Morning routine

This is not the proper way to start in the morning. Not after you went to bed so late, your stomach was already demanding breakfast. Not after you tried unsuccessfully to relax. And definitely, not after your neighbor's dog decided to serenade you with the most annoying tone you ever heard him produce. Why was he barking so loud at that time of the night? He woke me up, made me feel mad at him and his owner, and although I looked outside several times I couldn't figure out what he was mad at. We don't have any squirrels around - or at least not that many - but straight cats are a staple of this town, mostly caused by motorists on the freeway coming from close areas who think that we will take good care of their unwanted pets if they just leave them loose at our door. I had my fair share of "visitors" in the past, but the cost of allergy medicine for the kids is too damn high compared with the benefits of somebody living "rent-free" with me and my family.

The shower was feeling great, and the water temperature was just right for my taste: not too cold, not too hot. It was a fantastic idea to replace the tiny showerhead that came with the house with thig big square thing we had now. It makes you feel like you are outside your porch, under the rain, facing up and telling mother nature to take care of you and wash your sins away. And it has an integrated Bluetooth speaker too! Never heard of those before and I thought it was a stupid concept at first, but now I couldn't get to the bathroom without checking first if it was charged the night before. One of those little details that make your life worth living, I'll say.

The dog started with his operetta again, this time not that loud, fortunately, but more like he was barking at something specific. I was able to hear him even over my music, although I always try not to put the volume so high. Just enough for me and my thoughts only. I finished and took the towel from the rack, put it around my waist, and walked out of the bathroom to take a look from the window. It was still a little dark, and couldn't see anything clear outside but I could hear him growling. I went to the closet and started getting ready for work. Maybe I could take a closer look once I was ready to leave.

As I was walking down the stairs, I saw one of the kitchen chairs out of its position. Yes, you can call me a control freak if you want, but I like to have them nicely put under the table, perfectly aligned, and with their back touching the edge of the surface when we are done with dinner. Nothing weird as far as I can tell. I just like how they look when they are positioned in that way. My wife and the kids know, and they always try to get me mad by putting them a little off when I am not looking. Not for much, but barely enough so I will notice it. And I always put them back where they were, most of the time without saying a word to them. It's like a running joke at the house. And honestly, I enjoy it maybe too much to admit it - at least in front of them - and you would never force me to accept it. So I just moved it back into its place and went to the cupboard for my mug. It was time for coffee and a bagel!

The brewer was also moved a little to the left, like when you hit it by accident while you take the cup out from the base after your drink is done. I was certain that this was her, last night, as she was making one of those tea infusions she loves so much while watching TV. I never understood why she doesn't drink coffee as a normal person would do, but this was nothing worth trying her patience with me. She enjoyed it, and I have more coffee available for myself, so it was always a win-win situation. Nothing to change, for sure. I took a bottle of water and one of those little single-serve pods from the pantry and put the machine to work. In the meantime, I grabbed the bagels bag from the fridge and placed it on the counter, next to the sugar and cream containers. I then took the cheese spread and opened the drawer next to the fridge to take a butter knife. It took me a second or two to notice how one steak knife was missing from the base we have to the right of the stove and assumed it was still inside the dishwasher with some other utensils, plates, and glasses from last night. Although I like to put everything away in their respective place as soon as they are clean, I was too tired and hungry and decided to leave them for her to take care of that when she wake up. The bagel went into the toaster and it was ready almost at the same time as my cup of coffee. I certainly love that perfect timing when it happens to me.

The dog was now silent, but I could hear him walking on his patio. My fence was like 6 feet high but there were sections where the gap between the pickets was enough for me to see him going around. He was noticeably sniffing the ground, maybe looking for food. His owner was an old man that keep forgetting he needs to feed his trusty companion every day. He was a good neighbor, the type who never gets in your way but it's always there if you need him. He couldn't do much though, given his age, but it was nice to know that he was available anyway.

The coffee gave me some much-needed energy, and the bagel was a delight, as it usually is. I finished the last of my drink with a couple of cookies and then washed my cup and my plate by hand. No need to use the machine when it is only two pieces, right? Put them on the dish drainer that sits on the left side of the kitchen sink while I went to my home office for my laptop bag and keys, and as I was passing by I noticed the door to the basement open. Not fully open, but partially. Without even thinking about it I opened it entirely, turned the light on, and went down to take a look. Nothing strange, everything on its place except a couple of big opaque plastic boxes with decorations standing by the far corner that I clearly remember putting on their respective rack last week. Maybe she was looking for something or putting something extra in storage. They were good boxes, and when you put them one on top of the other as they were now, they could easily hide one of my kids behind when playing hide and seek. I had no time to put them back and so I went upstairs, ready to leave for work.

My home office is at the back of the first level, across the kitchen and after the living room. It has plenty of space and I love it. No hand-made furniture here, but rather a nice piece of professionally made desk with a matching chair, both a gift from my boss for some well-done project I did a couple of years ago. I added a massage machine to the chair and had three 24" monitors sitting on a mechanical arm, with a base for the laptop on the back of one of them. It was a really good setup, recommended and put together by a good friend from the office. I was always using it, especially when they decided to make all of us partially work remotely. But today I had a meeting with a potential customer and as much as I would love to stay home, I didn't want to have them coming over. The laptop bag was on the floor, next to the trash can and I took it from there. I will need to talk with the kids about putting it back on the chair when they sit down to watch cartoons on their little tablets while I work in the garden. The laptop was still on its base but disconnected from the power supply. I didn't remember disconnecting it when I was done working, but I was too tired by then. Maybe I tried to put it on the bag in advance for this morning and simply forgot to do it? Yeah, that made complete sense to me.

Got my bag and my keys, and went back to the kitchen to finish with the coffee mug and the dish. I took a paper towel and hand-dried both of them, placing them back on the cupboard. I don't know what it is, but I enjoy this little ritual every morning when I have a light breakfast and clean everything after I am done. And of course, my wife loved it too as she was always thanking me for doing it, every day. It's one of those little things your parents tell you it forms part of the key to success in a long-lasting marriage. And now that I think about it, I do know why I love and enjoy doing it.

Finally went outside and locked the front door behind me. But instead of going straight to my car, I went to the side of the house and looked over the fence to see if I could see the damn dog and what he was up to. He was still sniffing the grounds close to the section in between the two yards, but then he stopped when he saw me. He barked a solid "good day, friend!" to me as he always does when he sees me, and I throw him a ball I found by the edge of the fence. His owner was probably playing with him the day before and throw it over my side by accident as it happened before. There was also a couple of pieces of some sort of dog snack that I took and throw over to him. I would need to talk with my neighbor about leaving food in the yard because I don't want to deal with ants or any other insect coming into my house. I look at my watch and noticed that I was running a little late already, so I said goodbye to the good boy and left.

As I was driving over the main street and was passing an empty lot that's about two blocks from home, I noticed an old pickup truck on the left side of the road. It was parked in a way that looked like it was left there in a hurry, with both tires on the driver's side on top of the sidewalk, which I always find improper. Why they can't do any effort to park as it is supposed to be done? Not blocking ramps, not on top of the sidewalk, and not in a hurry. Take your time and do it properly! But that's me, being the kind of person that likes to put his kitchen chairs in a specific form. Not everybody is like that, I can accept it but they could do better.

Maybe the truck belonged to a contractor looking into the empty lot. It has been like that for a very long time, but I heard at the store somebody saying something about finally being up for sale. Maybe it was getting a new house being built. Or a store, although I would prefer a house so there would be no more traffic coming into this particular street. And the parking situation was not so great either. I couldn't see anybody close to it or walking around but noticed that both windows were rolled down. That was a little strange. I knew good people were living here when I decided to move my family but still I always locked my doors behind me when I leave. Better to take no chances about it.

The truck had out-of-state license plates on it, and the right front tire looked like it needs replacement soon. It seemed like it was low on air and I could see some marks on its side, like if the driver hit the curve at some point. But still nobody around. I continue driving until I got closer to the ramp and went into the freeway, turned the radio on, and stopped thinking about the dog, my restless night, and the empty plot all at once. The driving was always nice since this part of the interstate had not that much traffic passing by. Most of the cars were driven by locals moving between downtown and the edges of the city, where the majority lives.

Parked the car on my designated spot, took my bag from the passenger's seat, and walked in direction of the elevators. Even that the company was not that big somehow they managed to get a nice place in one of the most modern buildings in the area. We had a space on the 10th floor - just two below the top - and the view from there was fantastic. I still remember when I was being interviewed for the job when they asked me what would it take for me to accept the position and I told them that "if you give me a desk next to a window, I'm yours". The guy that was now my boss laughed and said that it was the first time for him to hear a response like that. He hired me and gave me a corner desk with not one but two windows facing the northeast part of the building. It was amazing and I was still working in that spot nowadays.

The elevator's door opened and I went inside, pressed the button to my level, and started singing the song that was playing on the sound system. It was the same song I was hearing when the dog started barking while I was in the shower, earlier that morning. I laughed at the coincidence but immediately started feeling like something was wrong. My hands started to shake noticeably and my breathing was getting heavier with every passing second. I couldn't say what was going on, but I was certain that I was feeling really bad and about to faint. The elevator ride was taking longer than usual or at least it was feeling like that for me. I started moving around as I was all by myself. I fixed my eyes on the emergency button at the top of the panel and was about to press it when the door suddenly opened on the fifth floor. A couple of guys entered and greeted me, although I have never seen them before. One of them kept looking at me after the doors closed and the ride restarted and he asked me if I was alright. I told him that I was feeling some kind of panic attack and he offered to stop the elevator and call for help. I told him that I would be fine once I reached my level. He asked if it was like this always for me at the elevator, and I assured him that this was the first time feeling it. Talking to him gave me some calm and I was able to breathe normally again.

We reached my floor and the two guys offered to walk with me but I declined, saying that I was good now. I thanked them, walked out and into the open area at the reception desk of my company. The song was still playing on my mind and I started again with the trembles on my hands. I took a seat in one of the couches in there and tried to control my breathing as I was feeling like I was not getting enough air in my lungs. What was going on? Why did I start feeling like that when I heard the song? I remember the dog barking, me getting dressed, and the coffee smelling like a dream when it was done. The bagel was good and I ate it slowly and in silence. The chair out of its position was nothing new, and the steak knife was probably still on the dishwasher. Or maybe it was somewhere else.

I started thinking over and over again about the chair, the brewer and the knife being out of place. Not for much, but just enough for me to notice as I always do. Too much attention to detail, my wife was always saying to me. But she loved that on me since we meet for the first time. How I paid attention to everything. And how I notice changes in my surrounding. This morning was not the exception. Even with the laptop bag on the floor and the laptop disconnected. Even with the plastic boxes. Those perfectly stacked plastic boxes, in the corner of the basement.

My breathing stopped for a few seconds as I felt an adrenaline rush like I never felt before today. My hands were out of control and I was probably making some sort of noise since a few people started looking in the direction to where I was still sitting down. The girl at the reception desk walked towards me and asked somebody to call a medic. She probably noticed how my eyes were completely dilated and how my face was pale. I couldn't see it myself, of course, but I could tell exactly how I was looking at her as I started realizing what was going on with me. My heart skipped a couple of beats and my voice was nowhere to be found as I tried to tell her. She took one of my hands on hers and I grabbed her wrist with force, keeping my eyes firmly on hers. I was conscious, thinking fast, and breathing with difficulty as I realize one little detail I missed entirely during my daily morning routine.

Because you see, I clearly remember how I locked my front door behind me when I left for work as I always do, but I couldn't recall, for the love of anything sacred in my life, actually unlocking that same door when I walked out.