Holiday

It’s a long weekend, 5:30 AM Saturday. The alarm doesn’t let me slip into the cracks of the deep sleep. I’ve to catch the bus on Customs St at 6:15 AM which is a 10 minutes brisk walk. The thought of packing my bag pulled me completely out of the bed. Time to shower!

The tiredness from the long working week, my body can still feel it. I just want to wash off the tiredness with the hot shower and, revive my body with the thoughts of how exciting the first day of the long weekend is going to be.

Coming out of the shower, I grabbed the t-shirt and the shorts lying on the couch. Looking at the phone I realised I’d got only 20 mins to catch the bus. Without wasting time, I started packing my bag. I opened the fridge to see if I can find something in case I don’t want to have lunch outside. There is a subway cookie and an apple. I packed them in a zip lock and threw it inside the bag. The sneakers are dirty and have no time to wash or maybe I’m just being lazy. I wore them anyway and barged out onto the main street.

It feels like I’m the only one in hurry on the street. Everyone else seems to be relaxed. To be honest there are not many people on the streets. It might be because of the naughty hangover from the Friday late-night party welcoming the long weekend.

I got onto the bus, everyone looking excited, the kids, the parents, the oldies in the front seats. A complete holiday vibe, I could feel it. I gazed at my t-shirt and realised I’m the odd one out here. Everyone else is in cottons and flip-flops. They dressed to reflect the summer season. But, I’m stuck with the black round neck with the logo of the place I work for. I wish I would have pulled another t-shirt from the wardrobe and not the one lying on the couch.

To distract me from the never-ending thoughts of my attire, I opened the Auckland library app on the phone and started reading the book I downloaded – “How to be successful”. I didn’t fall for the title, I want to see how wrong the author was in judging me as a reader. I took such a deep dive into the book, I almost forgot my destination has arrived and I should get down in 2 mins.

I got down from the bus. This place even though I’ve been here many times, always feels like I’m visiting it for the first time. It’s still a 10 min walk to the place. The walk on the beachside is very refreshing, especially during Summer weekends. I could see all sorts of people, some surfing, some swimming, others playing beach volleyball and kids making sandcastles. Everyone puts a great effort to entertain the people passing by. It’s a beautiful sight. I could see the cafe entrance, my buzzy brain tells me to get inside.

I greeted the person at the bill counter and marched towards the back door of the kitchen. I punched the access code and entered the kitchen, no time, I put on the apron and went behind the coffee machine to serve my first customer order.

Yes, it’s a long weekend and I work even on the weekend to pay my bills and the Uni fee.