2:00pm

I'd walked downstairs having finished work for the day, I passed the usual arrey of boxes of foodstuffs and drinks, trays and metal carts. I walked to the back of the storeroom to the coat hanger and grabbed my jacket. The manager was at the back, the second in comand as like to think of her.

"Cor, it's alright for some, swanning out of here at bang on two o'clock." She said seeing me in my jacket.

"Well, we can swap if you want."

"Sorry..." she replied, not hearing me that well.

"We can swap, I'll do your work and you can go home at two."

She stopped half way lifting a box up onto the shelf and replied with arms supporting it.

"You youngsters..." she began, I nearly opposed that thinking I'm almost the ripe old age of thrity, but thought better of it. "...don't have the energy anymore. I'm older than you lot and I keep going. People often ask me where I get the energy from" As she finished hositing the box onto the shelf.

"I've been working for this company for 23 years now" She continued.

"That's a long time" Most of my life I thought to myself. I remembered I had to ask her a question about the bank holiday.

"I finish at 6:45pm don't I?"

"Yeah, we've got plenty of people for the morning, but not many for the afternoon. That's fine for you isn't it?"

"yeah" I responded, feeling a bit put apon. It would have been nice to get some warning about the times I was doing before hand. They ask, but it always feels like they've set it in stone before you've opened your mouth. I kinda felt myself slipping into a cage. My freedoms fast disapearing, especially as my lady from china is here at the moment.

We moved toward the doors enclsoing the storeroom from the fridge freezers and the exit, I had to get my bag from the filing cabinet. I don't have a locker yet.

"Well, it's not like you have much of a choice is it." She carried on and I really felt my stomach not up as I saww myself slipping more and more into my choiceless world.

"Well, I've already agreed to do it haven't I?" I said, feeling a bit of honesty coming on. I'd said it was fine the other day. Little did I know my lady friend will have that day off...

"You know, you remind me of a friend of mine" She said, peering back round the corner at me. "He's got a similar shaved head as you."

"Nice" I said, rubbing my head "It's a good hair style" I carried on jokingly.

She left and went upstairs and I grabbed my bag feeling very much out of control of my life at the moment. Wondering where "I" fit into all of this.