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The events of the night before came flooding back to his memory.
He had done it again… and this time he was afraid he would truly lose his job.
Matt had gone out with his buddies… his drinking buddies… and he had bought a round for a couple of willing ladies at the bar. One thing led to another, and soon enough, one of those willing ladies came home with him.
Matt swore.
“Good morning to you, sunshine!”
Matt jumped out of bed, grabbed the closest pair of pants, and put them on as fast as he could. The woman lying in his bed sat up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Where are my shoes?” Matt asked as he swore again. “And what happened to my alarm clock? What time is it?”
“The light was glaring in my face, so I unplugged it, besides, who uses alarm clocks these days?”
Matt spat out a couple more swear words and located a pair of flip-flops in his closet. He grabbed his phone from the top of his dresser along with the keys to his truck.
“Someone needs his morning coffee,” the woman whined. She grabbed one of Matt’s T-shirts and put it on. “I’ll go make you some.”
Matt looked at his phone and saw the time. He was already late and he swore again. “Don’t have time… gotta go.”
“What?” she complained.
“Eat whatever and lock the door behind you.”
“Are you serious, Matt?” she asked.
Matt turned to look at the woman. “I’m late for work…” Matt paused trying to recall if he remembered her name.
“What’s my name, Matt?” she demanded.
Matt pinched his lips and felt badly that he couldn’t remember, but he had a more impending matter overtaking his brain… that of keeping his current job. “Sorry!” he uttered as he hurried out of his bedroom.
“Ahhhh!” she yelled as she took his alarm clock and hurled it at Matt’s head.
Matt figured he deserved her anger, but he honestly couldn’t recall the night before or how she even ended up in his bed. His life had been gradually spiraling downward over the last two years and any relationship he developed over those previous two years spiraled downward quicker.
The moment he parked his truck at the station and closed the door, his fire captain was waiting at the front door… arms crossed with a look of total disappointment. Matt was used to that look as his father had given it to him often enough over the last seven years of his life. This time Matt actually felt a twinge of regret because his captain worked with him for the last couple of years to help him stabilize his life.
“Sorry, Matt. My hands are tied.”
Matt nodded his head with understanding and tightened up his stance as the realization of getting fired was imminent.
“The battalion chief and union rep are already here and someone from the city council is on their way.”
“Yes, sir,” Matt replied.
“Mike wants to meet with you first. He’s in my office.”
“Thank you, sir,” Matt acknowledged. He followed the fire chief to his office and went in. The fire chief closed the door leaving him and Mike, the union representative, alone.
“Take a seat, Matt,” Mike directed as they both sat down. “You were so close to getting off probation. Talk to me. What happened?”
“Sorry, Mike. I know you and the chief have been there for me, but I guess it’s time for me to move on to something else.”
“You’re a great firefighter, with great potential to move up.”
