Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and the world cries too. Dance and the world dances with you. But fart�and you�re on your own.

~Mr. Eddie

*************************

One day bleeds into the next. I try to smile, but the corners of my mouth keep turning down. When my personal life turns to shit, I throw myself into my work, and things pan out. But what do you do when work goes down the crapper too?

The air conditioner is broken, and it�s 98 degrees in the shade with 60% humidity. At 11:00 am, the sun has not yet taken hold in the sky. It�s only going to get hotter.

Stress, heat, clothes that stick to the body, contractors looking for workers, workers looking for pay, angry customers, pissed off employees, smelly men with bad teeth, women who don�t bathe often enough, meth heads I have to turn away, high school dropouts who pass the test�and the day has just begun.

Man, this sucks big donkey ass.

There�s no internet. Only an Intranet. No way to amuse myself as I stew in my own juices and begin to smell a bad odor, afraid that it might be me. If it wasn�t for this piece of paper and pen, I would be blankly staring into space, pondering the fastest way to call in sick. (Can you do that when you�re already at work?)

Stupid questions bombard me, drifters try to make conversation, men who see me as a meal ticket try to pick me up. How much trouble would I get into if I clicked off on one of them? Could I claim harassment and keep my job?

The seconds tick by, dragging the minutes slowly with them. The minutes leisurely dawdle into hours. Time cannot pass fast enough. I keep checking the clock to ensure that it is still passing.

Why am I here? Why didn�t I stay home today and call in dead or something? I doubt anything could make this hot ass booboo icky day any better. Except being at home in my AC, that is. Feet propped up, drink my hand, running my mouth with my roommate. But no, here I am, stuck at work, hot, miserable, and irritated.

Suddenly the door swings open, and in walks Mr. Eddie.

�My, my, Miss Pretty, you sure are a sight for tired eyes today. Working all day outside in this heat like to kill me, but I do believe seeing you has brought me back to life. How are you doing today?� he asks as he hands me his ticket for payout with a genuine smile spread across face.

Feeling suddenly refreshed and full of light and energy, I smile and silently thank God for Mr. Eddie. So sweet and gentle, so kind and sincere. He makes my whole damn week sometimes. �I couldn�t be better,� I tell him. And I mean every word.

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