CHOOSE

Nobody likes Monday applies to everyone else except Jeremairel commonly known as Jerome. As we speak he stands tall and proud in his usual suspenders in the little kitchen island of his open plan apartment working on some eggs. Not cooking really, drawing faces on them. 

There are six eggs in the pack . Two for each one of us. He says he captures our moods moments before breakfast. I'll tell you mine, I HATE MONDAYS. So I'm so tired and grumpy. I would love to go back to bed and sleep until Tuesday. But I have work. We all have work. We all work at the same place. 

There is Michael, we mostly call him Mickey. He is super pissed.  He never wants to go to work on Monday. And the sketch artist himself Jerome, the guy is so excited and happy for reasons best known to him. So usually we just sit around waiting for him to be done drawing cartoons on eggs before we cook them and have breakfast .

After eons of him scrunching his brows ,sticking out his tongue and whistling in what he calls concentration, he pushes the eggs pack towards Mickey and I. 

My eyes catch his toons first. You could'nt miss the suspenders over the big ears like they are glasses and the long body with ten packs. The two toons are so excited and happy. Then I look at my toons which are always in the middle. 

My hair is a bird's nest. I have big bags under my eyes which over shadow the freckles under my eyes and on one I look like I'm drifting off to sleep and then the other I'm actually asleep. I can't say there is anything false about that. 

Mickey's toons both have steam coming out of their mouth and nose. Two lines engraved on the foreheads .A bandana just like the actual Mickey tied just above the hairline. The eyes are so big and I wonder how Jerome manages to make them actually look hard. Because trust me, those toons look angry .

I look at Mickey questioningly. 

"He played a flute  in my ear this morning !Literally blew my ear drums. " Mickey complains with a growl. 

"Oh calm down puss, puss ." Jerome says soothingly gently patting on his hair like he is actually a cat .

Mickey swats his hand away scowling even more. I laugh behind my hands to which Mickey sends a glare my way. 

"So now let's make breakfast children . It's a beautiful Monday morning. We have work in an hour. Chap! Chap! " Jerome chirps like the happy mother hen he is. 

"I swear you do this on purpose. " I mutter rubbing at my temples. 

"Do what? " Jerome asks innocently spotting an adorable gesture of blue eyes wide open and forehead slightly creased. 

If you didn't know him, you would fall for his innocent act. He's so adorable give me a minute...

"Whatever, you are making breakfast ."I order.  

He pouts. Damn! 

"Why should I? I made dinner. " He complains sticking his bottom lip out more. 

Someone pinch me to reality. Look at Mickey. Look at Mickey. Look at Mickey or you will make breakfast dammit! 

"You are literally  the only person alive in this kitchen so make breakfast. " Mickey tells him. 

His pout drops as his lips get pursed. He turns to the stove. 

"So you guys use that excuse a lot. That card expired ages ago. " He mutters mostly to himself though intends for us to hear too. 

"Thank you Jerome. " I say enthusiastically and immediately regret it because it took a lot more effort than I intended to put in on a Monday morning. 

I turn to Mickey with a slight smile only to catch him already staring at me with his soft looking pink lips slightly parted. His also blue eyes seem to be moving round swiftly  from how his eyes dart from each of my grey ones as if studying me. 

I stiffen on my stool. I lock gazes with him, my heart pounding a million times a second . Why is he looking at me like so. Okay I know why, but still... 

"You should really put a brush in that nest of yours Any. " He whispers but with his deep voice obviously didn't come out quite as planned. 

Subconsciously I run my fingers through it cringing at the many tangles in it . Oh what the hell, at work I'll have to put on a head gear anyways. So my bird nest stays. 

Soon as breakfast is done and we clear all of it, Mickey and I rush to our respective apartments both sides of Jerome to get ready for work. The boys only ever need ten minutes or less . Because as soon as they are done, the neighborhood is filled with honking. I never understand their impatience. 

Guys must always just know , us girls need our sweet time to get ready. For my case, deciding what to wear takes eighty percent of my grooming time. I could put on and strip off of like  eight outfits before deciding. It doesn't help when you have a lot of clothes like I do . But I always come out looking like someone straight out of a house and not a cave so all worth it. 

Then there is make up which I wear just a little nature one and I'm good to go. I find both boys leaning against my car and I don't wonder why there was no honking.  I'm not saying it's a trend lately. But it's not like it's not... I mean, I know it's mid month and our little wages could never go up until now but why do I have to use my gas when theirs is saved. 

I fold my denim jacket wearing hands over my chest and glare at them. They both ignore me. 

"That new sushi bar downtown sounds interesting. I heard rumors they have offers on Mondays maybe we should check it out. " Mickey says slapping Jerome's back. 

Jerome slaps his back too and laughs out loud. 

"That game on Saturday was very hillarous. Who knew European soccer games were that interesting! "Jerome muses. 

If you are thinking they suck at looking like they were in a conversation before I came, think again. They are ignoring me and they want me to know they are. They in fact want me to know we are carpooling in mine and that is not up for discussion. 

I grudgingly walk to my little white Nissan and get in. They follow shortly and I drive us to work. I just want to get this day over with. But that seems like wishful thinking considering the place we work at, it's the busiest day. 

We work at a factory. We make soaps. So we are soap makers. If you think we are the people in business suits doing paper work in offices ,you are wrong. We are the people who wear yellow aprons and walk up and down, around, besides and close to machines checking their work. 

Today is a visiting day . Where people, especially kids go around watching the making of soaps. Some saying how they would love to come working with us. Oh thank God I'm not a kid !

I had hoped to be an engineer when I grew up and now I work for a chemical engineer. All in the same line of duty but different pay cuts. I guess what I'm saying is that it's not bad to dream big. Okay, seriously I don't know what I'm saying. 

Can't blame me too. This day is usually stressful because the big bosses are always all over our hair. I can't wait for four o'clock to leave when it's just now we're checking in at the security office. 

Then armed with yellow aprons and head gear then the work key cards around our necks , TANYA , MICHAEL and JEREMAIREL  written on top of the left pockets of our respective aprons, we are ready to tackle Monday. 

"We have literally everything except the right attitude for work. " Pause and silence for a few seconds as we all stare at the building ahead of us, " I was talking about you and I, Any ." Mickey finishes with a sigh.