Frank's Folly

Frank stepped out of the cab, paid the driver, and then walked towards the main door. He made a slight detour as he saw the coffee wagon open for business. He could use a drink; he wasn't normally a coffee consumer, he preferred the tingling sensation that tea offered. But today, for some strange reason, he craved coffee.

He ordered a coffee with a cream and one sugar and paid the buck fifty. He glanced at his watch and noticed he was still 15 minutes ahead of schedule and he grabbed the morning paper as well. He had a little time to kill. He walked into the lobby of the building, passed the security desk, flashing his ID badge at the two guards on duty.

Grady and Bill-Lee. He chuckled each time he saw Bill-Lee's name tag. He figured his folks must have been rednecks to give him such a stupid name to begin with. He pressed the up key at the elevators and waited for the doors to eventually open.

"Hey Frank," Scorpio said as he rushed to the elevator. "Today is the big day, eh?"

"Yes," Frank simply stated.

"Anything big going on then?" Scorpio inquired. "After all, it's you last day here."

"Nothing really," Frank yawned. "Just want to put in my time for the day like usual."

The elevator ride up to the floor was awkwardly silent since Scorpio didn't have anything else to say. To Frank the music that filtered through the elevator sounded like a New Order song done to muzak. He was trying to figure out which song it was.

It seemed like forever and a day when they arrived at their floor. The doors opened to a group of people yelling "SURPRISE!" The gang at the office had thrown together a little celebration to mark his last day at the office.

Frank had grown bored after data-crunching; he had thought that life would be a little more exciting than sitting at a computer terminal for 25+ years. It paid well, but it offered nothing stimulating...