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Letting go of the counter with a deep breath, he steps back to look at himself. He did this every morning, everyday even on the weekends. He couldn’t afford not to stay ahead of the game. He always had to be aware of the act, the part he played for every second he was awake. He was a different person with a different life. So much pain and agony in his old way of life. Behind his eyelids played the memories that haunted his every minute.
He hadn’t been given a choice originally. He’d been ushered out the door with an ultimatum with a promise of protection. Anonymity at it’s best, but he had never wanted it. Everyday with every minute he breathed he longed for his old life. He missed the feel of the chase, the smell of ammo, and he definitely missed his Armani suits. In the here and now, it was always too hot to go about in all those old layers.
Such a drastic difference in his life. He had been split straight down the middle in regards to almost everything. With all of his being, he had to be different. Different walk, talk, look, and act. His whole life now revolved around boredom. In life, in work, in everything it was all so boring.
Deep breaths allowed him to come back to himself. In the time ha had been reminiscing only moments had passed. He looks to the clock on the counter; it was 6am he had to get going. It took 40 mins to get to the school and he hated being late. Even his punctuality had changed. Always on time, that was him nowadays. He was like a good watch that way, but still no matter how he looked at, he and his life was boring. He finishes getting dressed, pulling his socks on and grabbing a clean polo shirt off the hook by the sink. All so boring he thinks to himself with a sigh.
Looking in the mirror one last time he breathes out. He says his name aloud “Mr. Alexander James Stowe.” But in his head he quietly repeats “my name is Tony.” As he walks away, he shakes himself, grabbing his keys he heads out into the balmy Miami morning.
...............
Alex wiped at his bangs. He had begun to sweat in just the few minutes he had been in his car on the freeway. It was the same old thing everyday; the traffic in Miami was always wretched. He swears as he sees someone swerve in front of him. Barely room to move in this jam and some idiot was pretending to be evil knevil, “Damn it!”
He lets out a breath as the traffic moves a little more. Finally, his exit was coming up but as he turned the wheel to merge over that same car sped past him. He pounds the wheel but then stops as he sees the car swerving into the burn lane. He can’t even blink as the side opens and a body falls out. He speeds up trying to get the license on the speeding car but even as he squints, he notices there’s no plates. But he takes note of the make and model as it pushes forward through traffic. Looking around he notices that no one else saw the actions of the speedy driver. “Shit, I better call the cops and then the school…shit shit shit.”
He pulls up to the burn lane and puts the car in park. He just rests his forehead on the steering wheel for a moment; he has to breathe a little. He can never get away from it seems. Crime follows him everywhere. He pulls his cell out of the faded khakis that seem to be sticking to him on this hot and now horrible day. He doesn’t leave the car, he can’t, “damn it,” he won’t. He calls 911 and reports it as he saw it, slowly and succinctly he details it all out. Not even realizing how it would sound to the PD, it would sound like he was a cop, going by pure rote and instinct. He hangs up and settles in to wait.
He looks around and with a smirk realizes that traffic had finally died down. Oh, well nothing to do about it. He hunches down and prepares himself to call the principal. She would not be pleased. The lady barely tolerated him most days, if only he could revert back to the good ole’ days where he could charm the pants off even the most geriatric has been. “Thank god I don’t have much planned for today, no tests and an easy substitute teacher,” the kids will be in heaven, me not so much. He flinches when the barrage of elevator music shows him being on hold.
Only a few moments later he explains the situation, begging off the reprimand until later and realizes just how hot he really was. Sitting in the car in this kind of heat was not his greatest idea ever. But he stays, he doesn’t want to leave this hotbox, he can’t make himself even look towards the body. Too many memories, too much longing to be had. He laughs silently to himself; it was truly a sad day when he longed for dead bodies and all niters.
At least now, he got to have some beauty sleep. Early to bed, early to rise. God did he feel old. Everyday when he looked in the mirror as his hair dried, he saw the grey strands creeping in. He was forced everyday to see his body in such a different way of life it hurt him to even glance down at his horrid clothes and wasting body. It had only been a decade away from the cop life and he had forced himself to let it all go. The crazed routine of daily running, gym workouts and all the sparring. That was all gone now, he worked out three times a week at the local Y and it was good enough for him, or at least good enough for Alex.
“Damn it, where are the cops when you need them?” He stretches his back out as he mutters to himself. Today had totally taken him out of his stride. His routine of the last 10 years was broken and he smiles to himself as he says, “At least I’m not bored.” He perks up though as his great hearing allows him to catch the sirens coming towards him. “Ahhh better get ready to shine,” he says as he pushes the car door open. He climbs out just as the first cop car pulls up. He leans against the door and just waits. All he used to was wait but now for once in a decade he had something not quite so boring to do.
He focuses on breathing and getting himself in the old mindset he used daily all those years ago. He has to smile as he realizes that it’s as if those investigator skills never left. He smirks to himself as the old man in uniform rambles up to him and he says under his breath “This is gonna be fun.”