Bradley
At 5:05 the old school brass alarm clock let out its shrill cry. Bradley, waking with a jolt, reached out a large hand and slammed down on the tiny hammer, stopping it. Without opening his eyes he lifted his hand from the off switch and moved it over to the large round power button on his stereo and turned it on. Rock music blared through the surround sound speakers, making it impossible to want to go back to sleep.
“I’m up,” Bradley mumbled to himself, throwing the covers over him. It was a loud start to his day, sure, but it always put him in a good mood. After a quick shower and an even quicker decision on his suit, he had his shoulder length golden blonde smoothed and parted, pearly white teeth brushed, and his bright blue eyes glittering with excitement over the percolating coffee pot.
Coffee. He needed it like he needed the blood in his veins. Maybe even more so. He drank it black and strong, much to the chagrin of his co-workers who preferred a more medium blend. So, to make it easier on them, he started bringing his own in a large black carafe. With his briefcase in one hand, his carafe in the other, and an uncut, untoasted, and unshmeared bagel in his mouth, Bradley made his way outside of his small one story house to his car. He smiled around the bagel as he looked on proudly at his new 2015 Honda Civic. It was bright red, full of beautiful edges and curves to make it look speedy, and best of all, and it was fuel-efficient.
After divorcing his wife nearly five years ago, she had left only after destroying his credit and taking all of his savings. It had taken him several years before he could get his credit score back up to par, but he had done it. Now, after working nearly four years at RushIt, and being meticulous with his purchases, he was finally able to trade in his old beat up Subaru and get his new baby.
Bradley ate the bagel as made his fifteen minute drive to work, slowly chewing on it one giant bite at a time. As he stopped at the final light before his office building he happened to glance over to the right as his mouth was at its fullest. There, looking right back at him, was a carful of co-workers. Rachel, Bella, and Isabella were all staring at him, wide-eyed and laughing as he was caught trying to munch down on the massive bite.
“He looked so helpless.”
Bradley could hear Rachel laughing and telling the other women in the office as he walked in just a few minutes later. Just as he thought, he had found them all, along with his friends Tristan and Amun, gathered in the break room to gossip. He took a deep breath, and strode right in.
“In my defense,” he said, heading for the coffee cups. “I was actually eating a healthy breakfast.” He turned his head and made a point of glancing up and down Rachel’s tall, thin figure. “Maybe you should try it some time. I hear that people aren’t so angry when they’re not hungry.”
Tristan, Bella, Amun, and Isabella all choked down their laughter as the usual slinging of the insults began. This happened, it seemed, every day. Bradley would jostle Rachel, or she would jostle him, then they’d spend the rest of the day trying to embarrass one another.
Rachel huffed as she flipped her long, curly brown hair over her left shoulder, trying to think of a come back. She smiled wickedly, and lifted a dark, well- shaped eyebrow.
“Well honey, you eat enough for the both of us now, don’t you?”
Bradley laughed this time, more than the others. He was often confused with being on the doughy side. He shrugged out of his suit jacket, rolled up his white sleeve, and made an impressive muscle with his left bicep. The other women stopped laughing, and instead ogled in amusement at the impressive show of muscle. They had always pictured Bradley the introvert of the group. As the design/marketing manager of the office, and the only member of his team, he was often left to do his work alone in his office, interfacing with people only through the Internet.
He was a pleasant man, and talked to people regularly when he saw them in the break room. For the most part though, most had never seen him do something as simple as remove his jacket to reveal the thick layer of muscle that was now easily seen beneath the shirt. Smiling, he rolled his sleeve back down as he basked in the silence of what was supposed to be Rachel’s comeback.
“I have to get to work now,” he said, smiling. He reached down and grabbed his cup of strong, black coffee. “You guys have an excellent day.” Bradley winked at Rachel as he walked past her, happy to have once again won the Battle of Slurs.