The Machinist

The bell had rung, and all the students of the high school had begun to bleed out of the flat building to load into the circle of buses that awaited them. It was a friday; one of the many identical days of frigid February, distinguished only by the aura of happiness the student body was exhuming - a happiness that only a prospective weekend could bring.

Eric, a senior who was able to leave slightly earlier than most other students, sat in his car and watched as the specks disapeared into the yellow vehicles. He liked to let them leave first, it was calming to observe everybody, like how a silent mechanic would admire a machine's moving parts. With all the people stowed away, the buses took off out of the parking lot and went down the highway in a line. After admiring the emptiness of the previously crowded place another minute, Eric started his Mitsubishi Montero and began to drive. Instead of making a right at the upcoming light, as the buses had, he made a left. Sometimes he did this. It went the opposite direction from his house, and led to the more urban area of Long Island. He wasn't exactly sure where he wanted to go, but that wasn't the point.


As he drove down the highway, he watched all the people walking on the side of the road, and wondered what they were doing, and where they were going. After several minutes of driving, Eric decided to see a movie, and started heading towards the nearest theater. The sun was beginning to wane, lighting the sky ablaze and enveloping everything in a twilight light. This was his favorite place to be - in his car, alone, with the world locked in the ethereal grasp of sunset. A traffic light at the bottom of hill turned red. It was always red when he got there. All the cars in the lanes next to him stopped as well, and they spewed heavy white fumes into the frosty air. The view from this spot was nice, it unveiled the long highway ahead, with the red and white car lights stretching forever. Both sides of the road were lined with shopping centers and fast food places, florists and funeral parlors. To Eric, everything seemed real enough. The cold chilled, the streetlights illuminated, the SUV's growled - yet at the same time, this soberingly clear landscape had the essence of being fake. It was almost like a lucid dream.

The light turned green, and the cars lurched forward gradually, until Eric was at a good speed. He started to fall into a driving-trance watching the lights blur past him, and almost passed the turn into the theater's parking lot. He pulled into a parking spot, turned off the car, and closed his eyes. When he woke up, the time was 11:22pm. It was a good sleep.

There was still time to catch a 11:30 movie, so he walked briskly into the theater. It was empty, with the exception of a bored looking kid sitting in the red velvet box office. There was only one movie that looked vaguely good, so he chose that one. After handing the kid the money, he proceeded to where it was playing. A man behind the long concession stand watched on intently as he walked by. Eric decided he didn't like the guy. The small room was empty, except for a young couple sitting together on the other side of the aisle. The lights dimmed just as he sat down. Eric was glad he was shrouded in darkness, away from the couple's vision.

The movie was alright. It was 1:05 when he got out, and he was feeling hungry. Among the many nearby food places, he chose a lonely little chinese food joint, and drove over to it. A tired asian girl sat at the counter, and Eric ordered some chow mein. It came back a few minutes later, and he took it to one of the circular tables that faced the highway. The noodles sent curls of steam into the air. A large dead bug lay upside-down on the dirty floor under his table, with it's fragile legs extended. As he ate, he watched the few cars that were still out pass by. It was a fine night.