A New Day

Justin woke up with a jolt, sitting up so fast in his bed he got dizzy for a second. He looked at his clock and saw that it was nearly noon already. He sat for a moment faintly remembering a dream about a girl he had met in the park. He stretched his arms and yawned, got out of bed, and immediately made his way into the kitchen to make coffee. He put a fresh pot in the grinder and set his maker to brew. At the kitchen table he opened up his lap top so he could check his Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter; the same exact thing he did every morning when he got up. As he poured himself a hot mug, he added four spoonfuls of sugar and some milk, sat back down, and saw a new message from his mother. She wanted to talk to him about his younger brothers wedding the following weekend. He let out an audible sigh and simply closed the message. As he sipped his coffee and looked out the window onto the street, he noticed his notebook and camera sitting on the counter next to the front door. He grabbed them both and walked out onto the balcony to smoke a cigarette, another morning ritual Justin went through before actually beginning his day.