Snippet #1534877

Sergio was awakened by the shrill beeping of his phone and he fidgeted irritably under his pillow to find the squeaking electronic device. He pushed a random button and the noise stopped, leaving him in total silence. It was still dark in his room but he could see the first signs of light beginning to penetrate his curtains and giving the room an eerie feeling. He felt wiped out, his body was stiff and his mind was sluggish as he looked around the room briefly before throwing his legs off the side of the bed. He sat there for several minutes as his brain awoke, debating whether he should go jogging today. He did so every morning but today was different. His body didn't feel like his own. Was it the previous day's training? That must be it. he thought to himself. He'd been pushing himself extra hard lately and was sleeping a lot less than he usually did. He stood up slowly and made his way out his small room, turned left and pushed open the door to the bathroom. Once there he took a quick shower to wake himself up and jumped out only to find he'd forgotten his towel. He gathered all his clothes and pressed them against his groin as he scampered into the hallway and back into his room.

"Kün is that you?" He heard as he was about to close the door. Opening it slightly he stuck his head out the corridor, seeing his mother out of bed already.

"It's always me mamá."

"Oh, you're up early today. I'm going back to sleep. Try to keep it down okay." She didn't wait for his reply as she disappeared into the darkness of the corridor and subsequently her own room. Sergio closed the door and quickly changed into a pair of dark blue jeans with a white tee, on top of which he wore a red Liverpool FC sweater. He walked over to his curtains and slowly drew them open letting the early morning light enter his room. Slipping on his bedroom slippers he began to clean, starting with his room and eventually moving out into the hallway, the bathroom, kitchen and finally the living room. By the time he was done he glanced at the time on a wall mounted clock above the dimly lit image of Mary, mother of Jesus. There was still time to make breakfast. He proceeded into the kitchen and spent the next 45 minutes preparing a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs, beans, canned pork and toast. He set his own plate at the small kitchen table, leaving his mother's portion in the oven to stay warm. He quickly gulped down the meal as he sat in silence, the only sound in the entire flat being the light clinking of a metal fork on his plate. When he was done he washed up the dishes swiftly and proceeded back upstairs to gather his school things. He had so much time this morning because of not going out to jog and he considered walking to school rather than taking the bus today. After collecting his books and kit for the day he proceeded to the living room and grabbed one of two sets of keys to him home.

"Mamá, I'm leaving!" He shouted as he unlocked the front door. There was a rapid succession of padded footsteps as Sergio's mother appeared behind him.

"Take care." She said half sleepy but 100% genuine as she licked the palm of her hand and attempted to straighten out his hair.

"Mamá, please!" He said as he dodged the attempt and darted out the door, irritated but feeling loved and needed. He smiled as he descended the long flight of steps to the ground floor where he was greeted by the guard, who simply touched his hat as Sergio walked out into the morning sun. It was a beautiful day out and he still had plenty of time to spare. Throwing his satchel over one shoulder he strode down the busy street with every other pedestrian in River City.