Abandon All Hope

This is post 3 in Tim's serialized novel, A Typical Day in Miami. To start from the beginning, Click here

Brian Newell caught his reflection in City Hall’s double glass doors. Straightening his bowtie, he reassured himself that its red and navy stripes achieved a classic look — a handsome pairing with his blue on white seersucker suit — his old-school homage to a more elegant past. That he’d sweat through the shirt at the collar, jacket at the arm pits and pants at the crotch, didn’t detract from the effort. Men’s clothing choices should be stylish, to bring a little sophistication to the daily grind.

Brian took pride in his efforts as he stepped from Miami’s hot, humid morning into City Hall’s hyper air-conditioned lobby. Frigid-as-a cold-plunge, he inhaled sharply, and exhaled, expecting to see his breath. He shivered, teeth chattering. The sweat dampening his skin and clothes vaporized, flash freezing his body as it evaporated. He quaked and quivered. Muscles tightened; his scrotum shriveled. He blinked and looked around, expecting to see ice sheeting the walls. Brian hugged himself, flapped his arms and hugged himself again.

READ MORE