Michael's Choice

Michael swung open the car door and stepped out of the taxi. He rubbed his hands together and blew into them as he looked around. A couple wrapped in scarves and bulky coats walked by. He spotted Samisoni waving at him. The giant Kraken Bar sign on the building behind him cast Samisoni in a green glow.

‘You said you would be here at nine,’ said Samisoni, tapping his watch a couple of times.

‘Sorry, took me a little longer to get ready than I’d planned,’ said Michael. ‘I’m only fifteen minutes late, so not too bad for me. Is no one else here yet?’

‘They’re all inside. They’ve already downed a few rounds of shots from what I could tell.’

‘Why aren’t you in there with them?’

‘You know I hate being around just them. They’re always trying to force me into drinking as much as they do.’

‘Oh, come on. They aren’t that bad. Everyone is just letting off some steam after another crappy week at work.’

‘I… I don’t know.’ Samisoni scratched his wrist. ‘Remember how they got us kicked out of the restaurant last week for harassing the waitress? Besides, it’s only Thursday!’

‘Yeah, but Friday is always a write-off. Everyone at work is just counting the hours until the end of the day. Let’s go join the others. I need a drink,’ said Michael as he pushed a few long strands of his blonde hair out of his face.

Michael and Samisoni grabbed their beers from the bar and wove their way through the maze of tables to the back corner of the bar where a group of guys had claimed a couple for themselves and were standing around them basking underneath a heater on the wall. As they came closer, the mumbled chatter from the group started to become clear.

‘It would never work, Jamie! The last time you tried that, the girl threw a drink in your face,’ said a tall member of the group. He towered over the rest by easily half a foot.

‘That was only one time, and the bartender looks like she would be the kind of girl that’s got a freaky side. It’s not like I need to bring my “A” game when I have to compete against you scoundrels,’ said Jamie as he took another swig of his beer, spilling some down the front of his half-unbuttoned shirt.

Samisoni gave Michael a quick side-eye before moving some of the empty shot glasses to the side to make room on the beer-covered table.

The group quickly piped up again when they spotted Michael and Samisoni. ‘Michael! Who do you think will seal the deal with the bartender?’

‘Oh, that’s a tough one,’ said Michael, glancing back over his shoulder at the bartender. ‘She’s well out of all your leagues. I say you’ll all strike out miserably by the end of the night.’

The group roared with laughter, beating their fists on the tables. A couple of their half-drunken beers fell over and added to the pool of alcohol that was already dripping onto the floor.

‘What do you think, Samisoni?’ said Michael.

‘Ha! Who would trust Samisoni’s opinion on the matter?’ said Jamie. ‘He has no game to speak of.’

Laughter erupted from the group again as they shook the tables with their fists. The glasses rattled against each other until one fell from the table and shattered on the hardwood floor.

‘Hey! You guys. Behave or I’m going to have to kick you out!’ said the bartender from where she was cleaning glasses behind the bar.

‘The only way I’m leaving this bar is with you on my arm!’ said Jamie, giving her a wink.

The group whistled and cheered. Samisoni, halfway through a sip, slammed his glass down on the table. The whistling died down and everyone’s eyes focused on Samisoni.

‘Do you have something to say?’ said Jamie, raising his eyebrows.

‘Stop badgering her, she’s just trying to do her job,’ said Samisoni.

‘Would you look at that? Samisoni has finally grown a pair,’ said Jamie. ‘If you aren’t going to join in on the fun then what are you doing here? You know we only invite you because you’re easy to push around.’

‘Go to hell! You’re a vile little man-child. I’m done with all of you guys and how you treat people.’ Samisoni turned his back to the group.

Jamie shoved around the group, pushed Michael to the side, and threw a wide-swinging haymaker at Samisoni. A pop rang out as the punch connected with the side of Samisoni’s head, knocking him against another table before he tumbled to the ground.

‘What did you call me?’ said Jamie, now standing directly over Samisoni. ‘Come join in boys.’

Michael watched, frozen in place, as the others joined Jamie and began to kick Samisoni while he was curled up on the ground. Cheers rang out as they all took their turn to leave their mark.

Another group rushed over and pushed them away from Samisoni and back towards their tables. The bartender hurried over and helped him to his feet. Samisoni wiped the bright red blood from his face with the back of his hand. One of his eyes was already starting to close up from the cut above his brow.

‘Really. You’re just going to stand there? You’re exactly like them now!’ said Samisoni, staring directly at Michael from behind his ballooning cheeks.

Michael opened his mouth but couldn’t find the right words. Before he could get a sound out, Samisoni broke his gaze and stumbled for the door using the passing tables for support. Michael watched on as the door closed behind him.

‘Right. All of you. Out now!’ said the bartender. ‘Quickly, before I call the cops.’

Michael started making his way to the door.

‘Michael where are you going?’ said Jamie.

‘I… I’m going to see if Samisoni is okay.’

‘Don’t worry about him, you’re with us. You don’t have to babysit him anymore,’ said Jamie, putting his arm around Michael’s shoulder. ‘There’s another pub around the corner. Let’s see if they are more fun than this dump.’

Michael cradled the coffee cup in his hands, steam escaped from the lid and the earthy musk filled the elevator. He kept his eyes glued to the ground as the bright fluorescent lights shone brighter than the sun. The elevator dinged as it hit the tenth floor and the door slid open without a sound. Michael stepped out and was confronted by a large burly police officer. Standing beside the officer was Michael’s manager, Juliette. Her auburn hair looked like she had been working for two days straight and she had a seriousness to her expression that Michael had never seen before.

Juliette looked at the officer and said, ‘This is Michael. He’s the last one.’

‘Okay. Please take Michael into the second meeting room,’ said the officer. ‘Officer Keln will be with you two once he has finished with Jamie.’

‘Michael,’ said Juliette as she turned to face him. ‘Please come with me.’

‘What… what’s going on?’, said Michael.

‘I’ll let you know once we’ve sat down,’ she said, directing Michael past the officer and towards the meeting rooms with a gentle push on his arm.

As they passed the first meeting room, Michael glanced through the glass walls and saw another staunch officer talking with Jamie, who was lounging back in his chair and wasn’t showing the slightest indication that he had been putting back drinks until the early hours of the morning.

Juliette continued to direct Michael into the next meeting room, with a large white “2” printed on the glass door. Michael sat down and saw the rest of the group silently gossiping with each other by their desks in the open-plan office. They took turns peering towards the meeting rooms before going back to their gossiping.

Juliette sat down in one of the chairs opposite Michael, slightly obscuring his view of the group.

She cleared her throat, ‘Michael,’ she said with a soft tremble in her voice. ‘Are you aware of what has happened?’

‘I have no clue,’ said Michael, holding tight onto his coffee and begging his hands to keep still.

‘It’s not easy to say, and I was shocked when I heard the news this morning.’ Juliette glanced from side to side, not making eye contact with Michael. ‘I was informed this morning that Samisoni took his own life last night.’

Michael sat in stunned silence. He stared at the coffee cup in his clammy hands. The slight tremble in his hands started to worsen as his focus on fighting his hangover was broken. He looked up at Juliette and saw the light glistening off the tears pooling in her eyes.

The long silence was broken as Officer Keln’s voice rang out. ‘Thank you, young man. If there is anything more, we’ll be in touch.’

‘Anything to help, officer,’ said Jamie. ‘We all loved Samisoni and will help any way we can.’

Michael watched as Jamie walked past the meeting room and towards the rest of the group. Then he heard the door squeak and saw Officer Keln close the door behind him as he entered the room.

‘You must be Michael,’ said Officer Keln, taking a seat next to Juliette. ‘I’m assuming Juliette has let you know what is going on. I’m going to ask you a few questions about last night.’

Michael nodded, still watching Jamie out the corner of his eye as he was greeted with fist bumps and cheers by the rest of the group. He met eyes with Jamie as he turned to watch, flashing a sinister smirk back at Michael while leaning back into a chair.

Officer Keln continued, ‘Were you with Samisoni last night?’

The group was all giving Michael a shushing gesture, with Jamie glaring at him.

Michael pulled his attention back onto Officer Keln. ‘I was, a few of us met up for a couple of drinks after work.’

‘Okay, and when did you last see Samisoni?’ said Officer Keln, writing in his notepad.

‘He had one drink and left. Maybe between half past nine and ten.’

‘Did anything happen during that time?’

Michael paused, glancing between Officer Keln and the group over by their desks. ‘I can’t think of anything of note. We got together and there was a bit of banter between everyone. But nothing different to our usual get-togethers.’

‘Did Samisoni get into a fight or have any bruising when you saw him?’ Officer Keln continued to write in his notepad.

‘No, Samisoni would never get into a fight.’

‘Did Samisoni seem off to you at all during the night or over the past few days?’

‘He is always quite reserved and quiet. But no, he never said anything to me, and I didn’t notice anything different from the way he normally is.’

‘Okay. Thank you, Michael. That’s all I have to ask for now.’ Officer Keln stood up. ‘Juliette, we’ll wrap up and leave you to it. If there is anything we need you to do, we will let you know.’

‘Thank you, Officer,’ said Juliette. ‘If we find out anything else here, I will give you a call.’

‘Michael,’ said Officer Keln pulling an envelope out of his jacket pocket. ‘This was left for you when we found Samisoni’s body. We will be in touch if we have any more questions.’ He slid the envelope over the desk to Michael and left the meeting room.

‘How are you doing?’ asked Juliette.

‘I… I’m okay, I don’t know what to say.’

‘I suggest you put that away for now,’ said Juliette pointing at the envelope. ‘Read it at home where you can feel safe.’

Michael tucked the envelope into his pocket.

‘Now, I need to call the others back in and talk to you all together.’ Juliette turned around and waved to the group to come into the meeting room.

They all filed in one at a time with Jamie joining last, closing the door on his way in before taking his seat with the others.

‘I hope that wasn’t too tough for all of you,’ said Juliette. ‘I have one last thing to talk to all of you about. Samisoni left a note behind where he has prompted a need for us to look into all of you and your involvement in any workplace harassment that has occurred.’ She glanced at each person. ‘We will start looking into this today and while we do so, we need all of you to stay off of work premises. At the end of the investigation, we will give you each a call to discuss the outcome. Please grab anything you need and head home now.’

Everyone quietly stood up and filed their way out of the meeting room and back into the elevator. The doors slid closed, and the elevator lurched before smoothly descending.

‘Looks like Samisoni finally did something useful and gave us a day off, boys,’ said Jamie, who was leaning against the back of the elevator.

The group burst out laughing but Michael stood silently at the front of the elevator, watching the numbers start to count down.

‘I always knew he was a coward. I bet he tried taking the easy way out before but didn’t have the guts to do it. What do you reckon he did? Pills, hanging, or a cutting?’ said Jamie.

Michael’s fists clenched, his knuckles turning white as his nails cut into his palms.

‘Pills, definitely pills,’ the group chimed in.

Michael spun around. ‘Show some respect. He killed himself because of what we did!’

‘Calm down, Michael. It’s just a joke. No need to be so sensitive. It’s not like he was someone that mattered,’ said Jamie.

‘He was my friend. And now he’s gone.’

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing the large open space of the lobby.

‘If you’re going to get so worked up about it, maybe you should join him.’ Jamie pushed past Michael. ‘Come on guys, let’s go enjoy our long weekend.’

The others followed Jamie, leaving Michael alone in the elevator. Tears slowly flowing down his cheeks. He sucked in a deep breath, wiped his face, held his head high, turned back around and walked out into the lobby.

Michael was lying on his couch, his hoodie stained with the food that still littered the coffee table. The stench from the half-eaten takeaway containers barely masked the putrid odour of the beer bottles that were scattered across his apartment floor. The light of the midday sun sliced its way into the room through the small gap between the curtains.

Michael’s phone rang. He propped up on the couch and pushed aside some of the takeaway containers on the coffee table until he saw the glow of his phone screen with Juliette’s name flashing.

‘H-hello.’

‘Good afternoon, Michael. I’m sorry, but this is not a positive call. I’ve spoken with everyone in the office and with the others on leave. We feel like you are a contributing factor to the workplace harassment and have been forcing those you spend time around down a bad path.’

‘But I,’ said Michael. ‘I haven’t been forcing anyone. I was just following…’

‘Michael,’ said Juliette. ‘We can’t have that in our workplace. We have to let you go, effective immediately. You will be emailed a formal letter with all the details of your termination. Take care.’

Michael tossed the phone back onto the coffee table next to an untouched bottle of whisky. He stared at the bottle for a moment before reaching over the takeaway containers and grabbing it by the neck along with the glass beside it. He poured a mouthful and downed it all.

He poured another and downed it again.

And another.

Michael opened his Instagram feed, drink still in hand. He was greeted by a photo of Jamie with the rest of the group at their desks. He read the caption, “Back after a long weekend, no more deadweight.” His grip tightened around the glass of whisky. With a scream he threw it against the wall, sending glass and whisky spraying onto the shelf below. Michael grumbled and stumbled his way over to the kitchen, grabbing a roll of paper towels from the counter.

Michael began to wipe down the shelf. He dried off the papers that were sitting on it one by one before setting them back down. Halfway through the pile, an envelope caught his eye. His name was handwritten on the front. The envelope from Samisoni. Michael dropped the rest of the papers, stumbled his way back to the couch and fell back into it. His eyes locked on the envelope. He reached out and fumbled around the coffee table, pushing away rubbish until his hand wrapped around a lighter. He rolled his finger over the ignition and held the flame up next to the envelope.

Michael slowly moved the lighter closer to the envelope, inch by inch. The flame flickering. Until the flame was close enough to the corner of the envelope that it seemed to be drawn in by it, reaching for the whisky-soaked paper. Finally, Michael allowed the flame to grab hold. The corner of the envelope began to glow red before the orange flame erupted. He held the envelope and blankly stared as the flame continued to flow, spreading outwards from the corner.

His focus was pulled from the flame, as it began to lick at his name. Written in Samisoni’s handwriting, but it looked slightly different to normal. It wasn’t the tidy and sharp-lined writing that Michael used to see in the office every day. Instead, it looked sloppy and rushed. He blinked a few times, quickly blew out the flame and patted out the embers. Only a small corner had burnt away completely. Michael gently opened up the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. He unfolded the letter and saw the first line, “Michael, I’m sorry.”

Michael picked up the half-full bottle of whisky and took a swig. Holding it to his lips, letting it warm his throat. He pulled the bottle away, gasping for air. His eyes watering. He began to read.

Michael, I’m sorry.

How did we get here? I don’t know who I am anymore. How have you managed to turn yourself into one of them? I tried. I really tried but I wasn’t able to like you were. All I hope is that it’s not too late for you like it is for me. I lost who I am. Who I was. I can’t see myself in the mirror anymore. Someone else is staring back at me. I used to be scared but now I’m numb. I took the entire bottle, and the world is fading now. I think that means I don’t have long left. I’ve made my choice now. I’ve accepted this is the end. Please remember who you are before your only choice is the same as mine. Do better than I did.

Please don’t think any less of me for this.

Samisoni

Michael read the letter again. Tears streaming down his face. He read it again and again until the tears filled his eyes, and he was no longer able to make out the words. Michael placed the letter on the coffee table. Still holding the half-drunken bottle of whisky in his other hand. He glanced between the bottle and the letter. A lone ray of sunlight burst through a gap in the curtain and cast the letter in a bright glow. Michael stood up and stumbled his way to the kitchen. He took one final look at the bottle and poured the last of the whisky down the drain.

Michael was standing out front of an old brick building, The plants in front of it showed the first glimpses of flowers. The blues, reds, and purples peeked out from the forest of green. Michael was unlike the vibrance of the flowers. He was dressed from head to toe in black, from his jumper down to the leggings he wore under his shorts. The only ounce of colour was the cork yoga mat that was draped over his shoulder. Birds whistled as they flew by where he was waiting. A short, slim man wearing a red beanie crossed the street towards him.

‘New guy! New guy! Michael!’

‘Hey, Jack.’

‘Wasn’t work shit today? Did you see the mess Simon made when he spilled that bucket of gravy?’

‘I didn’t.’

‘What an idiot, he won’t last more than a week.’

‘You shouldn’t be so harsh on him. He only started today.’

‘Lighten up. We laugh at all the new guys.’

‘Even me?’ said Michael, rubbing the back of his neck.

‘Even you. Remember how that customer yelled at you for a solid five minutes because you gave them a chicken burger when they ordered vegetarian?’

‘On my first day?’

‘Yeah, that one.’

‘What about it?’

‘That was us playing a prank on you. We had a good laugh about it for the rest of the day,’ said Jack with a grin that beamed from ear to ear.

‘That’s not funny, Jack!’

‘It was for us.’

‘Did they do that to you when you first started?’

‘They did. Got me good too.’

‘What prank did they play on you?’

‘The guy training me called the restaurant up on a private number and placed this giant order. I got it all entered in and ready to go. Waited for an order and no one came to collect it. I had no way of contacting them, so ended up having to pay for the order out of my own pocket. Put me out a hundred bucks and I didn’t get to eat any of it.’

‘Was that funny for you being on the receiving end of it?’

‘Yeah, it was a good laugh. Besides, I got him back even better.’

‘How so?’

‘He had a customer come in with a peanut allergy. So, when I saw that come through, I made sure to add a drop of peanut sauce to their food. The customer’s face blew up like a balloon, and they were taken away in an ambulance. The guy was fired at the same time.’

‘Why would you do something like that?’

‘I had to show them not to mess with me. No one has tried pranking me since.’ Jack’s wide grin still beaming. ‘What are you doing here anyway? Is that a yoga mat?’

‘It is. I take yoga classes every week. It helps clear my mind.’ Michael pulled the strap for his yoga mat higher up on his shoulder.

‘Hold up, hold up. No one asked for your life story. Yoga is for those wannabe Instagram models that drink pumpkin spice lattes, and you can’t tell me otherwise.’

‘You should give it a try sometime. I can guarantee you’ll change your mind after giving it a go.’

‘Not likely. I don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for some hippy to tell me to breathe and stretch. I could put that money to much better use. Like a couple of pints!’

‘It’s a lot harder than it looks. I can barely do some of the beginner poses. It feels like a workout but relaxing instead of an adrenaline rush.’

‘Even worse. I much prefer the hit of adrenaline. You should blow it off. I’m going drinking with the rest of the crew. You should come along and try to convert them to your yogi ways. We even invited Simon.’

‘No, thanks. I’d much prefer this over drinking and going to work hungover tomorrow.’

‘Come on. Don’t be such a downer. Drinking is way more fun than a silly yoga class.’

‘No, Jack. I’m not going to change my plans to listen to you guys harass Simon and me all night long.’

‘Suit yourself. I thought you were cool. Guess you’re a bust of a new hire too. You’re one dropped gravy bucket away from being on your way out.’

Jack dashed back across the street and around the corner into a dark alley. Michael was left by himself once again. A couple of birds chirped as they flew by, dancing around each other with a serene grace. Michael took another look at the alley that Jack had disappeared into before he made his way inside the brick building for his yoga class.

A warm breeze blew across Michael’s ears. The shaved sides of his head offered little protection. He clutched his yoga mat close to him. His bright yellow shirt matched the sunflowers along the side of the footbath. The streets were quiet bar the occasional runner with their dog. The aroma of freshly baked pastries wafted through the air and willed Michael to a multicoloured door. The Sunrise Café. A heavy smell of coffee greeted him as he opened the door and crossed the threshold to the cafe. Checking out the chalkboard menu of drinks, Michael slowly made his way to the counter.

‘What will you have?’ said the barista.

‘Could I have a latte, please?’

‘Any food?’

Michael scanned the cabinet filled to the brim with freshly made food, ‘A bagel too.’

‘That’s it?’

‘That’s…’ Michael took a proper look at the barista for the first time. ‘Jamie?’

‘Yeah, that’s my name. Good job, pal.’

‘It’s Michael.’

‘Damn, I can barely recognise you. It’s a good thing you got rid of that horrible hair you had before. You almost look normal now.’

‘Why aren’t you still at K.B. Insurance?’

‘You wouldn’t believe it. Some ungrateful tart complained to H.R. that I was sexually harassing her. She would have been lucky to have a piece of me.’ Jamie gestured to the EFTPOS machine for Michael to pay.

Fumbling through his wallet, Michael pulled out his card and swiped it across the machine.

‘Don’t you think you deserved that after everything you put people through?’

‘They were lucky to have me. They just turned soft, like you did after that selfish bastard Samisoni topped himself.’

‘I saw that I didn’t do enough to protect a friend from the likes of you. But no more.’ Michael clenched his fist before taking a long breath out.

The coffee machine kicked and roared. Hissing out steam, but no coffee.

‘Did you break the machine again, new guy?’ A familiar voice called out from the back room. Jack emerged, a beaming grin painting his face. ‘How many times are you going to break it before you finally leave, you good for nothing screw up?’ He smacked Jamie over the back of his head just hard enough that Michael could hear it from across the counter.

‘I-I didn’t do anything. It’s a crap machine and breaks by itself,’ said Jamie, rubbing his head.

‘That’s bullshit, take some responsibility for your uselessness.’

‘Jack?’ said Michael.

‘Oh, would you look at that? And you’re still doing yoga?’ said Jack, pointing at the yoga mat Michael was carrying.

‘I am, still some of the best classes I’ve ever done.’

‘Let me guess. You ordered a pumpkin spice latte. No wonder why the machine broke.’

‘We should name it Samisoni since it likes dying all the time,’ said Jamie.

‘Shut up, new guy. Finish the order on the other machine.’

‘You should start being more kind to people,’ said Michael. ‘You’ll find it more fulfilling.’

‘Pssh. I’d rather command them.’

‘At least stop attacking the new hires. That’s what got you fired before.’

‘What got me fired before was wusses like you and Simon complaining to the boss because you couldn’t take a joke.’

‘I’m sorry to see you haven’t been able to figure it out yet. I wasn’t going to let you get away with torturing us just for your own entertainment.’

‘Sounds like you’ve been doing too much yoga. It’s rotted your brain now.’

Jamie walked over with the coffee and bagel and placed them on the counter in front of Michael. ‘Here you go.’

‘Thanks, Jamie. Take care, both of you,’ said Michael as he picked up his order. He turned to leave and could hear Jack mumbling under his breath. He continued to the door and stepped out into the fresh breeze once again. The birds chirped as they flew past. Michael carried on his way, sipping at the steaming coffee and slowly eating his bagel, bite by bite.