The Cold

I do nothing of any importance, nothing important at all, not even a thing that has anything to do with anything of any importance. But still, I'm getting paid to do this. I'm not getting paid a lot. Actually, I'm hardly getting paid at all. To be quite frank, the money I get is so little, that my job is fairly important according to what I'm getting paid. But my salary is fair according to what I'm getting paid to do. So I can't really complain or anything. I don't know how to be more exact; I do nothing, but also getting paid nothing. I'm going to simplify that even more to you - not only do I not get to be happy with my salary, I have no fun whatsoever at work.

I say that, in order to explain to you how extremely unhappy I am at work. I'm only saying how unhappy I am so you can understand why sometimes a man has to search for other things that will make him happy. I mean I'm not exactly a man, but you know what I mean.

The story I'm about to unfold has no real hero. I mean, it should have been me (the hero, that is) but I'm not a real hero, lets face it. So, if you want a story about a real hero, read another story.

Here.

You can quite now.

Read another story.

Go ahead; read another story, what are you waiting for?

O.K., I warned you.

On the day my story begins (and also ends, don't worry, it's not such a big story), my boss asked me to fix the freezer and clean it. He wasn't punishing me or anything, really. He didn't even know I don't like freezers. As a matter of fact, he was never unhappy with my work. And when he was, he would shout and I would fix that immediately. Fixing and cleaning the freezer was a part of work. Besides, I was already used to the freezers anyway. He also let me keep the door open, as long as the temperature is in the normal range.

Well, they have these big, huge freezers at work. It's like you get in there with your whole body and you have to wear a special coat to do that. When I just began to work there, I was afraid to get into these freezers. I mean they were so big, and so cold. So, in the beginning, I would leave the door open. But my boss began to shout at me. I realized I can't leave the door open. So, I had to shut the door. I would avoid going to the freezer. I mean I wouldn't refuse to go there or anything, coz you know how it is with bosses. The minute you don't like doing something, you have to do it over and over again, until you don't even care. But I would volunteer to do other things, like getting children's meal packages from the store. There were roaches in the store. But I didn't mind that too much. I mean I don't like roaches. I don't like them one bit. I'm


not like those boys who feed roaches and grow them as their pets in order to frighten girls. But if you asked me, I'd say I prefer roaches than the cold.

Anyway, you know these movies where people get locked up in a place, and they manage to unlock themselves? Well, every time I went into that freezer, I was searching for a way to get freed in case I ever get locked there myself. I knew I had to hide my thoughts. I mean if any of my friends would know I cared about being in the freezer, they would lock me up immediately. They always leaned on the door when someone tried to come out of the freezer. But they would let him out eventually. They also did it to me once, more than once actually. But I knew they were just joking. I knew they would let me out eventually. And they always did. These people have no courage, indeed. It's a good thing they have no courage. My mother says we would all be dead if we did.


It was after closing time that I began to clean the freezer. This job was not given to me as a punishment, but could have been a great punishment for a rebel student in a boarding school for special students. I had to work in columns. I had to move every column of boxes to the other side, wipe the meat leftovers, and wash the floor. Then I had to wax the walls of the freezer. Sometimes the rag got stuck to the wall of the freezer from the cold. I had to use my fingers to free the damn rug. Than my fingers would stick to it. I was working with nylon gloves, and those didn't protect me too much from the cold. And it was cold.

Took me two and a half hours to finish cleaning the damn freezer. I fixed it anew. I checked it myself before I called my boss to take a look at the work. The freezer was shiny. The boxes were fixed, one upon the other, in columns, and in FIFO. First in, first out, by dates. I closed the open boxes and put them on top of the others, marked, so the workers would know from where to take the meat first.

As I walked out of the freezer, I realized all the other workers were gone, except for the boss who was counting the money and writing a report about how much is left in the safe. It was already 2:30 a.m., late enough for my mother to worry about me, even though she knew I did an evening shift. I mean it wasn't exactly evening by the time I went home but there were morning shifts and evening shift, so it was an evening shift.

My boss noticed I finished cleaning and quit his counting in order to check the work. It was quite generous of him to quit counting for me. I mean, if he hadn't quit, I would have to wait until he finishes counting before he'd let me go home. So he was quite thoughtful. After all, he was a worker like me. I mean he also had a boss.

He walked inside the freezer and began to scan the space. As he did, he waved his head and twisted his lips. Then he turned around to look at me.

"Looks like a fine job you did here" He said. I was proud. It wasn't easy to have my boss complimenting on a job. I mean it's not that he was this big bad man, but he demanded the job to be done perfectly. He knew I never fuck up so he allowed himself to give me a compliment even before he checked it thoroughly. But of course, he checked it thoroughly.

I didn't mind him checking at every spot. I mean a boss has to check after his workers. He has to see the job is done right. As a matter of fact, I kind of liked it when he bent over and down to the floor in order to look under the boxes of meat, to see if there's any dirt underneath it. Naturally, he found nothing.

I'm a lazy person. You must be reading this story, thinking I'm some kind of a perfectionist. I'm not, really. But at work I learned quickly something my mom tried to teach me for years at home: A lazy person should always do the job slowly and precisely so he won't have to do it over and over again.

I looked at my boss, bent, reaching his hand under the trays with the meat boxes and returning it empty. It made me smile. I mean I didn't actually smile. To be quite frank I was standing there with quite a severe expression. But I smiled that kind of smile that comes from within.

The action came as naturally and instinctively as breathing to me. I mean I was scared like shit the moment I did it. But the decision was so quick, that it was natural. I couldn't even hear his screams from the outside. I mean the freezers door was wide enough. But I'm sure he was screaming. I mean, at first he must have thought it was some kind of a trick, but when I turned the key inside the lock he must have realized it.  

I was a little stressed when I did that. I mean, I was stressed, real stressed. It wasn't a revenge or anything. I mean I didn't like my boss. Nobody likes his boss. But I didn't hate him. I mean he didn't do anything to me personally. I mean he did, but it was never personal. That's just his job. I mean I know why I was always scared. I knew I'd get locked up in the fridge someday if I were him. It's not like it deserved him or anything, but I had to. I mean, knowing he's closed in there, I felt really happy. Too bad no one was there to see it.

You must be wondering now: Did I let him go? I mean this shit is fun for a moment, but then you have to let them go, right? Well I didn't. I mean I was thinking about doing it, but I didn't have the courage to face him. He would fire me at once, I believe. I mean he didn't have that authority (to fire me) but he would make his boss do it. I mean he liked me and everything, but after such a thing... I would fire myself if I were him. But I weren't. So I left him in.

It turned cold.