The morning was already tough for Ron, and it had barely started. He was groggy as hell, still trying to shake the sleep from his eyes after his morning shower. That last drink at Keith's had really done a number on his head. But he hadn't even drank as much as he normally did! It almost reminded him of his first time trying booze, so many years ago...
And it didn't help that his wife Tina had been on his case all morning. She never nagged him this much, especially in the mornings. But now it was like she was totally invested in his morning routine - hurrying him along, checking his progress; almost as much doting as she gave their teenage daughter, Allie. Why was she so concerned?
"I just don't want you to be late again, sweetie," she'd said, like it was a habit or something. Ron made it a point to be punctual, so he couldn't figure out what was bugging her so much. Maybe she noticed how his head was out-of-sorts, but she didn't need to be so pushy!
Tina had gone off to help Allie with something - girl stuff no doubt - which gave Ron a few moments of peace to get dressed. Towel around his waist, he shuffled through the suits in his closet. Grey... black... blue... tan... for some reason it all seemed so boring. Wearing the same monkey suit every day. If only there was a little more variety. Then, his hand stopped as something caught his eye.
There, hanging between his drab suit, was definitely something different. A pair of high-waisted short shorts, cut from a shimmery black material, and gold buttons up the sides. He chuckled at the sight. Tina must've accidentally hung something from Allie's wardrobe in his closet. But still, his eyes lingered on it, just for a moment... but he really had to get moving!
He was just finishing tying his tie when Tina returned to the bedroom.
"Oh good, you're almost ready. Keith will probably be here to pick you up soon... I hope!"
"Keith's always on time! Don't worry. Oh hey - I think you hung a pair of Allie's shorts in my closet by mistake," he said, pulling out the garment to show her.
"No I didn't, that's yours. Definitely not her size!"
Ron laughed. "Yeah, I thought they looked bigger. But seriously, where did they come from?"
"Don't be coy, Ron. They're yours!"
"Why on earth would I be caught dead in a pair of shorts like this!" he said, feeling exasperated.
"Honey are we really going to go through this now? You practically begged me for something like that after seeing that Taylor Swift concert! I swear I can never keep up with these changing trends anymore."
"Taylor Swift? What are you -" Ron had so many questions, but was cut short by a car horn blaring outside.
"We can finish this conversation later," Tina said, "You've gotta get going." Despite his protestations, she managed to usher him out of the bedroom and to the front door.
"What the hell is going on..." Ron mumbled to himself as he made his way to Keith's car, and when he sat in the passenger's seat his thoughts were immediately drowned out by thumping bass.
"Woah! Can you turn that down?!" he shouted. Keith quickly silenced the radio. Weird, they normally listened to the morning's market reports during the commute.
"You OK, bud?" Keith asked as Ron pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, trying to shake his nagging grogginess. "You look like you had one too many last night."
"Yeah I dunno. Things have been weird all morning. I just want to get to the office and get through the day."
"Yeah no problem, bro." Keith said, and the car lurched forward unexpectedly, speeding off down the street.
Ron opened his eyes at the sudden movement - Keith was usually the most cautious driver he knew - and once he took a look at his friend behind the wheel, just stared.
"What's the matter?" Keith asked. Ron wasn't sure what to say. Didn't he realize that he had a pair of lustrous pearl stud earrings hanging off his earlobes??
