day by day, step by step...

[AIDEN MORALES]

Swear to shake it up, if you swear to listen.



Oh, we're still so young, desperate for attention
I aim to be, your eyes,
trophy boys, trophy wives.

It was early morning, still dark outside but the street lights had already begun to turn themselves off, flickering in exhaustion. The birds were singing lonely songs to the sun, wishing that it would rise soon and warm the brisk day with its light. Other than the occasional car that lazily passed through the neighborhood, its occupant undoubtably drinking their morning coffee, Sunset Hills was a quiet subdivision before the sun broke through the dark sky.

A door in the neighborhood creaked shut, careful not to disturb the other residents. The owner of the door, and the house it belonged to, made his way down the driveway and to the sidewalk, following some morning routine with faithful accuracy.

Click. Click. Click.

A walking cane tapped the sidewalk aberrantly accompanied by the soft footfalls of the man's work shoes. Today was the same as yesterday, and the day before, and tomorrow as well. It was time for Aiden Morales to make his way to work.

The day began with all the normal morning routines - hygiene, clothing, breakfast, lock house - and now Aiden followed his regular path to work, leading the way with his cane. As he walked, he heard a family preparing for their day, the parents shouting at their sleepy teenagers to get up, the conversation leaking out of the house through an open window. A dog defended his territory loudly as Aiden neared the high school, barking at the intruder who dared to approach his dominion. An early jogger bumped him on the street, mumbling a quiet apology as she passed the man.

Reaching his destination, Aiden sat down in wait under the overhang of a metro bus awning. A beeping of his watch told him that it was 5:43 am, very nearly time for the bus to arrive. The sun had begun to arise, bringing light to the world. Now, you could see the man more easily, his jeans no longer blended in with the bench and his white shirt and dark brown jacket shouted out in stark contrast.

The creaking brakes of the bus heralded its arrival, and Aiden rose, his cane clicking on the sidewalk.

"Good morning, Mr. Aiden. How are you today? The bus operator smiled at the man from his seat, fluorescent lighting illuminated the vehicle, streaming onto the still-dim street.

Smiling in return, Aiden entered, stepping carefully up the steps like a cat who found a puddle. He pulled out his wallet and touched it to a sensor, which registered his metro card with a loud beep.

"Good, good, thank you. And yourself?"

The doors of the bus closed with a sigh as the operator replied.

"Very good. Your usual seat's available, as always."

Aiden nodded in appreciation, sitting down and folding up his cane as he settled in. The operator observed, then turned back to the wheel when he was satisfied that Aiden was set. You came across many unusual people driving in public transportation, and often you had very regular customers, but few were as polite as Aiden Morales.

As comfortable as he could be in a public bus, Aiden faced the window, listening to the sounds of the bus. He heard another passenger shuffle some papers and the scraping of what he assumed to be luggage.

The sun rose in a brilliant flare across the sky, illuminating the man's face in light. Feeling the warmth on his face, Aiden silently wished for the millionth time that he could see the sunrise. It'd been described to him before, but color had no meaning to Aiden.

It was only a dream, a fantasy that would never come true, and to Aiden, it seemed that only those who can see the world can dream in technicolor.

It just wasn't fair.