There's something that almost every human on Earth does shortly after graduating from High School, something we all remember for the rest of our days; something we all collectively hate. Maybe I can't speak for every single person, but I can normally relate to the dreaded experience of flipping burgers at a fast food joint.

I don't know what I expected as my very first official job, but I guess I imagined better for myself. I hoped that the experience of being in a kitchen environment would not be as bad as I've lived it. Sure, every place is slightly different. The atmosphere depends on the managers and the crew, but at the end of every night, I've tired myself out working around disgusting, greasy, and unhealthy ingredients. Doing this for five days a week sucks twice as hard, and the paycheck I get isn't anything to write home about.

I know I'm not the only one who doesn't like working fast food, but I can safely say I hate it more than most. It's all physical labor, opposed to any mental labor I would prefer. My mind craves intense thought, mystery, or activity. Moving my body around the store doesn't exactly do anything to help me with that, so it's twice as annoying for me.

Yet this is all I can do for the moment. I save some money out of each paycheck I get, money allocated to a combination of college funds and traveling funds. Unfortunately, my research into the idea of living alone in another state has shown how screwed I really am without a job four times as prosperous as this one. I can't wait here in Georgia forever, but it's looking like it will take a few more years for me to leave this place. If I leave too early, I wind up homeless on the streets without enough to support myself.

Unfulfilling as the job is, I still get what little perks I can from it. I've been able to use some of this new revenue to pay for the occasional date or meal for Lumina and I. I miss her so much these days, and I can never really hang out with her while I'm on the job. Distractions aside, it's actually so hot inside these kitchens that our connections get weakened or disrupted even when it's frozen over outside. That's why I wait for lunch to do this:

"Hi Lumina!" I stated excitingly as I held myself hidden just outside the entrance. The sun had just gone down the horizon, making it cold enough for another link.

"Hi Reed. How was lunch?"

"Same old." I always eat before calling her, to ensure I have enough energy to do this.

"Thanks for calling me... I miss you – you know."

"I know. I miss you too Lumina." Despite our following silence, it felt as if Lumina and I were staring directly into each other's eyes, sparkling with promise and hope for the near future. "I'll see you tonight when I get off work, okay?"

"Sure. Just don't work too hard. We both know they don't pay you enough for that."

I surely didn't need the reminder. I know this is my very first job, but given how hard I work compared to 70% of the co-workers around me, I'm totally being underpaid, right at the Federal Minimum Wage level. I'm currently still living with my parents, so it isn't too bad. But after crunching the numbers, if I worked overtime on this pay while living alone, I'd surely be homeless with no food on hand. All of this is just grunt work for a grunt, which I'm not.

Even so, this is my life right now. I have to get money from somewhere, and this was all I could find at the moment. So now I have this night shift routine. This rusted place doesn't close until 02:00, and on most nights, I don't even have a ride home. So, after clocking out, I walk the forty minute trip all the way back. It might be hard on my legs, but it's kind of relaxing. The roads are totally empty at the overnight hours, and it gives me plenty of space to talk to Lumina if it's cold enough.

Given Georgia's weather, it's best if I work night shifts and become a night person in practice. The temperature doesn't go down during the spring and fall seasons until late at night, so I'm having to adapt to that situation as well.

I'm certain my job will change soon, when I've decided I had enough of that place. Not much has changed though. School is no longer something I have to deal with, but I find myself missing it a little each passing day. It's not as if I'm feeling close to any of the co-workers, in trust or friendship. I'm careful not to talk about Lumina too much while I'm there, not that the secrecy makes things any better.

If I'm not careful, I'll be trapped in stagnation. For now, things are the way they are. Things are going to have to change soon, and it will be up to me to make those changes happen.