text: Edward walked around the parking gate since he did not drive and flashed his work badge at the security guard as he approached the gate booth. He was still feeling rejuvenated from his morning coffee and the cold rush hour air. In the mornings he could still feel bits of optimism for the future his job held for him. The clock hit nine as he laid his lunch on the table and then punched in and snapped open the door to the warehouse. He picked up his picking orders for the next hour and grabbed a cart and scanner gun. A forklift was beeping across the warehouse. Derek hadn’t flopped his arm around where his crotch was or grabbed for any crotches yet, but he was sweating. Four levels or temporary shelving stood over the aisles of the warehouse; it wasn’t a claustrophobic space, but it had now windows. The box of cat treats wasn’t scanning when two of Edward’s coworkers came down his aisle. He tried to avoid having social interaction at work; it diminished productivity. He also felt weird about having relationships with coworkers with whom he would have to share the fact that he hated the job which at this point the physical space they worked in was the only real personal link he had in common with them. They didn’t mind him though, he thought. He thought he could feel that. And he didn’t mind them either. They came up behind him and chatted about their weekends directly over his shoulder as he tried to scan in his catnip. “Not working huh?” one of them said in between their conversation. “Fuckin’ labels, I’m gonna lose time for this and it’s always our fault,” he said. The other one came in over his shoulder and snatched the box from his hand and tossed it into the depths of the boxes sitting on skids, grabbing another one from the back. It scanned in and he walked down the aisle to his next order as they followed. Derek always sprinted to work and wore the same sweats and was on caffeine and ephedrine at all hours of the shift for fat burning purposes. He wore his sweatshirt with the hood on, unzipped to show his wife beater underneath. He always smelled a little bit. They could bond with Edward over sports. “What did you do this weekend man?” Derek asked. “Not much man, just watched sports and was on the computer mostly,” he replied. “That’s sick. I bought eighty dollars worth of subway and Doritos and played Street Fighter all weekend. I smashed a small girl on Tinder.” Derek was always smashing chicks on Tinder, and often in the process of trying to smash chicks at work. “Where?” “Toronto.” “And you took the bus?” “Yup.” “Jesus,” Edward could never imagine having that level of dedication for getting laid. “I met someone too.” “That’s sick man. Did you smash?” “No not yet, we haven’t met, just online.” “Like long distance?” “No it said she’s within five miles.” “Five miles. Nice. Was this Tinder?” “On my computer.” “On your computer where?” “It came up on my computer. Her name is Kendra, she’s pretty.” “Messages don’t just come up on computers you dumb fuck.” “But it said there’s lot’s of other girls like her in my area.” “That’s a fucking pop-up. I thought you said you used computers. Were you watching porn again?” “Maybe. I’m trying to stop. I always feel so shitty after.” The other coworker finally popped in, “me too man. I smashed my girl on the weekend and I felt gross after.” “That’s not the same,” Derek said, sighing and returning to the subject, “that’s just a fucking pop-up you idiot.” “But she had a picture and sent a message, her name is Kendra.” “And what else?” “She’s looking to have fun. I swear I’ve seen pop-ups before this didn’t look like one. I couldn’t close it.” “Maybe they’re getting better. These scammers are always evolving. Let me come over this weekend and check it out.” In the lunchroom Derek flopped his arm around with the elbow at his crotch and flopped his forearm on the table. Anyone that tried to avoid him got his attention. Edward mostly kept to himself but talked a bit of sports with the other guys in the short fifteen minute break they had. The fifteen minutes did not include the travel time to and from the punch clock. Edward ate an apple and went back to work for the second half of his shift. After the shift was over Derek slapped Edward on the ass and told him he would see him this weekend, sprinting out the doors carrying his lunch in a grocery bag. Edward had never interacted with any of his coworkers outside of work, and now he had to think about how Derek would behave. He wanted opportunities to be more extroverted and outgoing. Maybe this was an opportunity.