Tuesday, August 17th, 1999
I wake up a little bit earlier than usual today, the sun shining at me through my blinds. I get up, taking a look at my room for the first time in awhile, instead of usually just heading off to the bathroom. My carpets are brown and somewhat shaggy, the house I live in being built in the seventies. There's no TV on the nightstand, I used to have one back when I was married, but that ship sailed awhile ago.
My dresser next to me, nothing else but a lamp and a glass, a cup from a couple of days ago when I went out to go get a glass of water during the night. There's my digital alarm clock too, I've had it for about 4 years. The time currently being 6:38 am, and the sun being out at full strength already, the joys of living in Arizona.
I walk to the bathroom, seemingly still looking in good shape, I might spend a Saturday every month cleaning it. I take a shower and go to the bathroom and brush my teeth, it's 7:04 when I get out of the bathroom and head into my room to put my clothes on, and my closet is basically the same as a cartoon character, all white dress shirts and long office pants of different colors, but mainly brown, white, and tan.
I yank my hanger down from the metal pole and take the shirt off of the hanger, putting it on. I do so with the tan pants and put them on too, grabbing my belt out of the dresser not too far from me.
I walk out of my room and into my hallway, there's only being two other rooms in the house, the computer room right across the hall and another room, it's another bedroom but I just use it as a storage room, it's somewhat filled with the random junk I've kept over the past 19 years, like my mother's old Kit-Cat clock I got when she died and many of her stuff, or my old TV sets I've had from over the years, from the one I had when I just had gotten married and Paula and I were living together, to the last one I bought six years ago when the one she left me with after the divorce stopped working.
I walk into my kitchen, seemingly not much in there, just a average kitchen, a bit outdated looking due to the age of the house, but everything still works well.
I grab the TV remote, and then I put it down, not feeling like eating breakfast this morning. I watch some TV when I'm not at work, I might catch a new episode of Everybody Loves Raymond if it's new season has started or maybe watch a NBA game or NFL or NASCAR or whatever sport that's on. I don't have cable anymore, so I just rely on whatever's on free channels.
I put my shoes on, and as I do I hear blasting of "SHE ALWAYS RIGHTS THE WRONGS FOR ME" coming out of my bedroom, the radio blasting the pop station again. I get up from the couch and walk back to the room, the time now being 7:15 am, I shut my alarm off. I think this one of the bands Tiffany was talking about in the car yesterday.
I walk out of my room and down the hallway and to the front door, taking my keys off the key ring right near the front door, and then walking out.
I see a truck pass by my house as I walk out, seemingly to be a brand new White model Chevy Silverado, the driver seemingly speeding. I shrug and just walk to my Pontiac and get in, quickly closing the door and cranking the car up and pulling out of my driveway and off to Tiffany's apartment.
I play my usual radio station the way there, the song "Two Tickets To Paradise" by Eddie Money playing as I leave the neighborhood, the station usually plays late 60's /early 70's rock and pop hits, and this song came out in the late 70's so I found that kinda odd.
I head onto the highway to head north to her Apartment, the drive, which I know is the longer way compared to taking the street way, but I'm really feeling in the mood for a drive this morning.
I arrive about 7:43, I see a really pissed off Tiffany standing outside of the apartment, I change the radio from it's current song "Baba O'Riely" by The Who to the pop station again, seemingly playing a rap song.
"Woah, someone seems upset" I say as she gets in the car.
"You're late" Tiffany says sharply as I drive off.
"I mean, you never did give me a specific time. And don't worry, once I tell the receptionist we were car-pooling she'll lay off of us. Plus, I've known her way longer than you have, she'll believe me. I knew her when she wasn't so ancient looking" I say with a laugh at the end, Tiffany gives me a small smile as I head back onto the highway to go downtown to our workplace.
"Wanna be a Baller, shot caller, Twenty Inch Blades on the Impala" I rap along to the song once I realize what the main lyrics are, Tiffany guffaws at me, this middle aged white guy driving to his office job rapping along to a song about getting laid and general rapper stuff, I never really cared much for the genre, hearing about Run DMC and Public Enemy through some of my younger coworkers back in the late eighties, but that's about it.
The song ends and it goes to advertisements. It's quiet between Tiffany and I, I hear her stomach grumble a little bit as I drive, it breaks the silence.
"Hungry" I say with a sly smile.
"Kinda, yeah. I was going to grab a donut or two and get a cup of coffee at work" She replies to me.
"Yeah I didn't eat either" I say, as I get off of the highway and onto a exit.
I drive a little bit further and stop at a stop light, I actually take a notice at the cars surrounding me for once, the car next to the right of me is a red four door 1998 Honda Accord, it's driver seemingly a black woman in her mid 30's, dressed as if she's some type of boss of a company. The car to the right of me is a grey 2000 model Lincoln Town Car, a older white guy who seems to be in his 70's, seemingly retired and out for a morning drive.
The light turns green and the radio goes off the ads and the radio announcer another song, Summertime Girls by LFO, another band I've never heard of.
"I love this song" Tiffany says as I drive down the road.
I listen to the lyrics a bit, the song reminding myself why 1985 was the last year I listened to pop and any really new music on my own. The references the song makes does make me nostalgic for the days back when I was a family man, watching shows like Family Ties on TV after work with my wife and my daughter before my son was born, and taking my wife to go see Footloose. A tear falls down my cheek.
"Are you, are you crying?" Tiffany says, noticing the tear.
"Kinda, I'll explain to you one day" I tell her as I pull into the Parking garage and the radio turns off, I drive up to the second level and park, as I drive up Tiffany seems generally concerned for me in her facial expressions.
"Are you okay?" She says, I hear concern in her voice.
"Yeah yeah (I sniffle a bit) I'm fine" I say as I get out of the car.
We walk into the building, Boss Hogg himself talking to the receptionist.
"But yeah, that's how I plan on running it differently from next year" I hear him say, as I walk through the automatic doors.
"Warren, you're late. It's 8:25" He says, shifting his attention towards me with a scowl in his voice
"I was car-pooling Tiffany, I'll be doing that all this week for her. I'll try to be on time next time" I say, stopping in my tracks, Emily stopping right behind me.
"Oh alright then, carry on. Mary, clock in for them please" He says, I hear Mary typing away on their computer.
Tiffany and I walk past our boss and push the button for the elevator and get on.
As soon as the door closes, we start to talk.
"Holy shit, you got away with it" Tiffany says, sounding relaxed.
"You mean, WE, got away with it. But yeah I've been with this company for awhile. The current boss has been here for about fourteen years, I remember he came in not too long before my youngest son was born. I've known him since he started, he was much nicer than the old boss, now that guy was a hard-ass" I say as the elevator starts to go up.
"How long have you been with this company, anyways?" She says.
"17 years this May" I say, the Elevator door opens and we go to our respective cubicles.
I really didn't get much work done, just really playing minesweeper and solitaire and occasionally wondering off to the break room to get a donut and maybe a can of Pepsi from the fridge, the can advertising the latest Star Wars movie.
Lunch comes around and I get up from my computer, putting it back on work emails and all that boring stuff. I see Tiffany come out of her cubicle and walk towards me.
"What's up?" I say.
"Do you wanna go lunch with me? I saw this place I wanted to check out on the drive here" She says.
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll drive" I say with a sly smile.
She follows me out of the office and into the elevator and into the parking garage and into my car. I turn the radio off, not really in the mood for music right now.
She gives me directions and I park the car on the side parking space, making the car parallel.
We go inside, it's a newer place called Spoonz Cafe. We go in and order our food, she gets some type of salad and a tea and I get some type of Italian Panini and a side of fries and a lemonade.
"So, what's your story?" She says, as she starts on her salad.
"I mean, did you really ask me to come to lunch with you just to know my background?" I ask, eating a couple of my fries.
"I mean (she swallows her food) yeah, I really want to get to know you better" she says, before she takes a sip of her tea.
"Alright then. Well, my childhood wasn't great, didn't have a dad growing up, raised by a single mom. My brother Don and I would hang out. School was pretty average, made a friend for life there, Brian, we met in 3rd grade during recess, getting into a fist fight and then later on bonding over our love of The Jetsons, we both had lunchboxes with the characters on them and all that. Teen years were weird, things went down hill when Don was drafted for Vietnam in 68', came home in a box a year later, the day before the moon launch. When I was-" And then after this part, I tell her everything, from how me and Paula met in 10th grade art class, and the KISS Concert.
"You've lived quite a life" She says.
"Yeah, that's just called getting older" I say, smiling, and finally being able to eat my food, it's lukewarm, but still alright.
"Well, since you've told me so much about your life I guess it wouldn't be fair if I didn't tell you about mine. I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I lived their for until I was 17, and then my dad got a job offer in St.Louis-" After this I start to really just focus on eating and tune her out, she'll say something interesting like how her first actual job was at a place called White Castle, a fast food restaurant I've heard of through Joey twenty years ago, saying he misses eating at the fast food chain.
"Oh, wow" I say, finishing up the rest of my fries and Panini. I sip some of my lemonade too.
I drove us back to work not too long after we finish our food, and I drive her back home after work. I feel a connection forming between us, and I feel like I'm really starting to like Tiffany more than a friend, way more than I did yesterday.
Giantess World
Chapter End Notes:
How'd you guys feel about this one? Shrinking starts next chapter, and It'll be out sometime Saturday afternoon.