Tonight it is darker than it has been in a while; raindrops clashing against the window pane of third-floor apartment room, just barely visible due to a speck of moonlight attempting to peer its way through the storm clouds. The door just adjacent opened to wash the room in the lamp light from the hallway, before extinguishing from the door sealing behind the one who had disturbed it.
The furred figure was difficult to recognize in the pitch black that was his home. Blindly pawing at the wall, he eventually pressed in a hollow button that made the lights in his living room spring to life, flooding the room in bright fluorescent.
There stood a red fox, totally drenched in storm water, three envelopes held in his right paw, a satchel in the other. He discarded the satchel by the door, just next to the small wooden table where he had dropped his keys after entering.
This red fox was called Murreki. He was rather short for his species, late twenties, bespectacled and had golden blond hair. The most pronounced thing on him, aside from his bushy tail, was his crystal blue eyes.
Heaving a great sigh, he walked around and sat rather harder than he first desired onto his couch. Peering at the clock on the wall, it was just fifteen to midnight. He thought back on his entire day, on how in the long run it had been mostly spent and wasted at work. Unfulfilling, though it was, it paid the bills … barely. Extending a claw, he etched a line in the top envelope, extracting its contents and unfolded them.
Hasn’t he just paid bills? Another one so soon? He set it aside, feeling that frustrating pit in his stomach drop. Pulling the next bit of mail out, it too, was a bill. Wondering where this extra paperwork was coming from he too, set that aside.
The next one, “URGENT: OPEN IMMEDIATELY”, clad red letters overtop the final envelope. He couldn’t take it. He did not open it, he didn’t look at the sender, just set it underneath the two bills. He picked up his mobile, regretfully launched the app of his bank and buried his face into his paws, biting back emotions.
Upon loading, he realized he would not have enough for these two, possibly three bills. Tears instantly streamed down his face. “This is ridiculous,” he thought. “How did it come to this and where did these extra bills come from?”
Tossing his phone aside, he strode into his bedroom, wiping his face dry. By the bedside stood sleeping pills to which he gratefully swallowed. Within thirty minutes, he would be worry free for at least 8 hours. He needed the sleeping pills anymore, otherwise sleep never came; he stayed up thinking and stressing about life. It never did any good, but what could he do to stop it?
He laid down, attempting his hardest to focus on anything that could calm him. He remembered when he was younger, carefree. Nothing really bothered him. He was a happy kit. Although his past was a bit odd, spending his childhood, and the majority of his teenage years in diapers and being cared for and nurtured by others, he never felt better. Never in his adulthood would he admit that he still kept some around …
Now in this most difficult life, stress and worry is all that he ever felt.
Sleep was forced on him as he thought of his childhood. Lately it had been all that worked. He dreamt of eight long and lovely hours of being a cub again. It was so remarkable that when he woke up, his depression, if possible, worsened.
Will every fibre of his being, he pushed himself out of bed. It was a tad after eight in the morning. The sleeping pills still made him a bit groggy, but after coffee, he started to wake up. He went over to the couch, grabbed the previously neglected phone, and attempted to turn it on. Dead battery. Of course, he discarded it the night before while it was at a mere 10%, what did he expect?
Plugging it in, he saw he had a few missed calls and a text from an unknown number. He opened the text first. The phone number did not display, it was blocked from registry. It read only one word: “Interested?”
In what? He had this phone for two years now, so it certainly couldn’t be from someone who knew the previous owner of the mobile’s number. He tossed it over as a loss. He had enough on his mind. He opened his voicemail next. It was from work. “Oh please no, not on my day off…” Murreki thought.
“Murr, hey man, I’m really sorry to ask this of you, however Hanna called off and I’m literally the only one in. Please call me back; I’m swamped with work, the servers went down and I’m struggling all on my own. Hope to talk to you soon. Bye.”
With every ounce of hesitancy, he held onto his mobile, rather than pitching it across the room. The last thing he needed was to replace an expensive smartphone.
His thoughts focused on Hanna and began boiling. He saw her yesterday after he got off work at an obscenely late hour. He was using his last $20 for a week to get some food and saw her at the store. She was fine. Happy to see him in fact. Probably trying to butter him up so he wouldn’t explode on her next time they met at work. She probably had been planning taking off work right then and there…
He called back Rory, the one whom left the voicemail. Rory picked up immediately.
“Hey, please tell me you’re on your way,” Rory said desperately. Murreki sighed away from the speaker.
“Yeah, I’m getting ready now. Sorry I didn’t pick up earlier, phone was completely dead. I’ll be in soon.”
“Oh thank god.” Rory replied.
“No, thank me. I’m on my way.”
“Thanks, bro. See you so—“ Murreki had hung up.
---
“One day off this week, can’t I have that?” He spoke to nothing in particular.
He bitterly stormed to his room and put on the uniform that he had worn last night for work. It was supposed to be laundry day, but seeing the contrary now was too frustrating for Murreki to do right now. Gathering up his keys, wallet and a quick mug of tea, he strode into the cold January morning. Traffic was dismal, until he finally got onto the highway and he began to feel a bit better. Murreki liked driving; it was calming, mostly. At least when there aren’t total morons on the road. A small ding from his dash popped him out of his trance. A small icon reading
“Service Engine Soon” appeared.
“Spectacular,” He spoke, every syllable dripping with sarcasm.
He arrived at the facility where he worked. He was a technician, working on all various things from the computer servers his shop stored data on, to the many computers utilized by employees. He, too, worked customer service, which by far was the most dreadful part of the job. Folks from all over would bring in their faulty equipment and find some way to accuse him or his colleagues that it was their fault these systems in a building miles away malfunctioned.
Rory was immensely grateful to see Murreki as he strode in the door, fur windswept and a black jacket snugged around him as he desperately clung to it for warmth.
“Murr! Thanks again, and I’m really sorry to ask you for help; you’re just the only one who knows how to fix these things.”
Murreki had suggested these servers in particular, as they tripled the data exchange rate on the base in which they worked. He was commended and was happy of the reputation it had given him, however it was he alone who knew how to fix them. A flaw that foresight would have squashed. He of course had attempted to train his most trusted co-workers, but the details were too intricate. The servers were of the newest technology and it took Murreki many months just to master the basics.
It took hours. Murreki’s only positive thought about it was the work was tough, and in being so, it took his mind off of other things. He was exempt from dealing with customers as well, which was also a nice plus. A man from a company that sold enhanced retina computing contact lenses brought in one of the machines that made the atom processors. It was faulty, and Murreki was even more grateful he would not have to deal with that today. A machine that makes an item that is nanoscopic is never fun to deal with when it breaks.
Murreki completed his work around three in the afternoon and finally set off for lunch. He bid his co-workers farewell more cheery than he would have been. His supervisor gave him tomorrow off.
Twenty minutes later he was in the sandwich shop, chowing hungrily at a sub. Suddenly, his mobile went off. It was his bank. Reluctantly, and hoping against hope it wasn’t more bad news, he answered.
“H-hello?” Murreki’s paws trembled on the phone.
“Hello, I’m looking to get ahold of a Mr. Murreki Jusocio,” Said a cool woman’s voice on the other line.
“This is him, how can I help you?” He almost didn’t want to know.
“We’re just calling you to check. Your account has some high-value charges put on it that has put your account into the negative. One was made for $537, another $295. Are you aware of these charges?”
“W-what?! No!” He spoke rather loud into the receiver. People were starting to look.
“It is possible your account information has been compromised …”
Murreki spent the next fifteen minutes on the phone.
“Well Mr. Jusocio, we should be able to return the funds in full within the next two business days.”
“Oh thank you so much. I’m real happy I got that account insurance,” He smiled weakly.
“Happy to help, have a great rest of your day.” And she hung up.
Murreki finished up his late lunch and headed home. He attempted to ignore the service light on his dashboard. He was much happier now knowing at least one problem was averted.
***
So, in light of all this catching up, even though the stresses of life are ever present, this is a happy story. For soon, Murreki will open the envelope under the bills. That is when his old life returns.
