<div style="text-align: justify;">"And have a good day, sir," Francois said automatically with a just as automatic smile that had been fixed in place for close to eight hours now. The hands on the clock on the red-and-white wall of the sandwich place he worked at didn't appear to have moved at all during his whole shift. The customer, an old man in a deep blue bowler hat, fabulous mustache, and an air that seemed decidedly out of place at this bland eatery, offered him a cheery smile and a "You too, young man!" in exchange for his sandwich. Francois appreciated it, but didn't have the energy to properly convey anything more than his standard customer service face. There were thirty seconds until he could throw his apron in the ring and leave for tonight.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">:-:-:</div><br/>Laboring up the endless stairs to his apartment, Francois was ready to faceplant onto the kitchen laminate the moment he unlocked the front door.<br/><br/>"They don't appreciate what it means to stand on your feet for a third of the day," he mumbled bitterly to nobody. Not even the stray cat that sometimes came calling (through his window) was here tonight. A shame. He would have appreciated the food-driven affection it imparted on him. Alone, he poured boiling water onto some cup ramen; alone, he sank into the ostentatiously large lime green sofa; alone, he turned on the stereo and let Ludovico Einaudi wash over him. His sister Beatrice had recommended him. Carefully testing the too-hot soup approximation, he was hit full frontal by exhaustion. He was doing <span style="font-style: italic">nothing</span>. He was twenty-two and doing nothing, no degree, no aim. His little sister, younger than him by four years, was a musical virtuoso and currently in Vienna on her world tour. Francois was not jealous of her success in any way, but he wished he had her sense of purpose.<br/><br/>"All I do is talk to myself and pretend that somebody can hear me, like an absolute nutter," he told the cup ramen. It did not answer. Leaving the soon empty cup on the top of the stereo, Francois gave up on today and went straight to bed.</div>