Getting his way

Chapter 4

Here, to his dismay, he found the parking lot attendant in the middle of writing a parking ticket. "Hey, man.." he started, but the man just smacked it onto the windshield with displaced attitude. Seldom had Chris seen such a little amount of power go so much to someone's head. "Students only parking. It even says on the sign. Man." the man said while scoffing. "Just because you drive an expensive car means you can circumvent the rules." Chris closed his eyes for a second, while counting back from 10. Blocking out the thought of his poor windshield getting accosted for the second time that day, he finally opened his eyes. "Yeah, you're right, you're right. You have a nice day, yeah?" he said, trying to muster up a smile as he unlocked his car and grabbed the ticket, getting in as he studied the numbers.  

The amount seemed absolutely laughable to him, but everything about the ticket started to piss him off. The handwriting, the way the guy hadn't written a line through the 7, just... everything. He tried to summon Kate's voice, the way she'd usually calm him down, but it was clouded in a day of bullshit and fuckheads, and however much he tried, he just couldn't hear her. He punched his thigh a single, painful time, instantly clearing his head enough for him to pull out of his parking spot. As he cruised through the parking lot, he spotted that stupid man in his stupid f*****g HI-VIS vest just walking with that stupid f*****g note block in his hand. Chris, speeding up his car, suddenly got a flashback to one of his first, well, dates with Kate.

"Chris, I understand that your... your job sometimes needs you to do it. But please, please remember - ordinary people... Babe, those people have a family. You can't just go killing indiscriminately." She'd almost cried when she tried to explain her view of life. He remembered feeling his conscience for the first time in years, just then. Until then, he'd seen himself almost as a god, others' life completely at his disposal.  

He didn't remember what he'd responded.  Hell, he didn't remember if he'd responded. But he did remember that it had been a turning point. As he zapped back to reality, he narrowly changed directions of the car, making sure he didn't hit the man. His knuckles white from straining around the steering wheel, he pulled into a parking lot a few blocks away. Today was really getting to him. The worst part of it, maybe, was how much he smelled of f*****g milk. The stench had almost become unbearable at this point. "Sorry, honey." he muttered as he lit a cigarette, knowing how she hated how the car would stink, even with the windows down like now. A 10-minute drive, which he completed in 5, later, he arrived home, but he didn't get in just yet. 

As he rolled the cigarette from finger to finger, he thought about how boring it all had gotten. He missed doing more fun things, missed just being able to move at a seconds notice. Stretching his neck, he got some nice-sounding pops out of it before leaning against the steering wheel, watching the smoke rise. I can't just ask her to give up all her dreams. Not again. he thought while closing his eyes. Her hopes and dreams, against his dumb tendency to not sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time? Sighing, he sat back up, before putting out the cigarette against the outside of the car door. As he got out, he rummaged around for his package of cigarettes, and realized he had never given her the snacks. One hell of a day, he thought as he clicked his tongue. Looking down at his phone, he sent her a quick text. 

C: //Want to go out tonight?//

 After he opened the door, threw his clothes on the floor the second he got in, and threw himself headfirst into bed.