Down Time
Sam walked into his bedroom, straight away making a bee-line to turn on his laptop. Crossing the room to collect some CDs, he saw that his cat, Buffy, had indeed made herself comfortable on his bed, curled into a ball with her head resting on one of the spare pillows he kept mostly for her. She was jet black, sleek and had the slight puffiness of an animal that is spoilt without being fat. And Sam was extremely fond of her.
‘Hey, girl’, Sam cooed, sitting himself next to her and beginning to scratch her behind the ears. ‘Taking over the bed as usual, aren’t you?’
Buffy looked up at Sam with blinking eyes, turned her head into his palm slightly then resumed her dozing. Sam gave her one long stroke down her back then made his way over the CD rack to pick a selection for the night. Seeing as it was now the weekend, and he actually had a weekend off work which was a rarity, he tried to make his playlist somewhat upbeat. After much scanning and deliberation, which was the norm, he picked out albums by Jack’s Mannequin, Jimmy Eat World and The Flaming Lips, setting them on the desk and inserting the Jimmy Eat World disc into his laptop’s CD tray. Just as he was about to hit play, he remembered his plans to call Mitch to arrange something for the weekend. Mitchell Lewis had been Sam’s best friend since Year 7, and now, after the falling away of other high school friends who simply turned out to be acquaintances of circumstance, was Sam’s only real remaining friend. He and Mitch were on the same wavelength, and both felt more comfortable and definitely a little less lonely when with the other. Sam grabbed his mobile phone, dialled Mitch’s number from the recent calls list and flopped down on the bed again next to Buffy. Mitch answered after a couple of rings.
‘Sammy, what’s up?’
‘Nothing much man, what’s happening?’
‘Eh, nothing. I’m in the middle of reading that Scott Pilgrim comic you leant me.’
‘Yeah, what do you think so far?’
‘It’s some pretty good shit, the movie should be pretty sweet when it comes out.’
‘Yeah, I reckon.’
‘What are you up to?’
‘Ah, nothing much, was gonna chuck on some music, go online.’
‘Cool, cool.’
‘Hey, you wanna do something on the weekend? I don’t have work.’
‘Sure thing. What’s the plan?’
‘Umm…shit. Is there anything on at the movies?’
‘Don’t think so, nothing good started this week. You got any new DVDs?’
‘Nah dude, I’ve been pretty broke lately.’
‘Shit. Well, it’s my little sister’s birthday party tomorrow, so we can’t really just hang at my place.’
‘Or mine either, my mum will be vacuuming the whole house or something like that. Let’s just go into the city and look around, when we come back at night they’ll be gone to uncle Rob’s.’
‘Cool. Meet you at the station at what, 12?’
‘Yeah, sounds good. See you then.’
‘Later.’
Sam hung up and placed his phone back onto the desk, hitting play on the music player window on the computer screen and placing his headphones over his ears. He lay down on the bed, letting out a lengthy exhale and shutting his eyes. The music was loud, blocking out all other sounds. Sam was completely still, simply letting his body breathe and function without thought, trying to let any stress or worries float away. A drumbeat cracked and pulsed. Sam forgot Corey, his social life, his car. Bass thrummed like an irregular heartbeat. Sam forgot how much he missed his sister, her advice, her company. Guitars blared. Sam forgot Trevor, Carl, Tracey, the Bargain Barn. But there was something the music wasn’t drowning out, something in Sam’s head that would somehow occasionally rise above the cacophony. But it was so unconscious that Sam didn’t realise it was there, or even what it was. It would be days later, when he finally saw her again, until he realised what it was: the soft, jovial laugh of the new girl.
‘Hey, girl’, Sam cooed, sitting himself next to her and beginning to scratch her behind the ears. ‘Taking over the bed as usual, aren’t you?’
Buffy looked up at Sam with blinking eyes, turned her head into his palm slightly then resumed her dozing. Sam gave her one long stroke down her back then made his way over the CD rack to pick a selection for the night. Seeing as it was now the weekend, and he actually had a weekend off work which was a rarity, he tried to make his playlist somewhat upbeat. After much scanning and deliberation, which was the norm, he picked out albums by Jack’s Mannequin, Jimmy Eat World and The Flaming Lips, setting them on the desk and inserting the Jimmy Eat World disc into his laptop’s CD tray. Just as he was about to hit play, he remembered his plans to call Mitch to arrange something for the weekend. Mitchell Lewis had been Sam’s best friend since Year 7, and now, after the falling away of other high school friends who simply turned out to be acquaintances of circumstance, was Sam’s only real remaining friend. He and Mitch were on the same wavelength, and both felt more comfortable and definitely a little less lonely when with the other. Sam grabbed his mobile phone, dialled Mitch’s number from the recent calls list and flopped down on the bed again next to Buffy. Mitch answered after a couple of rings.
‘Sammy, what’s up?’
‘Nothing much man, what’s happening?’
‘Eh, nothing. I’m in the middle of reading that Scott Pilgrim comic you leant me.’
‘Yeah, what do you think so far?’
‘It’s some pretty good shit, the movie should be pretty sweet when it comes out.’
‘Yeah, I reckon.’
‘What are you up to?’
‘Ah, nothing much, was gonna chuck on some music, go online.’
‘Cool, cool.’
‘Hey, you wanna do something on the weekend? I don’t have work.’
‘Sure thing. What’s the plan?’
‘Umm…shit. Is there anything on at the movies?’
‘Don’t think so, nothing good started this week. You got any new DVDs?’
‘Nah dude, I’ve been pretty broke lately.’
‘Shit. Well, it’s my little sister’s birthday party tomorrow, so we can’t really just hang at my place.’
‘Or mine either, my mum will be vacuuming the whole house or something like that. Let’s just go into the city and look around, when we come back at night they’ll be gone to uncle Rob’s.’
‘Cool. Meet you at the station at what, 12?’
‘Yeah, sounds good. See you then.’
‘Later.’
Sam hung up and placed his phone back onto the desk, hitting play on the music player window on the computer screen and placing his headphones over his ears. He lay down on the bed, letting out a lengthy exhale and shutting his eyes. The music was loud, blocking out all other sounds. Sam was completely still, simply letting his body breathe and function without thought, trying to let any stress or worries float away. A drumbeat cracked and pulsed. Sam forgot Corey, his social life, his car. Bass thrummed like an irregular heartbeat. Sam forgot how much he missed his sister, her advice, her company. Guitars blared. Sam forgot Trevor, Carl, Tracey, the Bargain Barn. But there was something the music wasn’t drowning out, something in Sam’s head that would somehow occasionally rise above the cacophony. But it was so unconscious that Sam didn’t realise it was there, or even what it was. It would be days later, when he finally saw her again, until he realised what it was: the soft, jovial laugh of the new girl.
