The Day Everything Went Wrong

A man loses his job, his shoe, and his love, learning rock bottom has no shoes.

The morning started with Marcus spilling coffee across his only clean shirt. He muttered a curse, grabbed a jacket to cover the stain, and hurried to work, already late. The day only got worse when his boss called him into the office. Words like “downsizing” and “not your fault” were read off a paper in the same tone one might read a weather report. Marcus sat there numb, then left with a cardboard box full of his things.

Outside, the city felt too loud, too bright. A horn blared as he absentmindedly stepped too close to traffic, making him jump back onto the curb. His shoelace caught in a storm drain, and in one furious tug, the shoe slipped off and disappeared into the rushing water below. He stared at the soggy sock now soaking through on the pavement and laughed bitterly. Of course.

By the time he limped home, one shoe lighter and socks squishing, he only wanted silence. Instead, he found his girlfriend waiting by the door with that expression he’d been dreading for weeks. She didn’t waste time. “Marcus, this isn’t working anymore. I can’t keep doing this.” Her voice was calm, steady, and final. She left her key on the table, gave him a look that was almost pity, and walked out.

Marcus dropped onto the couch, wet sock pressed to the carpet, and stared at the ceiling. He thought about the shoe, the horn, the job, the coffee stain. All of it piling up into one miserable heap. The day had stripped him down to nothing. But as the silence stretched on, Marcus realized there was only one direction left...forward. Even if it meant barefoot.

Word Count: 281
Prompt: Write a story that includes the words: jump, read, horn
Written for: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"