Autumn Begins

Autumn begins with working or lurking in the office fridge, wondering who stole your lunch again. Winter comes with the gloss and the cross, and soon spring bounces in the fluff and stuff that makes your nose red and runny. Then, finally summer vacation where you get some time with limes on a beach in Mexico . Another year begins, then, and the whole circle goes round again. The same circle.

But Adam Tonuyoni was getting out of that repetitive circle that had ruled his life for the last seven years. After college, Adam got a good job at one of the leading firms in the city. However, he had had enough of office politics. It had gotten out of control in the last couple years; in fact it was right down pathetic. Seniority had gone out the window, and whoever was currently having an affair with the supervisor was getting the better paying positions in the office.

And as of five’ o’clock Friday afternoon, Adam was free of the corruption of the office where he had been the go-for for seven long years. He didn’t know what he would do afterwards, but he wasn’t worried about it yet. His great-aunt had recently bit the dust and left him a small fortune. So Adam was going on vacation. Adam was going home and going to see everything on the way. He would take as long as he wanted to get there, and stop as many times as he pleased. Looking at the atlas on the passenger seat of his car, he smiled to himself, glad to be getting away from where he was and going back to something he had been a long time ago.

Maybe he would stop in Minneapolis and catch a baseball game, or go shopping at the Mall or America . Maybe he would stop in Cleveland and check out the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. There were endless possibilities, and there was nothing more that Adam Tonuyoni wanted more than that.

Mary Gunderson