The Fifteen Minute Novel is a novel written fifteen minutes at a time with each week day’s section starting with the sentence from the previous day. At least it is attempting to be a novel. For now I am just aiming at one continuous story, worked on for fifteen minutes each day. Started Friday January 1st, 2021 (in case you want to search for the beginning. I can’t wait to see where it ends up. It could be good, or it could be a mess. We’ll have to see. For now, here is today’s fifteen minutes.
Day 25: The job placement didn’t bother him, but asking for the right to buy a car did.
The job placement didn’t bother him, but asking for the right to buy a car did. He could deal with having to be an entry level employee, but asking for the car made him feel more like an unreliable teenager. He didn’t care for the feeling even though the rational side of his brain could work out why they might want to keep tabs on purchases such as automobiles. They knew he was used to wealth and privilege. He could guess that they expected him to want some sort of expensive car, the sort that wouldn’t fit into his current neighborhood or go with his soon to be entry level job.
James frowned, despite seeing the logic he didn’t care for the feeling. He looked at his phone and instead of calling for a car as he planned he did a quick search for used car lots. He kept his search for cars on the lower end of the midrange spectrum. He didn’t want flashy or luxury, he wanted reliable. He thought about the cars he restored in the past and automatically marked them off the list. He didn’t know what was known about him, but classic cars might be marked as one of his interests.
He needed something forgettable that he could keep running with a minimum of effort. To his surprise, he found a small used car lot not too far from his apartment building. “I could walk there,” he realized.
Deciding that looking at used cars seemed like a better way to spend his afternoon than trying to purchase a plastic trash can. James decided to walk over and take a look at what was available.
“I can always get the trash can later,” he decided.
James thought of what Carson would say and then decided he didn’t really care. “He can content himself with fining my job.”
Satisfied with his decision,. James made certain he had his wallet and identification on him, stepped into the exterior walk way, locked his front door and slid his keys into his pocket as he walked away.
The day was pleasant and even though the area wasn’t much to look at it had a certain sort of charm. It wasn’t an up and coming neighborhood but it was a comfortable one. He decided that was enough for him at the moment.
He didn’t race but he didn’t dawdle, walking with a causal purpose towards the small lot. When he arrived, he found that nearly every car on the lot looked as though it would suit his purpose. All were midrange and utterly forgettable. “But it is what is under the hood that matters,” he reminded himself. He was willing to drive something that looked forgettable, but he wanted something that reliably ran.
James entered the lot and looked around for milling salesmen. Seeing none he began to walk along the line of cars, looking at the available models and mentally inventorying them. They were not an inspiring lot but overall they weren’t in horrible condition. They were all freshly washed and even if a few of them had a couple of small dings and dents, nothing was broken. James made it to the end of one line and turned to begin walking over the lot looking at the next row. He was halfway down the row when he spotted something that caught his eye. He spotted something that while still in his range was a little less forgettable.
Ten til Midnight 