Get A Job Eddie
Dry Eddie had no job. It had been three months since he earned a paycheck. Though money (for the time being) was not his worry. He had some stashed away. It was simply the fact that he didn’t have a job. At some point in his life he had dreamed that he would be caring for his second mortgage and child by now. That he would be settled — in a job. What job? Well this was the best part of dreaming. Not that he got to dream up earning a living from a passion project, but that in his dream he could elect not to be concerned about a job.
Each morning Eddie woke up at six. Not because he enjoyed the time of day, he was no early bird, but because Eddie believed if he was to get a job then he might as well act like a person with one. He didn’t understand what this meant. His work prior was part-time, off hours, with flexible schedules, but was no ‘real’ job. So he mimicked those around him such as other adults who routinely hit their snooze twice before rising, who flipped the switch to brew their first cup. Those who showered, watched the news and read through their Instagram feed before they set off.
Eddie did all of this, except when it was time to ‘set off’ it was off to complete the errand list he had for the day. This list got him to noon, which then he went to the gym and joined a class with friends, “the lunch crew”, who sacrificed their break to sweat off last nights Merlot.
Yet it was after the gym when Eddie’s day turned. When his friends went back to their work to complete the second half of their shifts. It was then when he began to think of a job and how his friend’s jobs suddenly seemed so wonderful, even when they themselves insisted it was not.
“But they make $100,000 a year,” He would tell himself.
“That’s enough to take care of a wife and kids around here,” He would continue.
These were thoughts, not feelings or intuition, for those always led him towards the arts — particularly where he could take words, piece them together to create a puzzle, a story, but this of course — — was not a job.
Soon night would fall, when it was appropriate for him to enjoy his drink of choice alone, which he had with dinner, whiskey — dry. It was then he would start on his errand list for tomorrow to do it all over again.
