It was a day not unlike any other. I had stayed up late the night before, as usual, and slept in till around noon. I woke reluctantly, refusing to acknowledge that the insistent chirping had anything to do with me.
Fighting my way from beneath a mountain of cozy blankets, I braved the cold, one arm flailing about in search of the phone. I took my time, half hoping that whoever it was would give up after the twelfth ring or so, but no luck. On the fourteenth ring I located the ruthless machine, and silenced it by hitting the talk button.
"What?" One eye cracked open as I whined into the phone.
"Late night?" The voice at the other end giggled and I muttered under my breath. She laughed, and it sent a bolt of pain through my head. Great, another migraine.
"What's so good about it?" I fairly hissed in response to her bubbly good morning. She giggled again and reminded me of the day's plans.
"That's today?" I sighed and wrapped a sheet around myself as I dragged myself out of bed. "Fine, I'm up... I'll be in the shower."
I vaguely heard her saying something about not falling asleep again, but the phone was already on its way back to the cradle. I cracked the other eye open experimentally, then relaxed when the light didn't immediately send another bolt of pain through my head. I glared at the phone accusingly as I stood up "Traitor"
I grabbed a bottle from the medicine shelf, popping three of the pills into my mouth, hoping that they'd kill the day's headache before it had a chance to take residence. Sipped a handful of water from the sink to wash it down, and turned on the shower.
I longingly eyed the jet controls on the giant spa tub, but decided against it. Cheryl's warning about falling asleep had been a wise one, and I wasn't really in the mood to drown today. I wandered back into the bedroom, turning on the stereo as I tossed the sheet back in the direction of the bed.
I wandered down the hall to unlock the front door, knowing that my friend would be here before I was finished in the shower. Cranked up the heat on the way past the thermostat, and headed into the shower.
It was bliss, the water coming down around me in sheets, plastering my hair around my shoulders. I closed my eyes for a few minutes, imagining that I was in the rain forest, and the distant pounding could almost be mistaken for thunder.