The Perfect Day

This story is by Izzy Ramos and was part of our 2020 Fall Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

The Perfect Day

 I stare at these walls as if they would give me a sign that all is not lost. It’s almost like I’m expecting these walls to help me understand why the world started plummeting into this abyss of problems. Just for one day, I wish that I was boundless. I wish that the problems of today and my negative thoughts would just stop pacing around my room. For one day can I just wake up and it all be over!

It doesn’t matter, this cycle of pain and anxiousness is not new. I should just try to ignore it and pretend it is not there, lurking behind me like a lion in the tall African grass just waiting for its next meal. I will just crawl into my warm bed and try to push the thoughts out so I can finally be at peace in these sheets. So I can get some rest.

My eyes flutter open. I take in a giant breath of fresh air, but when I exhale I realize something is different. I can smell sweet pancakes, with fresh maple syrup. Then I notice the sun is shining brighter than normal, flooding my room with its golden glow. I begin to smile a real smile, the first one in months. Beginning to feel excitement electrocute my soul,l spring out of bed to rush downstairs.

There, sitting on my dusty counter are two fluffy pancakes still hot, as if they were just made. But by who? I stagger around my torn furniture and plop myself down to gobble up these pancakes! After a gulp of milk, I run outside to see the glistening sun as it rises and fills the sky. For some reason I am still unfamiliar with, the sky is clearer as if hundreds of years of pollution never even happened.

I quickly run inside and strip off my PJs. Without even brushing my hair or teeth I bolt to my dented car which is just sitting in my driveway awaiting the day that I will be willing to using it, and not just forcing myself to use it, like every morning for work. I jump in though when I went for my mask it had somehow disappeared from its usual spot on the dash. Normally I would give up and go back inside and just pray my boss would give me a sick day but today was different. Today was better. So I worked up the courage and knocked upon my neighbor’s door to see if she had an extra disposable mask. She quickly opened the door.

“Hello Jackie, I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

“Today is an extraordinary day, Mrs. Sindy. I was wondering if you had an extra disposable mask?”

“Um… Jackie, what is that?”

“A mask, for COVID-19.”

“Sorry, honey, I don’t know what that is! Have a nice day!”

What? Is she serious, is COVID-19 really over or did it just never exist! Is this a dream? Whatever the answer is I need to go. Work starts in twenty minutes and it takes twenty-five minutes to get there. I better get a move on.

I pull up and there is one parking spot in the very front of the coffee shop as if it was saved just for me. I am so excited for work to be over because I signed up to be in a rally this afternoon and with everything going my way today I feel that I will have way more energy to put into the rally today.

Before walking into work I prepare myself for my dreadful boss, Mr. Aaron. He doesn’t care about anything but himself. Two months ago my grandfather passed. I was very sad that entire week and he didn’t give me one day off the entire week. He even took away all my tips and made me work an hour past my usual shift! Just because I was a little sad.

I walk in, and right before me was a batch of peanut butter cookies with a label saying ”To: Jackie, From: Mr. Aaron” Astonished, I stopped and started. Not believing what was right before my two eyes. Then as I looked up Mr. Aron started talking to me in a pleasant tone. He said,

“Good Morning Jackie, do you like the cookies?”

“ Yes, Mr. Aaron, they look very nice.”

“Well I hope they do, they took me all night to bake.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I can’t believe what he just said. That is so unlike him. I guess this wonderful day continues even at work. Still amazed by what just happened I put on my apron and get to work. As the workday continued I had no nasty, or rude customers. They were all very nice. It was a great change of pace from the usual upset customers. My workday was almost over so I decided to make some conversation with Mr. Aaron. I asked,

“Hey, are you going to be participating in the rally tonight at five o’clock?”

“ Well… Jackie, didn’t you hear that all the problems were solved, no more rioting?”

“ No, that’s amazing!”

“Yes, it really is!”

“ See you soon Mr. Aaron, my shift is over.”

“OK, Jackie see you tomorrow.”

I can’t believe what I just heard. That massive rallies have stopped. Major conflicts have been resolved. How did this even happen, and how did it stop just overnight? However, it did I just hope this theme of no issues continues at least for the rest of today.

Before I drive home I might as well use this extra time to walk around this gorgeous diverse city for a while. As I stroll down these paved streets I reflect on my day. I think about how it was compared to every other day. I think about how so many people just like me are confined by their problems, big or little, personnel or not.

My stroll around the city was almost over when I saw my favorite smoothie place. The smoothie place that was only back home in California. I had missed it so much when I went to college. After not being home for six years, seeing this smoothie place gave me a burst of emotions. It was the closest thing to home. Though I wonder how it was here. I thought there was only one place I could see this sight was home. No matter the logic behind what was happening I raced inside and ordered my favorite smoothie the “ Smooth Strawberry Burst”. After I received the drink I slurped it down. That bottomless feeling of missing home was gone.

As I got back in my car I felt grateful that today I am boundless. The problems of the world that I know and that confined me to four walls I call home. Suddenly vanished into thin air. I don’t know what I will do the rest of this wonderful day or what I will do the rest of this amazing life I have been given but, I will make it count. I hope that each day I can help to make everybody’s day a little bit like this one. I hope I can help others become boundless.