Ryan rushed out of his house. He was running late. Of all days, why was today the one day his alarm didn’t go off. Did he dream he turned it off in the middle of the night, or did he actually wake up and turn it off? It had never happened before. Why did it have to happen today?!

He ran to the subway station near his house. Pulling his jacket on as he ran down the sidewalk. He must have looked like a crazy person – jacket half on, tie flapping over his shoulder, bagel in his mouth, cup of coffee and his briefcase in his hand not in his coat.

He got onto the subway on time. He breathed a sigh of relief as he was able to slowly finish his breakfast. He straightened his tie and smoothed out his jacket. He used the window to make sure his hair was ok. A few people were snickering around him but he must have looked a little silly using the mirror to check himself.

As he stepped off the subway, he put a mouthwash strip in his mouth and let it dissolve. Thankfully he didn’t have to find a bathroom to freshen up his breath. He made it to his stop a few minutes earlier than he had planned. All this rushing this morning had paid off.

Ryan checked the GPS on his phone and followed it the two blocks to his destination. Today was his third interview with this company. It was the perfect company for him and his skills. He had already aced the phone interview, and a video chat interview. This was the final step. He had to impress the board and prove that he could fit into their offices.

He stood for a moment before going into the building. He was ready for this. He had been preparing for a week and he knew that he was going to do great!

He stepped out of the elevator and the receptionist smiled at him. Maybe a little too big of a smile. She was just about to tell him where to go when the head of HR came around the corner. She was the one who he had the video chat interview with, and he recognized her right away.

Ryan turned to thank the receptionist for her help, when she locked eyes with him. She quickly moved her finger and made a quick pointing motion towards Ryan’s pants. Ryan, puzzled, looked down. Did he spill some coffee on them while he was rushing this morning?

As he looked down, he was horrified to see the ends of this shirt sticking out from where his zipper was done up. He snapped his head back to look at the receptionist. She shook her head to show she didn’t think the HR manager had noticed. Ryan moved his briefcase in front of himself and followed the HR manager into the conference room where his interview was about to happen. Wishing with all his might that he would be able to make it out without anyone noticing.

For those of you just stopping by, this post is being written in participation of the A to Z challenge. No Love For Fatties will resume regular posts as of May 1st. Until then, enjoy a new short story every day of the month! If you are stopping by from A to Z, let me know by leaving a comment in the section below!