by Michael Brumfield

Created on: December 16, 2009

Steam from the shower filled the tiny bathroom. It wasn't much bigger than a walk in closet but it was more than enough space for Jake Spencer. He was a 34 year old man who lived alone and liked it that way. He had never felt the need or want of companionship with a woman or a man. He had no friends to speak of and couldn't remember ever going on a date in his adult life. Early on he had decided that these things just didn't apply to a person like him. Jake was special as far as others were concerned but they didn't understand how right they truly were.

Even with only having the intellect of a tenth grade student in high school he maintained his life exceptionally well. Jake worked a full time job. Granted he was only a dish washer for a high class restaurant down town but he had held that job for over 12 long hard years now and had never missed a day. Jake had never even been late in all that time. He paid his own bills, did his own cleaning and prepared his own meals. Jake prided himself on being a loner because he had been told his entire life that he would be reliant on others his entire life.

The shower turned off and the steam stopped billowing out from behind the curtain. Jake reach out and grabbed a towel from the rack and began to dry himself off. He carefully patted the water off of his skin and wiped the moisture off the surface of the small mirror above his bathroom sink. Jake knew that he wasn't what most people would consider handsome but he took pride in keeping himself presentable. Carefully he stared at his own reflection drawing a razor over his cheeks and chin. The thin hair rolled away from his soft skin leaving it smooth and clean. Jake took pride in completing this small task without  nicking himself. He carefully put gel into his hair and sculpted it in the same way he had every day since high school. One of the nicer more popular boys had taught him how to do it one day in the bathroom. He had received so many compliments on his hair that day that he had cried. Jenny Spangler had even told him he was handsome and given him a kiss on his cheek. He brushed his teeth vigorously making sure to pay special attention to those teeth way in the back of his mouth.

Jake carefully put his clothes on making sure not to get deodorant residue on his clean pressed shirt. He readjusted his pants several times before he was satisfied with the way that they hung on his slender hips. Jake then tucked his shirt into his pants and straightened the wrinkles in the front of his shirt using his thumbs. He then added the last final touch by spraying a little colon on his neck and wrists. 

Jake leaned in close to the mirror and stared deeply into his own reflections eyes. The dark rich brown bounced his own reflections reflection back again. It was like holding a mirror up to a mirror and watching the reflections grow smaller each time.

 "Jake," a voice from outside the bathroom rang out breaking his concentration. "You're going to be late for school if you don't hurry."

Jake shook his head and glanced back into the mirror. There he stood staring back at himself still a teenager in high school. A single tear rolled down his cheek and dripped into the sink below him. Jake brushed the wet trail that the tear left away with the back of his hand. He knew right then that his life was going to be more than what others expected but exactly what he knew he was capable of. "I'm coming down now Mom." Jake smiled at himself in the mirror as he turned to walk out of the bathroom flipping the light switch off as he did so and closed the door behind him.     

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