
I was expecting my day to be fairly average when I woke up. Tuesdays are a dime a dozen; nothing special before or after the work day. So I slapped my alarm off like normal, yawned, and sort of fell out of bed. I pulled myself to the shower, enjoying the rush of heat on my tired face. Steam sneaked out through the cracks under the door like a couple of angry snakes. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to be thinking about in the shower.
After I dried off and threw on my new shirt, I went down the hall, looking for breakfast. Pancakes, sizzling on the griddle, and Mattie standing there waiting for me. She looked good even in sweats and a T-shirt, her hair all messed. Her dark eyes, like chocolate chips, were warm and inviting, like those pancakes. I leaned down, way down, and kissed her. She pulled away after a minute or two and handed me a plate with a playful smile.

"Don't get too excited," she cooed.

I snorted. Yeah, that was definitely not gonna happen with a hot girl in my kitchen. Had it been a weekend I might have enjoyed myself a little longer, but I had to keep putting pancakes on the table. So I scooted over to the table and wolfed them down. She just stood there, watching, still smiling that little smile I loved. I finished up the syrupy goodness and tossed my plate in the sink with a little more bravado than was necessary. I gathered her up in my arms and kissed her again, then set her down and grabbed my tie. I waved goodbye as I trotted to the car, the dawn sun warming my face.
Let's get one thing clear: I like to drive fast. I like to drive way faster than I should. Like, ninety clicks in a thirty zone fast. Thankfully, the first few miles from my house are pretty deserted, and I have a pretty free run to zoom all the way to the main thoroughfare. This morning, though, I drove slow. For me, I mean. I was easily twenty over the speed limit. But I was thinking about things. About how much I didn't want to go to work that day, about how much I didn't want to go back ever, about how much I really really hated Linda, my supervisor. I wanted to make sure Mattie and I could live together comfortably, and, frankly, I wasn't going to be able to do that with my current job, or hers. I needed to move up. By the time I'd hit the morning jam, I'd already almost made up my mind. I wasn't going to grind out one more day in this job. I was going to march right up to Linda and make her take it. I got out smiling. I got out ready. I got out prepared for the future.

