Glancing at the digital clock on the desk, which read, 12:37 AM, only made him more aware of how tired he was. It has been over 36 hours since he caught a wink. He should not have accepted this design deal in the first place. Even though they were offering a hefty sum, it was short notice with a deadline. His body ached. Every muscle in his body was crying. His legs felt stiff, from lack of stretching and not having had a walk, they were leaden. His shoulders and back were sore adding to the radiating pain in his neck and arm. The faster he completed the project, the better but he was too weary to think. They do not appreciate the efforts one has to make in accomplishing these creative projects. With or without money, the stress was beginning to take a toll on his health. Sluggishly he stood up and reached high with his arms stretched out and moved the chair back. He made his way to the kitchen quietly and turned on the light which blinked twice before it lit up the room. Reluctantly he filled water in the kettle, lighted the stove, and placed the kettle on top. His mind was preoccupied with what would best fit the description for the last design. It had to be unique and effective, with a powerful message. Creativity along with appeal and salability is a challenging function. The kettle started to whistle, he turned off the stove, added a teabag to his cup, and poured the hot water in. He walked to the balcony with the teacup in hand. It was a pleasant night after two days of continuous showers, the sky seemed to have cleared up and the moon shone brightly in the star-studded sky. He reached for the cigarette case and lighter he stashed away in the crevice in the wall, set the teacup on the ledge, and lit a cigarette.
He had been trying to quit smoking for a while now. Keeping the cigarettes out of sight was one of the strategies he was resorting to. Out of sight, out of mind, he aimed to believe, with little success. The balcony faced an empty piece of land filled with bushes, wild weeds, and tall grass. Beyond that was a tiny road which moved along the river all the way to the bay. He liked to walk along the river ordinarily whenever he needed to collect his thoughts. He had a sudden urge to do so now but not tonight. There was work awaiting. He finished his tea, took one last puff of the cigarette, and disposed of it in the ashtray.
While turning to go back inside, his eyes fell on something move in the dark. There were no streetlights under his balcony or in the empty land. The only source of light apart from the moonlight was the streetlamp along the narrow road along the river, making it difficult to see clearly. He tried adjusting to the darkness and focused back to where he saw movement before. As he stared, two shadowy shapes formed into view. They were of a man and a woman. His initial reaction was to raise his voice imagining the woman being molested but he heard soft giggles and held his tongue. It was a secret rendezvous at midnight of two lovers. He felt all at once uncomfortable and embarrassed for being intrusive on someone's privacy. He wanted to retreat into the house but his legs did not comply. His interest roused, a perverse eagerness lingered in him. He remained fixed concentrating focus on the two oblivious silhouettes. In the moonlight, a pearly rounded sensuality popped out of the dark dress and the man was groping fondly. A warm excitement spread all over him and momentarily he forgot his body pains, his exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and time. He rushed to his desk, the digital clock showed 1:17 AM. By 2:00 AM he was ready to fall asleep with a contented smile on his face. The next morning, the person from the Pink Ribbon Society for breast cancer awareness came to pick up the designs. He was positively impressed with the designs, especially the last one.
"SAVE A LIFE! GROPE YOUR WIFE!"
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