A change of scenery 1 of 2

Part 1 of 2

James stepped out onto JFK Boulevard as the big clock on the Philadelphia City Hall tower hit half past eight. For all intents and purposes, the streets should have been empty and quiet, or at least not as congested as it was with traffic, but it was 8:30 on a hot and humid Friday night in July, and they were calling it the second heatwave of the year, with the first one happening a few weeks before in June.

Despite the heavy traffic around it, City Hall was an impressive sight, both in the day and in the night. Now it was night, and the sun had just set in the western sky. Lights flickered on and illuminated every aspect of the building, giving it an eerie glow that made it stand out from the other buildings that surrounded it, making them seem like mere shadows in contrast.

Statues of soldiers and activists surrounded the building on three sides, while on the western side of the building sat a ½acre recreational area called Dilworth Park that was forever in a state of flux. It had fountains that shot water or steam in the air out of the ground one time, while at others, they could be transformed into both ice and roller skating rinks, or at other times a garden maze or a shopping village.

As James finally placed the toe of his right foot on the street to start across JFK to the bus he and his female companion were trying to get to, he was cut off by a swarm of guys on motorcycles who maneuvered carelessly around the stopped traffic and the red lights that were against them so they could blare past the pedestrians who had the right of way.

“Show us some respect mother--.” The rest of what the motorcyclist that was speaking had to say to the pedestrians he was berating was drowned out by the loud angry rap music that was coming out of the excessively large speakers and the roar of 100 motorcycle engines as they disappeared further down JFK Boulevard.

“The way guys like them misuse that word, I don't think they really know what it even means,” James said in a growl of frustration to nobody in particular.

He got a gentle sigh from his female companion, who knew where he was coming from, and that he was not someone who was used to life in the big city. James had just moved to Philly out of a more rural area that was more reminiscent of the likes of Mayberry for the sake of the job he had only recently acquired. However, he didn't have to to the job the way he was doing it.

“Every night I have to put up with this,” James muttered to the woman that was with him, as he helplessly watched the bus he was so desperately trying to catch disappeared down the street in the same direction that the 100 motorcycles disappeared to. “Either that, or some homeless person trying to bother me for whatever reason.”

“I know,” Cindy, his companion who was also his supervisor at work said.

“But most nights my job keeps me there until well after the others go home, then with us going to that garden bar down the street...” James let his frustration flow out in an uneasy growl.

“Did you not want to go to the garden bar?”

“That,” James let out a sigh, as he finally got the chance to cross, “is not the point. Yes I did want to go. But to tell you the truth, I'm not much of a city person. The only reason I even tolerate the city is because of the job. You know that much.”

“The thing with your job is, you don't need to do it from the office, it's a job you can actually do from home,” Cindy's eyes furrowed as she glanced at James, “you do know that, right?”

“It's Data Entry, though,” James sighed, “don't I have to do it from the office?”

Cindy let out a laugh, she knew that James was still new at the job and didn't do very deep a research on the position he had gotten himself, otherwise he already would have known what she was about to say. “You don't, not really.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn't they go over anything with you when they hired you?”

“The guy who hired me was some Latino guy who spoke half in English and half in Spanish.”

“Oh, that explains it,” Cindy sighed, “at any rate, with this job it doesn't matter where you work or even when. You can do it in the comfort of your own home while you're relaxing on the couch.”

“That's what he was trying to explain to me,” James sighed, as he watched people meander around Dilworth Park as they came up from either the subway or Elevated trains that both came in under City Hall at that point. “I think.”

“You may need to come into the office one day a week for a few hours to do a few things you can only do there, though.”

“So, if I wanted to live the life of Grizzly Adams somewhere in the Appalachian mountains while I do the job, I can?”

“As long as your computer has uninterrupted internet service, an active email account and a few other things you'll need, you can live on the moon and do it.”

“OK,”

“Why the Appalachian mountains though?”

“My uncle, who just recently died, owned a small cabin up in that area. I used to go there all the time and he knew I loved the place.”

“Then go there, it's only a few hours round trip by car, and I know you have a car, just you find it easier to travel in the city by bus.”

“OK,” James sighed, “I'll do it.”