute vertigo merry-go-round.
" Can you tell me why we aren't at the wedding again? Is that why we didn't go because you have vertigo, and you might spin out of control and make a mess of yourself, or you are just a major son of a bitch coward." Asked Margo.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
short story Another Work Day
The October rain was warm. The morning gray sky met the tops of buildings and trees with uncertainty and a beam of hope. Looking for a new job in the Chicago area while working young Abby thought, can be exhausting. When its the end of the work day, instead of the boss you see sitting by you, you see your true colors come out as exhaustion creeps its suffocating all your senses. Abby feared she over thought herself. It was that time for Dora, 5:00p.m. and the city streets piling up with mostly four door SUVs and economical family sized used vehicles. Abby was very thoughtful of Dora. Doras boss is Stan Myers. Stan a 6'8, 82 year old man who delighted in the lotto and horoscope updates was certain with only to check his Ford stock and email with Dora. Everything else she couldn't do right.
"Dora, you have really lowered your bar in friendships, employers, and your own expectations?!" Cried a dumbfounded Abby to her dear friend.
"Abby, if I stick my nose out into peoples lives, then I won't see my own life." Said Dora.
" You need to gel it all together. Where is the meat in your dreams? You only show me the herbs and spices sweetie." Explained Abby more understandingly.
Dora pushes her bangs from her eyes for the thousandth time since the early morning. It all began when she was scheduled to be downtown for a job interview. Her hands were clammy and her normal morning shower and exercise routine were put off without a doubt. Ten hours had already gone by since she was swiveling her dry flyaway golden blonde strands of hair into a delicate pony tail and tucking her cellular phone as far down into her tote bag as she could. Doras big brown eyes lit up with the sun light outside and was already moving her four door Malibu car out of the side streets of Chicago before 8 a.m. when the ticket maids would come and slap an ugly cardboard rectangle shaped bright neon orange you get the picture.
From the nightmare under her boyfriends bathtub of dirt, mold, broken tile, and cobwebbs, was the night mare of another $100 parking ticket. Had the work day already come to an end? She thought. Had she chosen to really miss her interview downtown just to spend another day with her real estate boss who never paid her for the full hours she worked? She spent her lunch breaks applying for jobs to make up for the lost time with another broker in which they both sealed a deal on a commission split 25:25. She thought of Stan in worry and in panic as her phone died, and promptly went to get a charger from the retail store. Gregory Carmichael was a friend who was also a broker she met for coffee each day and posted up apartments with. When times were slow they took Angel and her dog Chuck to the dog beach and walked through art shows.
Doras phone call to Mickey Porter the broker downtown this week were waivering and slow compared to her fast paced get it done, and just do it mentality. Mickey was always out of town, flying in and out for ball games and festivals. She worried she was doing just the opposite and hoped that she was wrong. Exhausted she needed to get to bed early for her 5am job at a breakfast franchise called Goldies. Confused when to turn off her sales technique Dora often came out to strong for her customers and co-workers at Goldies and they mostly shunned her and kept their distance while they only attempted to have a little fun with Dora and small talk.
Kindly Dora folded the last of her boyfriends laundry and sat on his couch which she felt she stained more than the two cats that laid on them all day long. There was never a full nights rest at her boyfriend Rico's apartment just a few blocks from her realtor office her boss owned because of the stressful work days and her lack of "me time." Her smoking habit grew out of control and she could see her teeth growing dimly yellow and her breathing was short. She feared she new nothing about the word fun in which she heard from one of the brokers she worked with on an end of week day as she assertively provided persistance on getting to know more about him.
Mickey Porter showed her a fast thing or two about how he does things by kindly responding to her appointments with sincerity that each time was not the right time. After a dozen calls Dora had caught on that if she was to do anything more with real estate, she needed to keep floating along until something came along with tenant and property.
"Dora, Dora, are you listening honey?" Asked Stan.
"Yea, I'm listening." She replied.
"Are you going to hostess my card game tonite with the guys?" Asked Stan.
"No, I'll be out of town Stan." She answered.
"Well, sweatheart when will you be back, Stan needs you here.' Stan softly wined.
"Monday. I'll be in Monday." She said. He knows I come in every Monday, Dora thought to herself.
"Dora, you have really lowered your bar in friendships, employers, and your own expectations?!" Cried a dumbfounded Abby to her dear friend.
"Abby, if I stick my nose out into peoples lives, then I won't see my own life." Said Dora.
" You need to gel it all together. Where is the meat in your dreams? You only show me the herbs and spices sweetie." Explained Abby more understandingly.
Dora pushes her bangs from her eyes for the thousandth time since the early morning. It all began when she was scheduled to be downtown for a job interview. Her hands were clammy and her normal morning shower and exercise routine were put off without a doubt. Ten hours had already gone by since she was swiveling her dry flyaway golden blonde strands of hair into a delicate pony tail and tucking her cellular phone as far down into her tote bag as she could. Doras big brown eyes lit up with the sun light outside and was already moving her four door Malibu car out of the side streets of Chicago before 8 a.m. when the ticket maids would come and slap an ugly cardboard rectangle shaped bright neon orange you get the picture.
From the nightmare under her boyfriends bathtub of dirt, mold, broken tile, and cobwebbs, was the night mare of another $100 parking ticket. Had the work day already come to an end? She thought. Had she chosen to really miss her interview downtown just to spend another day with her real estate boss who never paid her for the full hours she worked? She spent her lunch breaks applying for jobs to make up for the lost time with another broker in which they both sealed a deal on a commission split 25:25. She thought of Stan in worry and in panic as her phone died, and promptly went to get a charger from the retail store. Gregory Carmichael was a friend who was also a broker she met for coffee each day and posted up apartments with. When times were slow they took Angel and her dog Chuck to the dog beach and walked through art shows.
Doras phone call to Mickey Porter the broker downtown this week were waivering and slow compared to her fast paced get it done, and just do it mentality. Mickey was always out of town, flying in and out for ball games and festivals. She worried she was doing just the opposite and hoped that she was wrong. Exhausted she needed to get to bed early for her 5am job at a breakfast franchise called Goldies. Confused when to turn off her sales technique Dora often came out to strong for her customers and co-workers at Goldies and they mostly shunned her and kept their distance while they only attempted to have a little fun with Dora and small talk.
Kindly Dora folded the last of her boyfriends laundry and sat on his couch which she felt she stained more than the two cats that laid on them all day long. There was never a full nights rest at her boyfriend Rico's apartment just a few blocks from her realtor office her boss owned because of the stressful work days and her lack of "me time." Her smoking habit grew out of control and she could see her teeth growing dimly yellow and her breathing was short. She feared she new nothing about the word fun in which she heard from one of the brokers she worked with on an end of week day as she assertively provided persistance on getting to know more about him.
Mickey Porter showed her a fast thing or two about how he does things by kindly responding to her appointments with sincerity that each time was not the right time. After a dozen calls Dora had caught on that if she was to do anything more with real estate, she needed to keep floating along until something came along with tenant and property.
"Dora, Dora, are you listening honey?" Asked Stan.
"Yea, I'm listening." She replied.
"Are you going to hostess my card game tonite with the guys?" Asked Stan.
"No, I'll be out of town Stan." She answered.
"Well, sweatheart when will you be back, Stan needs you here.' Stan softly wined.
"Monday. I'll be in Monday." She said. He knows I come in every Monday, Dora thought to herself.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Short Story Getting Nothing Done
Today I stopped by Stanmeyer Realtor office around 9:30a.m. The place is over up north on Montrose and Lincoln Ave. My cellular phone went dead and no one was in the office. Stans four dour Chariot wasn't in site and the sun was shining pretty bright. The weather has meterologists predicting sunshine seven straight days in a row this week which is rare and peculiar in the windy city of Chicago.
As usual I picked up a cup of coffee and drove straight to the gym I've been going to for over three years to see what the next class would be. Frank gave a good ab class and I headed out for my second cup of coffee when I recieved a text message from another realtor office to confirm a commission release invoice for the apartment I technically was going to show five college adults in Wrigleyville.
Payment day was here it had already been a month since the 5 bedroom showing and all those blank nights serving at Saturdays weddings. There really isn't any chance I'd thought to call my broker work blank, since it was so indescribably slow for me. Another wedding to hold back my unstable emotions during the father daughter dance. Oh no here it goes again, the song from the movie Gost playing and the lights are turned down.
I rush and look for my best chance out of the banquet room and outside to get some fresh air when I realize I'm alone and on the clock. Anyone could be looking for me and wondering where I'm at. Playing around with my work schedules hoping to get work from temporary agencies no one is calling me back or they are scheduling me on the days I work already at the other company.
I'm calmer than I've ever been. A wanderlust of customer service jobs fills my head in retail or sales positions and I'm fearing the limited box I feel trapped inside of. Fidgeting and antsy I move to the library where the heat is to hot and theres a customer on the computer next to me with too much cologne but its aroma is tranquilzing.
the end
As usual I picked up a cup of coffee and drove straight to the gym I've been going to for over three years to see what the next class would be. Frank gave a good ab class and I headed out for my second cup of coffee when I recieved a text message from another realtor office to confirm a commission release invoice for the apartment I technically was going to show five college adults in Wrigleyville.
Payment day was here it had already been a month since the 5 bedroom showing and all those blank nights serving at Saturdays weddings. There really isn't any chance I'd thought to call my broker work blank, since it was so indescribably slow for me. Another wedding to hold back my unstable emotions during the father daughter dance. Oh no here it goes again, the song from the movie Gost playing and the lights are turned down.
I rush and look for my best chance out of the banquet room and outside to get some fresh air when I realize I'm alone and on the clock. Anyone could be looking for me and wondering where I'm at. Playing around with my work schedules hoping to get work from temporary agencies no one is calling me back or they are scheduling me on the days I work already at the other company.
I'm calmer than I've ever been. A wanderlust of customer service jobs fills my head in retail or sales positions and I'm fearing the limited box I feel trapped inside of. Fidgeting and antsy I move to the library where the heat is to hot and theres a customer on the computer next to me with too much cologne but its aroma is tranquilzing.
the end
Monday, October 3, 2011
Thy Will Be Done
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise- in God I trust and am not afraid." (NIV)
The things I say and do I pray are divorced of selfishness, self pity and dishonesty. I hear so many things on the news and internet that I am afraid of not growing in the lords will and that I am just hidding from him and hoping he will pass me by, what obediance God is asking from me I can't make out with all the noise of parents concerns, friends and lovers needs, and believing in myself.
My dreams keep coming and going when I get in the way thinking that I have to take the wheel when its God who has the wheel. The song by Aerosmith, Dream On, is a song with meaning and strong influence on my life today just as much as it did ten years ago because even when I feel the dreams are lost they have still been there blossoming and blooming with or with out my presence or love.
Global Media Group and or Bible Gateway are to resources I use each day, and in faith wait on the lord.
The things I say and do I pray are divorced of selfishness, self pity and dishonesty. I hear so many things on the news and internet that I am afraid of not growing in the lords will and that I am just hidding from him and hoping he will pass me by, what obediance God is asking from me I can't make out with all the noise of parents concerns, friends and lovers needs, and believing in myself.
My dreams keep coming and going when I get in the way thinking that I have to take the wheel when its God who has the wheel. The song by Aerosmith, Dream On, is a song with meaning and strong influence on my life today just as much as it did ten years ago because even when I feel the dreams are lost they have still been there blossoming and blooming with or with out my presence or love.
Global Media Group and or Bible Gateway are to resources I use each day, and in faith wait on the lord.
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