Coffee Thursday
The audacity of Mr. John
"I wish to acquire the simplicity, native feelings, and virtues of savage life; to divest myself to the factitious habits, prejudices and imperfections of civilization…" -- Estwick Evans
He stares at the morning television news as it feeds him how dangerous and mad the world outside his home. He let it pass like a breeze separated from the wind. Life must go on behind the threat of global crisis and human undertakings. He felt a slight wisp of worry, he then abandoned doubts. Mornings are the quickest time of the day, a fleeting fix in the shower, put on the working clothes, breakfast in a hurry and additional time with his coffee and cigarette, he can't remember what else changes in his mundane routine before going to face labor.
He rides the public transport because he wanted to be practical. Nowadays, the use of the car becomes a liability. The minute by minute rob into his pocket by gasoline, parking fees, car wash and maintenance poses a weight to his unprogressive salary. He abhors the crammed seats and the noisy people heading to the same destination. However, he longed he could escape with the taxi but then again reassured himself of a wise move. Sacrifice is always a virtue, just think of saving money.
Arrived in the office, he never really liked his job, a repetition of the accepted familiar. He made no attempts in making intimate friends with his colleagues; he thinks they constantly prowl at his mistakes and races his efforts to promotion. They are sly and pretentious, a casual greeting, a forced smile and he gets on with his habitual work. Perhaps his silence and chameleon can only give him security.
Breaks are the only thing he looks forward in the day, another accustomed relationship with his coffee and cigarette. He daydreamed of an overdue holiday, away from the city, with lure of the blue sea and the peculiar solitude. He reads travel magazines and keeps on planning and checking the vacation packages in the internet, consequently, it remains with obscurity. He continues to blame his work for the chains that won't allow him to roam, but then again if he fights against it, it would be a risk he never imagined to take. Sweet dreams are always made of these, who am I to disagree? He hums a song to himself of bittersweet yearnings.
He scrutinizes his bank accounts and his finances. Reviews the card payments and hopes to gain a higher credit limit. Enticed by the promotions and freebies, he browsed at the discounts that he could avail. A new slick phone is out in the market, to consider and change his personal mobile tool remains an option. His favorite restaurant had been included in his premium card; perhaps a treat of good food couldn't be as bad. Furthermore, he remembers his neglected digital camera; comparing with the latest product envies the advanced settings with high definition features had been introduced. He sneered at all his wants, ironically smiled and he imagined the list can keep on going. Awaken by the clock ticking, time is an enemy, he then resumes with his employee role.
The day ended like it was yesterday and years before. At the end of his shift, he updates with calls to his old friends and pries on their monotonous living and comforts himself that he is not alone. The philosopher Voltaire once said, work spares us from three evils: boredom, vices and need. He remained to be a man of daily grind, who contributes to the rat race system and with the humble propulsion to survive.
This is John, Jane or the Filipino Juan in all of us. The days of desires for desires and ambitions of exhaustion makes our place in the society. The quest for meaning becomes irrelevant for what is important is the now. This story is a fragment of ourselves, which mirrors only what it is human, how we deal with our lives and the moments we choose that constraint us to which we submit our senseless existence.
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