All in a Day’s Work

He took a sip of the coffee, closed his eyes and enjoyed the rich, dark flavor. So good this morning, he thought, and the sunshine coming over the buildings onto his face as he enjoyed breakfast at the sidewalk café, so pleasant. He lifted his fork and plunged it into the eggs, anticipating their flavor. He lifted a forkful and then paused to enjoy the sight of the crowd strolling past on the sidewalk.

Morning like this were so enjoyable, so full of little pleasures to cherish, like the sight of that little boy bouncing up and down holding his mother’s hand and looking up at her face. Where were they going this morning that he was so excited? Maybe shopping, or to school.

He finished his eggs and popped a piece of bacon in his mouth. Dressed in a pair of tan shorts, a short-sleeved blue shirt with red stripes, a light brown jacket and a white golf hat, he looked like an old retired guy enjoying his morning, but then he was almost fifty, and close to retirement at that. How he wished he was, that he could just close his eyes and listen to the sounds of the city, feel the son’s warmth on his face and fall asleep, take a nice little nap.

He did close his eyes and listen for a few minutes to the roll of tires on the street, the steady babble of the other diners and the people on the sidewalk, the occasional honk of a horn…

He heard the soft, lilting voice of a little girl, and he looked to see a woman and her daughter. The little girl saw him and frowned. He smiled his best smile at her, and she looked uncertain then smiled back tentatively. What a pretty little girl, with brown curls and wearing little black shoes. On her way to Grandmas?

He was about to close his eyes again when he saw a portly man in a gray suit across the street walking towards the Hat Shop. He sighed, disappointed. He’d almost been hoping the man wouldn’t show up today, that something would have come up, an overflowing sink, or a sick wife, or maybe the man just saw the sunshine and decided to take a day off.

But there the man was. It was time to get to work. Someday he would be retired. He wouldn’t have to work anymore. Then he’d move to Arizona, maybe buy a little mobile home and have affairs with all the old ladies in the Park…

The thought made him chuckle. Not now. Time for work, old man. He reached under his coat, enjoyed the comforting feel of the silenced .38 in its holster. Then he grabbed his coffee cup and drained it. He grabbed the last piece of toast and put it in his mouth, bit down on it to hold it there.

He stood up and threw a twenty on the table. Adjusting his hat, he turned and headed towards the Hat Shop.