START OF GRAYNESS

Alex walked home with rain clouds in his head; and as if that physical impossibility weren’t dire enough, he was also grumpy after another failed job search around the city. He stared down at the pavement before his feet, his chin locked tightly and his eyes sunken in. He knew his mother would be annoyed at yet another failure of his.

He hesitated before his front door. He wasn’t sure why. What was he gonna do? Never go in? Then again, he did truly consider that, but threw away the idea as quickly as AOL free-trial disk; his mother would only come looking after him if he left so abruptly, and that would concern her even worse.

So, he begrudgingly walked in, only to see her stride toward him immediately with a sheet in her hand.

“Any good luck?”

Alex sighed and shook his head.

“I’m telling you, you should take the offer of that delightful Captain Clearbeard to be one of her crewmates. You know, she offers health benefits and a stepping stone upward in a promising career.”

But Alex Hamilton shook his head sadly.

“No, ma; this joke’s cliché.”