Everything remains

I sit, sipping my coffee. Briefly, I peer around the large screen in front of me, and look out the window. I watch a small robin lands on the concrete walkway. I wonder how many times its landed there. Is it happy? I look up at the clouds, slightly overcast, I think. Maybe 75 degrees? As I'm trying to decipher the weather, a person approaches the door. Ding-Dong, the buzzer at the door shrieks as the glass door opens.

A tall, slender woman with jet black hair and a long red dress walks in. Her dress has a slight wrinkle on the left hand side, but I don't pay too much attention to it. Behind her a little girl follows, taking shelter behind the woman.

"Hello!" I say in an upbeat voice for the hundredth time of the day. I'm even surprised by how shrill and annoyed I sound.

"Hi, we're here for an appointment," the woman says in a dull tone. Her voice is rough and grainy. I notice dark circles that swirl around her eyes, and something tells me it has to do with the kid.

"Okay, and who is the appointment for?" The question is automatic. I have become so used to repeating it that I don't even have to think anymore. I'm a robot, what am I even doing here?

It's a question I've too often pondered. Why don't I leave, I'll ask myself. It's not like there's really anything in Vermont for me. I could pack up tonight, be gone tomorrow. I could go to New York like I'd always hoped, and get a job at a restaurant until I make it as an actor. You know, I think I might do it. Wait, what if I can't make it? What would my parents think if I left everything I've ever had behind. I can't go, I'm making a living here. I have an OK life!

Just like that, it becomes a passing thought. It gets pushed completely out of my head, and I return to work. "It's for Cassie" she mumbles. Leaning close, she whispers "she has to get a tooth out, the poor baby!"

I scroll down the page on the giant screen until I find Cassie. 11:45 AM, CASSIE ROGERS, I click on it, and the name becomes highlighted in green. "She'll be fine," I absentmindedly respond. "Okay, she's all checked in. Please just sit in the waiting room and her name will be called out soon."

The woman lets out a dissatisfied grunt, and returns to her daughter. I find my eyes wandering back outside. Slightly overcast, I think. A robin lands on the concrete, and I wonder if it's happy. A person approaches the door, and everything remains.