The Falling Man

I lazily pushed the shopping cart down the aisle, glancing over the different cereals shelved.

The day had dragged on so slowly, the way it usually had. People minded their own business; I browsed the want-ads in hopes of finding a new job. One that didn’t involve a 49-year-old man with a receding hair line and a taste for single mothers approximately half his age.

Lucky for me, the my oh-so fabulous job did have these things. And I loved how the dick showed how he only thought with his dick every single day.

But, today, when he was trying to hit on me, yet again, I simply stood up and left his office. When he called me back in, saying professionally how if I left our meeting, then he would take it as a resignation, I simply smiled at him, grabbed my bag, and told him to fucking take it like a man.

Now, with him off my back, all I had to do was worry about getting a job with income as decent as that one.

I picked up a box of cereal, glancing at the nutrition content, then carelessly threw it into the cart. Katrina was luckily not a picky eater, so I didn’t have to worry much about finding good foods for her. If I set it in front of her, she’d eat it. I loved her for that.

I checked my watch; it was only 2:30, which left me a good two and a half hours to relax before I had to pick Kat up. It felt weird having this free time suddenly on my hands.

I pushed my cart into a check out lane, the pubescent teenager at the cash register grimacing at the fact he had to do something. I just gave him a warm yet slightly false smile then the $32.60 I owed him.

I headed out into the early fall weather, a slightly cool breeze catching the sleeve of my jacket. I hurried down the sidewalk, hands and arms filled with groceries, trying to press my way through tourists and people hurrying back from lunch break.

I looked over the river of people, the parking garage just barely in sight, when I collided into someone.

I let out a loud groan, causing a few passer-by’s to glance at me, and bent over, trying to pick up the fallen bags. I reached to grab a box of cereal when a hand grabbed it before me.

“Here. Let me help you.”

“It’s OK-” I looked at the man, who was bent over as well, picking up some of the fruits that had rolled out of the bag.

“You’re never going to get them all back if I don’t,” he simply put, grabbing a few of the oranges.

He smiled at me crookedly, his eyes intense behind thick lenses, and for a moment I swore I had met him before.

And by the way he was looking at me, I could tell he did too.

“Ana?”

He stood up, picking up the rest of the bags.

I furrowed my brows, trying to recall where I knew this guy from. Tall, messy brown hair...

“Mikey!” I cried, covering my hand with my mouth in realization, “What on earth are you doing here?”

“Obviously saving your fruit from homeless men,” he rolled his eyes, then smiled at me. He was the same sarcastic Mikey.

“Oh my God,” I just stared at him in awe, sincerely shocked to see him, “I can’t believe it’s you.”

“Neither can I,” he blushed slightly, moving over to the side of the sidewalk, out of people’s way. I mimicked him, juggling the bags as I leaned against the wall.

“What are you doing here?”

“I just had lunch with Gerard and a few of his buddies from work,” he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, causing me to smile. I still couldn’t get over the irony of me meeting him here.

“Oh, really?”

He nodded, “Yeah, they were telling me about how they’re taking ‘The Breakfast Monkey’ to Cartoon Network, and they’re getting their final decision this afternoon.”

My eyes widened, “Are you serious? That’s great news!”

“Yeah,” he grinned, “Gerard’s really excited about it. Are you taking those somewhere?”

He pointed at the bags that I was still struggling with.

“Yeah, to my car...”

“Here,” he grabbed a few from my arms, immediately relieving the load, “Let me help you.”

“Mikey, you don’t-”

“I want to, Ana. Lead the way. So, what have you been up to?”

“Not a ton,” I lied through my teeth, “Just working and stuff. Relaxing.”

“Really? Where do you work now?”

I dug my keys out from my pocket, and unlocked the trunk. It popped open and I maneuvered one hand to lifting it fully, then sliding a few bags in.

“I actually just quit. I was a secretary at this law firm.”

He handed me a few of the other bags and I strategically placed them, “Why’d you quit?”

I shrugged my shoulders, slamming the trunk shut, then leaning against it, “It was too boring. Just mind-numbing work for this perverted dick every single day. I didn’t want to deal with it anymore.”

He nodded, leaning against the trunk beside me. I shifted nervously from one foot to the other, staring down at my Converse. I had changed into them right after I quit. They were so much more comfortable than heels.

“Gerard still talks about you, you know,” He looked at me intently, watching my face for any change in expression, as if trying to detect exactly what I was thinking.

I kept my eyes on the ground, moving some loose gravel around, “He does? It was so long ago...”

He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. He really cared about you. He still does.”

I let out a soft sigh, checking my watch. It was nearly 3:30, and I had to pick up Katrina in an hour.

“I have to go, Mikey. It was nice seeing you again.”

He smiled softly, but still looked a bit disappointed.

“Do you think you could do me a favor?”

“Sure, what?”

He pulled a pen miraculously out of his pocket along with an old receipt, and scribbled something on the back.

“I want you to call Gerard. This is his cell phone number now, he switched services.”

“Mikey, I don’t know-”

“Ana, you miss him.” He took my hand and placed the paper in it, then folded my hand again, “I can tell. Call him. It won’t hurt.”

I shook my head, staring at the number. 913-3421.

“I can’t. He has his own life now. We’ve grown apart.”

“Just think about it, OK?”

His dark eyes pleaded with me, asking to just give it a chance.

I let out another sigh, shoving the paper into my pocket, “Fine, fine. I’ll think about it. It might happen. No guarantees, though.”

He gave me a broad grin and pulled me into a warm hug, “Thanks, Ana.”

“No problem.”

I watched him walk away from my rear view mirror.

He had grown up so much it seemed within the past couple of years.

I wondered if I had at all.