The Caveat

Based on a true story           Punk rock blared in my earbuds. The light flickered as I pushed my broom into the corner of a long hallway, creating a mound of scholastic dust and debris. Having been pulled from my daydream, I turned to see my supervisor standing by the light switch, wearing his grey mustache and a half-grin. My boss, Dave, had come upstairs to send me to the auditorium to clean up after that day's assembly. Cleaning the auditorium wasn't part of my nightly assignments. But fellow janitor Gary had called out, so I was voluntold.    It was the late summer of 2022. I was a 23-year-old college dropout, humbled by the full-time challenge of working the night shift as a middle school janitor. My first week on the job was the school's first week back in session. I found joy and escape in podcasts and music - constantly daydreaming about a more cushy, lavish life. I was lost and stuck in a routine I'd never imagined for myself. ...