PROSE
BLACK CLOUD by wraith I looked up at the sky as large droplets of rain beating down on the sidewalk. The sky was a gloomy gray. Great. The forecast hadn’t said anything about rain, yet here it was. I trudged my way to the bus stop and sat on the bench, my already messy hair now damp. After waiting for 15 minutes, my bus arrived, late as it always was. “Good morning Katherine!” John greeted, perpetually cheerful. I mumbled a reply, hoping it sounded genuine, and moved to my usual seat. The stench of gasoline and smoke hung in the air, and as I sat down, I could feel some sort of hardened gum left behind on the seat. Good morning indeed. Out the window was the same boring old route that we passed everyday, with the old gas station and the grocery store. I felt my eyes droop but I stayed upright, forcing my body to function on the measly four hours of sleep I’d gotten last night. The bus arrived at my stop and jerked to a stop. I got off and started walking to the enormous office building that I had started working at just last week, thinking of the pointless day ahead. The fat drops of water were coming in full force now, and my blouse and skirt were soaked as I entered the building. As I sat down in my cubicle, Nia from the next desk slid over to me. She wouldn’t let me work in peace today, either, would she? “Hey Katherine! Where did you get that skirt? It looks absolutely
11|The penchant||MAY 2021
fabulous on you!” she exclaimed. This was the only pencil skirt that had been on sale and one could see why the store had been so eager to get rid of it. It was the only one that worked with my budget. She didn’t need to mock me about it though. “Thank you,” I said stiffly. “Now, I have a lot of work I need to get to, so if you don’t mind…” “Oh yeah, sure,” she replied with a slightly disappointed look. I felt bad, but I didn’t have time for idle chit-chat. I opened up the ancient desktop on my desk and waited for it to load. It eventually started up, and I started working on the files left for me at my desk in silence. A bathroom break. A lunch break. Another bathroom break to touch up my drugstore-bought makeup and hide the circles under my eyes. The day went on and on. I couldn’t help glancing at my watch, frustrated. Finally, at 5 PM, I shut down my computer, put the incomplete files back in their place, grabbed my purse, and headed out. I walked to my second bus stop of the day and sat down, tapping my foot against the pavement. The rain still hadn’t let up, and my clothes, which hadn’t had a chance to dry in the first place, were cold and sopping wet. The bus arrived, and I stepped in, still shivering from the cold. I expected to feel some warmth upon entering, but the bus was as
cold as a tundra. I sighed and rolled my eyes inwardly. It wasn’t like I should’ve expected anything better. “Beautiful weather we’re having!” Anna smiled at me. I gave her a nod of acknowledgement and moved on.
It wasn’t in me to remain civil anymore. I started dozing off a few times, but I managed not to fall asleep. At last we arrived at the last stop on the route. I was the only one to get off. O’Connor Children’s Hospital. I pasted a smile on my face and walked inside. “Hi Mrs. Meadows. You can go on up,” Amanda, the receptionist, said softly upon spotting me. I took the elevator up to Jamie’s floor; the children’s ward. The kids there were lying listlessly on their beds, more beds empty than there had been yesterday. I made my way to the far corner, where Jamie was listening to music from the new iPod his father and I had bought him. At the sight of me, Jamie’s face broke into a grin, and it took everything in me to keep the smile
