He woke up with a start, heart pounding. He had been having a nightmare, another one. After taking a few moments to remind himself that it was just a dream, that he had nothing to worry about, he picked up his phone, which sat dutifully on his nightstand. Its bright light glowed in the darkness of the room. 7:18am. Sam laid back down, his heartbeat slowing down to normal. Wait, 7:18? I’m going to be late for work! He realized with a start. He jumped out of bed and ran to his closet. He quickly pulled on his nicest suit, trying to tie his tie while taming his dark messy hair. He had just gotten his new job as a lawyer in one of the best firms in the city, and he wasn’t about to lose it. After ensuring that he looked presentable, he ran downstairs. No time for coffee, he thought miserably. Trying to get through the busy New York City street traffic was nearly impossible. Didn’t all these bicyclists know he was running late? He finally got to the subway and boarded his train. The ride was brief, and Sam spent the majority of it nervously checking his watch and cursing himself for not checking to make sure he had set his alarm properly the night before. As soon as the train screeched to a halt and the doors opened up, Sam sprinted down the platform and through the train station, no doubt jostling more than a few people on his way. At last, he had arrived at work. He tried to walk a few paces and calm down, as he was gasping for air and he didn’t want to make it seem like he had run here, though he had. The hallways of the large building were relatively empty as most people were already in their offices, signing documents and typing up emails. He finally arrived at his own office, a small wooden desk unadorned with photos or artwork, save for a calendar showing important dates and holidays. How am I going to get a promotion like this? He worried, shuffling some papers around on his desk. He had been trying to make a really good impression on his coworkers and especially his boss in order to become a highly valued lawyer and hopefully get a promotion sometime in the future. Showing up to work late when he had only started working here a few weeks ago was not going to help him. It was bad enough that he worried about his work performance all day. He thought back to his nightmare last night. Now I’m starting to have nightmares about this job... He thought to himself as he turned on his computer to start work for the day.
