Sarah was endlessly tired. It had nothing to do with being a "night owl" or other nonsense - she was always exhausted, always thinking of a dim room with a cotton comforter. "How did I get here?" she wondered. Time was, her days were filled with challenges, her nights with mai-tais and pick up lines. Now she planned weekends around sleeping in and watching TV with a pillow propped behind her.
Maybe it was when Penny died. She still thought of Penny as her first roommate, her first confidant outside of childhood friends. Being a dog didn't hinder Penny from comforting Sarah through other tragedies. Who could comfort her through Penny's disease and passing? Even 2 years later, just the thought made her eyes water, as her mind darted to the top of the linen closet where all of Penny's chewed toys and ratty blankets still lay enshrined.
Perhaps it was her job. She'd made the leap into the real marketing game, giving presentations at broad-based meetings on concepts that had taken weeks of research and dozens of drafts. Sarah had made a name for herself at the firm quickly after coming on board, but she could feel her drive - and her clout - slipping away. Her speeches now lacked the punch of a rising star. Thinking about how much you wish you were in bed won't help you sell your ideas.
Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't dated anyone since she'd ended high school. Of course guys had hit on her - she was female and at least pretty enough that someone would see a prospect there - and she used to love the club scene. Dancing in the strobes between the crush of bodies had always been exhilerating, but the idea of bringing a guy home afterwards never seemed tempting enough. There was a long period where Sarah considered that she might be gay, but no spark of interest bloomed in that area either. She had come to accept her lack of sexual drive, but perhaps it had undermined her in ways she was only beginning to notice?
The alarm went off for the third time. Sarah reached slowly for the clock and tugged the plug out of the wall. Then she reached for her phone and dialed her employer. No, she wasn't coming in today. More of the same, yes. Hopefully tomorrow.
Sarah rolled over and went back to sleep.
Heh, totally uneven, but a fun exercise nonetheless. 