An ordinary day

Nikitas was met with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and dampness when he awoke. He stood at the window for a time, looking through the window at what was happening outside, but not necessarily paying attention to it. He could see the apartment buildings across the street again, as he had done many times before, and he would see them many times in the future.

At some point, he realized that he should be somewhere else, so he climbed down the stairs to the first floor. The first floor had an unusual smell of cleaning products mixed with a slightly burnt food aroma. He paused at one of the doors as if he had had an idea, but continued on. Upon stepping outside, the brightness of the Sun forced him to squint his eyes momentarily, and a cool breeze brushed against him.

He arrived at the bus stop and stood out of the way of everyone else, looking down at the ground. The bus was later than usual; he could tell because no one at the bus stop was speaking. This seemed correct to him based on what he had previously experienced. As a laugh cut through the sound of the silence, a little boy ran past Nikitas. He looked away quickly, but the little boy's laughter was an uplifting moment for him.

While sitting on the bus, Nikitas found himself by the window, watching as the street moved slowly past him. He felt as if the street was watching him as he rode along. The various sounds of the city—from the bell ringing to a bicycle riding past to a distant noise, like a train's whistle—were all there around him, but he wasn't bothered by the sound; in fact, these sounds helped him feel alive.

When he arrived at his place of work, the lights were turned on. Nikitas sat down at his desk and opened his computer to check the time. The noises from his co-workers were still present, but Nikitas was no longer bothered by the noise.

Not long after Nikitas began working, one of his co-workers stood up and left the office. The silence he left behind was deafening, so Nikitas walked to the water dispenser and poured himself a glass of water, and then walked outside to give the glass to his co-worker. They stood outside for a period of time without saying a word, but there was still an unbreakable bond connecting the two of them that was warm, however they were feeling at that moment.

In the afternoon of that same day, on his way home from work, Nikitas took a different route than usual. As he walked a little bit farther from his regular route, he reached a small store that was filled with bright light and many voices. The store had the scent of fresh coffee and baked bread. For just a short time, time seemed to be frozen.

When Nikitas finally left the store, he exited with a smile on his face; it is safe to say that he didn't know what made him smile, and he didn't bother trying to figure it out. All that mattered was that he had experienced a brief moment in life that he believed meant that all would likely be well for him for a very short time.