PEACE AND QUIET

The alarm disturbed what little sleep Tony had, demanding his attention. He reached over and snoozed it, needing a few more precious minutes.

Those minutes drained away. He turned the alarm off and got up. His small apartment, messy and cluttered from the lack of time to clean, was familiar to him even in the shaded morning. He stepped over dirty clothes and around old boxes he never put away.

He didn’t have much time before he was expected to be at work. When he went to get dressed, he realized he was still in his clothes from yesterday. Which means he forgot to shower. Can’t be a good example of getting yourself together if he smelled like bed sweat. The urge to call off again was beyond tempting.

“Just a few more days and you’ll be gone,” he said.

Tony took a quick shower, put on some cologne, got dressed, and reached for his wallet, keys, and phones. He checked his personal phone. No new notifications. He pocketed it before hesitating to grab his work phone.

He took a deep breath before turning it on. Sure enough, it started blowing up as the texts came flooding in.

“Tony I need to get groceries.”

“Tony can you take me to the BMV?”

“Tony I need those reports!”

His hands trembled as he pocketed the phone and headed to work.

***

Tony slumped in his office chair. Everyone else had gone home, leaving him shackled in his tight cubicle to finish his reports from all the clients he met with that day. Tony sighed as he stared at the empty page before him. He clicked on another tab to steal a few glances at the Airbnb he was going to stay at. A small house in West Virginia, far away up the mountains, with a hiking trail right by it that led to a beautiful lake.

He smiled at the pictures before closing his eyes with a soft smile.

“Two more days.”

His phone rang, and he had to fight the urge to throw it across the room. He took a deep breath, put on a smile, and picked it up.

“This is Tony, how may I help you?”

***

Tony made it through the week. He smiled as he turned off his alarm that Saturday morning. He had his suitcase packed already and quickly headed out the door, not caring this time that he was still wearing yesterday’s clothes.

He didn’t care if it was a ten-hour drive; Tony’s smile never faded. He gawked at the tall mountains that now surrounded him as he drove the winding roads of West Virginia.

He parked and quickly grabbed his suitcase. Once he got everything inside, he quickly got right out the door and started his walk to the trail, hiking his way up the hills to find the lake.

He gasped as the setting sun was perfectly cast over the horizon, shining a reflection on the still waters. A bench was nearby, and he didn’t hesitate to take his seat.

Tony took a long sigh of relief as he settled in, listening to the chirping of the birds and feeling the cool wind on his face.

His phone rang, causing his skin to turn pale. He quickly reached into his pocket to find his work phone. He never took it out since yesterday. It was a call from a client.

He didn’t hesitate this time and threw it in the lake, shattering the calm waters with a loud splash. Tony breathed heavily as he stood there, his body heaving as the silence overtook him.

Finally, some quiet.

Kenny McCrary: I'm a Christian writer and a student at Full Sail University taking the Creative Writing course. I enjoy storytelling of all kinds and love how stories can shape and change the world. I want to bring honor and glory to God in my work by creating art with quality in mind, passion in heart, and having art that resonates with the soul.