Morning all. Ready to start your Wednesday with a new writing prompt? I know I could use a good gray matter clear out. So timers set and off we go to see where this sentence takes us.
I suspect this is going to go into a new apartment search and finding out something strange about his neighbors, either the ones at his old place or the new one. Haven’t decided yet. In the back of my brain I kept thinking of Rear Window as I was writing this.
Wednesday, April 22nd: His assistance was grudgingly given.
His assistance was grudgingly given. I had the feeling if he could have withheld the file he would have. As it was he sighed heavily at the request. He took the slip, looked it over as though pondering each and every syllable. He checked the authorization code. He then walked over to the computer and typed in the code making sure to matched and wasn’t something I made up.
It was not an uncommon response. At first I thought it was me that he simply didn’t like, that there wa something about me that bothers him. I found out later that only the senior staff received anything but slow and annoyed information retrieval. Most of those above my pay grade sent those like me down to the file room so that they didn’t have to deal with him.
There was no rushing him and I knew from experience that if I looked as though I was trying to rush him, he would move slower. It was how I knew that the slow and deliberate pace were intentional. As I watched him double check my approval for the file and then begin the slow turn and shuffle off into the stacks I suspected it was his one power move.
It didn’t matter that he was just the person getting the files from the back. It didn’t matter how much power and respect those who worked in the office above had. It didn’t matter that he was an overlooked cog in the company machinery. Everything stopped and waited for him to do his job and he was going to do it in his own time. The more visibly powerful could wait.
In a way I admired him for taking power where he could.
Unlike most of my colleagues, I didn’t have a problem waiting. I had done far worse for far less pay off in my time. Waiting for a file gave me a mental break if nothing else. It allowed me to think about other things as I waited. And at the moment, there was a lot to think about. Lately home was not the refuge it had once been. My neighbors, once nice polite and above all quiet, had changed out. It was a rather frequent change as most stayed in my building only a few years before moving on.
The rent was cheap and it was located on the far side of the residential district. It took a long commute on the train to get to any of the office or industrial zones where everyone worked. Most saved up until they could afford to move someplace closer. I intended to do the same putting most of my pay into savings. I just never got around to moving out. The other places closer in were all larger and somehow felt like too much space. I was happy with my smaller space. It was less to keep clean and less to worry over. Since most of my activities outside of work were either solo requiring no people or additional space or were conducted outside of my apartment, I felt fine with the smaller space.
However the neighborhood seemed to be turning. My neighbors were getting rougher around the edges. I didn’t mind the roughness but the noise was increasing. When I went home I liked to pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. My previous neighbors all seemed to feel the same. This set seemed to feel that once their work day was done they needed to make as much noise as possible.
It was getting too much for me. As the file was finally handed over with a heavy sigh showing how much work went into retrieving it, I decided that it was time I looked for a new place.
Ten til Midnight 