{"id":163,"date":"2020-02-11T21:42:50","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T21:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/?page_id=163"},"modified":"2020-02-11T21:44:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T21:44:30","slug":"short-story","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/short-story\/","title":{"rendered":"The Uneventful Life Of Fruehauf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Harold Reinhardt and Associates Law Firm lies in the heart of Philadelphia, where bustling streets and commerce scuttle beneath the sound of papers flying in the legal offices above them. The 13th floor has all of the interns, where suddenly all the pens have fallen still as a stout, well dressed man walks out among the rolled up sleeves and pastry crumbs. He sort of mumbles, as he methodically places a stack of files on each of their desks. One of the interns spots another from the window- A blonde young man sporting a pinstripe suit and clubmaster glasses is sprinting down Locust Street on a single speed road bike. His glasses hide the dark eyebags on his face, but they don\u2019t do a very good job. In the elevator, he opens his messenger bag, checks his manilla folders, and walks out with two folders full with Post-its and plastic markers out the side. His first stop, though, was with another intern\u2019s desk. He had a weird tie, and thin circular glasses. The blonde tapped his chair with an outstretched pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHey Reagan. So I read your notes that were in the folder for review. You know, the one for the <em>Carey<\/em> case?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy\u2019d you read that? Doesn\u2019t a different department check those?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHm, not too sure. Anyway, there were a lot of grammatical errors in it, and the summary was a little lacking in detail about how we can actually get the folks from the city to look into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSorry, I\u2019m a bit bu-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOh, it\u2019s alright, I got it edited and submitted into the folder for review.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat I\u2019m trying to say is, this is like the fourth time this week you\u2019ve edited someone\u2019s work this week, man! We\u2019re just trying to do our jobs!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSorry about that I guess. Just, you know, the c-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe custody cases getting boring?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYeah, the custody cases getting boring. Won\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGeez man, get a hobby! All you do is work, eat, and work on other people\u2019s stuff. Go read the Times and actually do the crosswords for once in your life! Not everything\u2019s in case studies, you\u2019re not in college anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUh, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reagan sighed, and said with light humor, \u201cAlright, alright. Now, shoo off, be productive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The blonde then sets the stacks on the stout man\u2019s desk, and with a grunt of approval, the blonde man walks over to the desk with no name card. To his surprise, there is a note on the table, along with a paycheck addressed to Jacob S. Fruehauf. A couple men, with shoulders seemingly wider than the desks, walked toward him with footsteps heavy like soft timpani mallets. He began to clean his desk, and put his remaining folders through the shredder. On his way down the building, he unhooked a name tag from his keys, apathetic to the hot stuffy air in the elevator. He ignored the secretary\u2019s open hands. Instead, he left the card on the table top without losing eye contact with the spinning glass doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fruehauf, after walking out of the lobby, sort of wandered down the sidewalk and passed his bike sloppily locked to a light post nearby, as the people around him parted the way for him to pass. He subtly nodded the whole way down the streets, looking up and down the other people that would pass, almost as if to size different people up to guess what they would amount to. Having grown bored of walking, he happened upon a coffee shop and walked inside. Promptly, he ordered a croissant and a latte, walked to a window seat, unbuttoned his bottom button, and sat down. It was strange, the idea of coffee in a ceramic cup as opposed to a paper one. Having realized he left his laptop at his apartment, he simply sat there, without as much as twiddling his thumbs. And then he heard this loud noise, like glass shattering against a marble counter. They never stopped, and every so often, some different, almost creative sound would break the peace in the cafe. Thrice it was something metallic, the last sounded like a case of flour against a wall. A man of similar build stormed out of the kitchen just as Fruehauf walked up to put away his plate and cup, but his curiosity of the noises intrigued him, and led him to the door of the kitchen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cautiously, he opened the doors, and didn\u2019t notice a portly old man behind him as he walked into the middle of the kitchen. The baker snapped in a thick New York accent, without looking up.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGet back to work, son.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fruehauf whipped his head around, and replied like a trespassing cat as it sees the cop\u2019s dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI just wanted to check on th-the loud th-thuds?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYeah yeah, and they\u2019ll stop once ya get to work. So I suggest ya start working, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut, I don\u2019t really, uh, w-work here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShut it kid, lest ya want me to kick your tail outta here, ya hear me?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With sweat beading down his forehead, Fruehauf reluctantly rolled up his sleeves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cW-W-Where is the recip-cip-cipe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCountertop. Left of the sink. Don\u2019t let it get wet. Page 226. Should be open. Now don\u2019t cha\u2019 make me waste my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He considered just running out- but the baker was still there, like a doberman lying in wait for someone to try and climb the fence. The old dog had yet to raise his head from his notebook, and was still writing with his pen caked with dough. Fruehauf began to read the thick recipe book, and quickly went to go fetch some butter after being urged along by a whisk that touched his hair as it flew by. As he came back from the other side of the counter top, he noticed the Baker\u2019s thick coke bottle glasses in a far corner. Before he could make much of it however, a wooden spoon knocked the butter out of his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWash ya hands, Davey. What\u2019re you on, some kinda\u2019 hangover?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo, I haven-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGah, whatever. Shut it and work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s not even my na-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A frying pan launched into the ceiling beckoned for Fruehauf to listen again. And thus, he did. He spilled the flour all over the countertop, spent nine minutes measuring out the water, wasted about two tablespoons of butter by letting it melt in his hands while trying to read the scribbles in the patchwork recipe book. When he dropped the dough on the floor, he heard fourteen turnips nail the window as he ducked under the table. It wasn\u2019t really surprising, it was routine at this point, as earlier he had gotten pegged in the back by some house keys, and struck in the knees by an old (but not empty) vinegar bottle. Whenever he did something remotely imprecise, something would smack the wall in dramatic action, and the other times Fruehauf wouldn\u2019t know where the object would hit him. Each time, Fruehauf ground his teeth a little harder and bit his lip.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOy! How many times da\u2019 gotta tell ya that\u2019cha can\u2019t skimp the temperatures ay? Ya do that one more time this week an\u2019 I\u2019m gonna show you what else we use the ol\u2019 bread knife for, ya hear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSir, I don\u2019t think you get it, there\u2019s some kind of misunde-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSon, ya say I\u2019m misundastandin\u2019 somethin. Well lemme do a little undastandin\u2019 for ya, boy. I wrote that book, it\u2019s perfect, you ain\u2019t, now make like a grade schooler and learn yourself how to read some English, how-bout-it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo sir, there\u2019s a different probl-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy don\u2019t ya tell me a problem that ain\u2019t your sass, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With sweat fogging up his clubmaster glasses, Fruehauf threw his rolling pin down and into the marble workspace, and ripped off his glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t work here, sir. That\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYa tried to pull that earlier, Davey. Can ya learn how to be an adult already?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy name isn\u2019t Davey and I don\u2019t work here, so why don\u2019t you listen to anyone else for once in your miserable life, you failed patissier Mr. Something or whatever?!?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first time that day, or at least it was the first time Fruehauf noticed, the baker looked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat in god\u2019s name are ya tryin\u2019 to pull now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know, why don\u2019t you see for yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fruehauf chucked the coke bottle glasses across the room toward the kitchen doors. The baker picked them up and took a good look at Fruehauf, who wasn\u2019t the other blonde who stormed out a couple hours ago. After a gallon of milk shattered against the standmixer, Fruehauf diligently cleaned it out of habit, but then hastily made his way out of the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fruehauf arrived at his apartment after 15 minutes of frantic biking, ran into his suite, and slammed the door behind him. And for the next hour or so, he just sort of sat. His laptop was out of battery, there were papers all over the floor, and none of the tabletops were visible. But, in his rut of boredom, he cleared the countertop, took out a paper and pen, and began to write, and every so often would look up and out the window and gestured with his hands. As it got dark, he threw his pen at the light switch and took out some ingredients.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next morning, at the law firm, a stout, well dressed man walked out to find a small bag of shortbread cookies at each person\u2019s desk. There was also an email notification from 2:03 AM that morning:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From: (address no longer exists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To: HRA PrepDept elist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\tSorry about the cookies, I hope they aren\u2019t burned. Kinda new at this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\t\t\tSincerely,\t\t\tJSF<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Harold Reinhardt and Associates Law Firm lies in the heart of Philadelphia, where bustling streets and commerce scuttle beneath the sound of papers flying in the legal offices above them. The 13th floor has all of the interns, where suddenly all the pens have fallen still as a stout, well dressed man walks out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-163","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167,"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/163\/revisions\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~ErnestC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}