Looking back on it, I can’t remember why I ever took that job. I recall going into the office on a cool summer day and sitting in front of a panel of employees already working at the company. Most of them seemed to have large dark sags under their eyes and I was sure none of them wanted to be there. I sat down across from them and they fired a few generic questions off at me. I gave them the usual responses, saying how I wanted to further my career and take it to the next level. The whole process took about 45 minutes, and after a week of waiting for a call back I got offered the job. I ended up taking it, not because I was excited for it, but because I felt I needed the money and thought I would only have the job until I got back on my feet financially. After I did that, I was even hoping of starting a family and maybe even go traveling somewhere outside of the US for once. Before I knew it, though, 1 year of earning more money turned into 2, 2 years of trying to make my austere parents proud turned into 3, and the next thing you know there I was. 14 years later, still imprisoned at the same job and the same desk I had on day 1.

 Hunching over my desk and staring into the screen, I continue contemplating what to type next. I stare at the screen for a few minutes, scratching my chin and thinking. I begin to type my thoughts out, making small edits here and there while also correcting the sizeable amount of spelling errors I made throughout my writing. After finally finishing my one compact paragraph, I read over what I wrote out. Not satisfied with my writing, I make a few revisions and changes only to remain unfulfilled, so I delete everything and go back to square one. I throw my mouse down on the desk and lean back in my chair, irritated at how little progress I had made on my assignment and how much time I have spent on it. Feeling now was a good time for a break, I decided to leave my enclosure and go outside for a minute and have my lunch. I grab my lunchbox and get up and walk through the endless maze of cubicles and conference rooms to the main door. It’s enough to make anyone lose their minds.  

I step outside into the oppressive air and go and sit by the water fountain, my favorite spot to go to destress and try and find some inspiration for my work. After I sulk across the main path to the office building, I take a seat on the fountain closest to the tree line on my right so I have some protection from the obnoxious sun. I unzip my lunchbox and take out my caesar salad from the night before and I slowly pick at it as I take in my surroundings. I watch the khakis, polos, and dresses walk by, most of them dreading their return to their 9-5. I sit and watch the emotions on people's faces and in their eyes, trying to read and analyze them, hoping that it would get something going for my work. Most people, I noticed, were dragging their feet on the ground with their eyes drooping and wandering aimlessly. Across the parking lot, I see 2 people nearly walk into each other, with one of them saying something to the other in an aggressive manner, leaving the other person looking confused and taken aback at the hostility of their comment. I continue to watch and eat for a few minutes, only I take a look at my phone and realize it is 12:56, 6 minutes after my break should have ended. I bolt straight up and toss the rest of my unfinished salad back into my lunchbox and hurry back to my desk before my manager realizes I’ve been gone too long. Thankfully, I got back to my desk void of punishment and try to get my work started again, time moving slower than I ever thought possible. I eventually get something written down after countless attempts and revisions, although I felt it still wasn’t anything near what I wanted it to be. By the time I finished writing it was finally 5 o'clock, so I could finally leave my cell. I shut down my laptop, pack it up with my other papers and supplies, say goodbye to my few friends and headed home.

The dull 46-minute drive home seemed to last a lot longer than 46-minutes, but finally I pulled into my driveway. I lifted myself out of my car and headed into my house. I pull off my shoes, set my briefcase down, and go into the kitchen and start preparing dinner. Preparing and eating dinner takes about 1 ½ hours, and after eating dinner I plop on the couch and turn on the TV. As I flip to the news I start to feel myself dozing off, and not even 5 minutes later I was sound asleep on the couch. I wake up again at 11:44 and get ready for bed properly, this time brushing my teeth, putting my pajamas on, and shaving. I turned my lights off and climbed into bed, and took a minute to recall today's events and what I needed to do tomorrow. I went through my day in my head, and remembered my struggle to find some ideas or inspiration to finish my article earlier in the day, but I didn’t know why. It’s not like I wasn’t focused on my work, I thought to myself. After all, I have been working there for 14 years and have done assignments like this countless times. Not just that, but I didn’t even have much going on outside of work either, not even a family or kids, since my work schedule kept me busy most days of the week. Besides, I had plenty of time left to start a family. I tried to think about where my loss of creativity stemmed from, but unfortunately it was to no avail. Eventually my eyelids became heavier and heavier, and once again I was drifting into a deep sleep, already dreading the next day of work.