REDUNDANT

-Sunday

He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

It was only Sunday, but it reminded him that the first day of the jam-packed work filled week was now down to six days. One less then the original seven and this thought brought a slight smile to his face.

The stress from work had not build up enough to make him spontaneously combust like he hoped it would. He didn’t know if he could handle it anymore. All the repetition… the same, mindless boring routine everyday of his life. He believed his home, his girlfriend, and whatever was left of his outside, non-publicized life was the only thing that was saving him.

He looked at his surroundings. No diner on the table, no love of his life greeting him at the door with a warm smile… nothing. In fact, the house looked close to disserted, but he knew it wasn’t.

She slowly walked out of the bedroom and stretched her hands over her head. She yawned, rubbed her eyes and then turned toward his direction at the door.

“Sleeping?” he asked

She didn’t answer because the question was rhetorical.

“Why are you home so late?” she said as she wrapped her arms around her body to hide from the cold.

“I’m always home this late” he answered

“Yeah… I guess”

“I’m beat… everything today was hectic”

“Everything everyday is hectic Josh”

“I know… listen, I don’t want to fight tonight… I’ve already had a argument with Joey and Lance and I don’t need to start with you Claire”

“I wasn’t provoking a fight… why do you always try to read my mind like that,” she said, catching a bit of an attitude.

He rubbed his forehead “I’m sorry”

“No, don’t be Josh… you don’t have to be sorry”

“Let’s just go to bed”

She paused momentarily. She hated to go to bed when she was in a foul mood. She thought for a minute and decided to pretend nothing was wrong with the situation. She thought everything was fine and the argument was petty and they would work through it, somehow… sometime later on.

“I love you,” she finally said

“I love you too”

-Monday

He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

It was only Monday, but he had survived it.

The stress was still pounding at his head, clawing up his insides. He needed to relax, sit back and let his life become defunct for a while, but he knew that would be like asking for the impossible.

He looked around the dark empty house. He waited for her to walk out of the bedroom with a sleep-filled expression on her face and sure enough she did.

She stretched her arms up in the arm.

“I think work is gonna kill me” he said with a bit of a laugh

“I don’t think that’s funny at all,” she said

He regretted the laugh at the end of his statement. If only he could turn back time for an instance and remove it. But once again, that would be the equivalent of asking for the impossible.

He had nothing to say to her.

Nor did she have anything to say to him. They stood in the silence.

“You never have time for me anymore” she finally blurted out

“Jesus Claire, you know things are just really chaotic for these three months”

“And the other nine months… still chaotic, but just not as much, right?”

He rolled his eyes and mumbled “I don’t want to be having this fight right now”

“I’m sorry… it’s just that I feel really alone right now”

“Your not… don’t worry… things will be okay… I promise”

“I love you so much Josh”

“I love you too”

-Tuesday

He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

It was just Tuesday, but he had managed to make it through the day.

He looked around at the familiar house that he had grown so accustom to. He waited for Claire to walk in from the bedroom like she did every time he got home from work.

Her appearance soon after his initial thoughts of her entering the room didn’t shock him in the least bit.

“How about tonight we just don’t talk and go to bed”

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the ground in a state of annoyance. “Fine… now we don’t even have time to talk”

He rolled his eyes. “You know I didn’t mean it like that… I just don’t want to fight”

“Too late for that one” she mumbled

He laughed “My life… it’s SUCH a trip huh?”

She squinted her eyes. “What to you mean?” she asked.

“I mean, I go to work… sometimes I don’t even know why I want to go anymore, because I’m tired of putting up with everybody’s bullshit and acting happy all the damn time when I’m not. Then I come home and expect you to understand how I’m feeling but obviously you don’t… at all”

“Honey, I know it’s a lot on your back, and you’re constantly under a lot of pressure, but I just don’t know what to do with my time. I mean, it seems like you have no other concept of time other then it’s flying, and I don’t really think it’s fair on my part, but I love you way to much to just give it all up. Right now giving it all up isn’t even close to an option”

“I know I know, it’s hard to manage… but I love you too”

-Wednesday

He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

It was only Wednesday, but he had accomplished the task of completing the work filled day.

He sighed. He knew she would walk out of the door, he knew they would get into a petty little argument, he knew in the end they would confess their love and pretend everything was ok. Was Claire thinking the same thing?

“Justin called five minutes ago, you have to go back,” she said, and he could tell this upset her by the tone of her voice.

He rubbed his forehead and turned to leave.

“Do you have to go?” she asked with impatience

“You know… I figured sometime something like this was going to happen because it seemed like we were running out of things to fight about… what’s next, you verse my mother?”

She rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that… everything is just… out of order, and it’s all coming at me from every direction except yours and I shouldn’t take it out on you like that”

“You’re right… I’m sorry too… for everything… remember that I love you JC”

“I love you too”

-Thursday

He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

It was only Thursday, but he had somehow managed to crawl through the day with thoughts of Friday on his mind.

He looked around the house. He counted in his mind… 1… 2…

On three she walked out of the bedroom.

Stretch above the head. Long yawn.

“I’m tired,” he said

“Yeah… work takes a lot out of you huh,” she asked

It was rhetorical; he felt no need to answer.

“Fine… then just ignore me”

“Claire. It was a rhetorical question”

“You could have at least bull shitted about it… I wouldn’t have cared. We don’t even talk anymore. You come home… we fight… we say our ‘I love you’s’ and then we go to bed”

“It’ll get better, its just… hard right now… I really got to work hard for the tour, and it’s a lot of pressure”

“This is stupid”

“I don’t want to fight”

“Neither do I”

“I love you”

“I love you too Josh”

-Friday

He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

It was Friday, and there was only one more day to go until everything stated all over again.

He looked around and awaited Claire’s arrival.

She came in. They fought for a little bit about his job, how he never had time for her anymore.

Eventually, they apologized. Claire was the first to confess her love, like she always was and then JC right after her:

“I love you so much JC”

“I love you too”

-Saturday

He entered the house and shut the door behind him.

It was Saturday, he rejoiced because it was the final day of the hectic week. But he also mourned because a new one, probably just as hectic was only a day away.

The house seemed empty, like it always did.

Claire was not waiting at the door for him, but he knew what was coming next:

Timed entrance from Claire.

Stretch. Yawn.

Stupid Fight.

I love you.

I love you too.

This story was ever so humbly inspired by the song “redundant” by Green Day. To find a copy of the lyrics for further insight on the story, then please indulge yourself by clicking right here.