The Morning That Started the Chaos
Nothing about that morning felt safe.
My alarm didn’t go off. My phone was at 2%. My favorite shirt had mysteriously shrunk overnight (or so I told myself). And the sky had that “today is about to embarrass you” look.
I rushed out of the house late, holding coffee that was way too hot and optimism that was way too fragile.
At work, things immediately went left.
The printer jammed. A customer asked for a refund on food they had already eaten. Someone microwaved fish. And then—right when I thought the universe had finished warming up—it happened.
A stranger walked in.
Hood up. Sunglasses on. Walking with purpose.
The room went quiet.
My brain said: This is fine.
My instincts said: No, it is not.
Before I could even react, they marched straight past the counter and into the back like they owned the place.
I followed.
Big mistake.
The door slammed. Papers flew. I shouted something heroic but unintelligible. The stranger turned around—
—and it was my boss.
In sweatpants.
Unbrushed hair.
Holding paperwork.
We stared at each other in silence.
Somewhere in the distance, someone whispered,
“Are we being robbed?”
And that’s when I knew… this day was far from over.