Long Lost Paycheck

I linger in bed
Succumbed with ennui
When a chirp from my phone
Ends the silence.

"Paychecks are here"
The grey message bubble displays.

I spring from my slumber
And sprint to the pool
Where just a week ago I completed
My first lifeguard shift:
A two hour in-service training

I strut back to my house
My hard earned prize in hand,
Leaving the front door wide open
As I run in to find my parents.

I tear the envelope open the read the following amount:
"$20.72"
(How could I forget that pesky little thing called income tax?)

I call each friend
"Wanna go to Chick-fil-A? It's on me!"
Naturally each one accepts
And we crowd into a booth.

Many milkshakes and shallow conversations later,
The bill arrives
And I watch painstakingly
As the waiter disappears with my treasure
And my earnings disintegrate to nothing.