His mornings started punctually at 5:00 am. He’d get out of bed, pull on his flannel robe, fix a pot of coffee, and watch the news. The newspaper would come. The dog would bark, then, as if on schedule, the rest of the world would wake up. He could hear Amelia stirring in the next room. She would shuffle across the floor, barefoot and in her nightgown to wake the kids. “Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey”, she’d say softly as she nudged them. With this, the morning would begin. “Daddy, daddy! Look, it’s you! It’s you!” Eila yelled across the table. Thad turned to face the television. “Yes dear,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “Grab your sandwiches. Let’s go, or you’ll both be late.” Amelia packed the girls in the car, kissed Thad …show more content…
Thad and his family had recently moved to a small suburb outside of D.C., and the route from their home, to the elementary school, and then the office building took precisely 25.5 minutes. In five more minutes he would swipe in, park, then proceed to his office. On his way he would pass Senator Brown at the marble steps, then Senator Cantrell would follow him through the detection machines. Thad would then check with his secretary Sarah. Precisely at eight o’clock, his day in the office would begin. His punctuality was fixed. He never strayed, and the thought to stray never crossed his mind. Today was not one of these days though. He didn’t mean for it to happen, it just did. While he was reminiscing the youth of his daughters Thad got lost. Lost in his past, in his thoughts, missing, for just a minute. But this minute changed …show more content…
Work was just the beginning. Everyone left the floor and exited the building in unison. They started their cars, and drove away in mechanical motion, as if they were gears set in motion. Even when he arrived home, Thad noticed that all the husbands in the neighborhood arrived proceeding one another; parking, then turning off their cars in unison. Thad stood and watched as everyone got out of their cars, went into their homes and shut their doors simultaneously. The slam of the doors echoed in Thad’s ears and his mind as he consciously soaked in what was really happening. Something was wrong and somehow he had broken out of