I Need Paper

I Need Paper

Davy sat in front of his computer. He had just finished a report that had taken him three days to write. (One day was from procrastinating the whole report)

He went up and clicked the “print” button. He waited to hear the usual little roar of his printer, but nothing made a noise. He looked at it, something was missing. He studied it for about five seconds until it hit him, he was out of paper.

“I need to get some paper,” he said to himself.



He jumped into his car and turned it on. He had to get to the local store fast, it was almost closing time. He pulled up into the parking lot, it was packed. He drove around for a few minutes until he found a parking spot that would work.

Inside, he went directly back to the computer supplies. He pushed people out of his way, he had to get that paper. Some people would make rude remarks about his actions of pushing them out of his way, but he was determined to get his paper. It was bad enough he had to come out of his house today, much less for paper.

He arrived in the row of printer supplies and looked intently for the paper. He saw everything for a printer except the paper. It was frustrating him. He saw a worker of the place walking by. He shuffled his way over to them.

“Excuse me, can you tell me where the printer paper is?” Davy asked.

“Oh, it's down there, near the end, you can't miss it,” the man said. Davy didn't waste anytime, he shuffled down to the end, but the place marked for the paper was empty.

“It's fucking empty?” he asked himself. He looked to see if the worker was still there, he was. He shuffled back to him. “there isn't any paper there,” Davy stated.

“Oh, lemme see,” the worker said. Davy and the man walked down to the end of the row of supplies.  “Hm, looks like you're outta luck until tomorrow,” the man said.

“What!? Why tomorrow?” Davy asked.

“We restock in the morning, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow,” the man explained.

“What the fuck? I need the paper NOW!” he exclaimed. “I don't have time to wait on your lazy little stockers!”

“Well then, go somewhere else,” the man said rudely.

“Fine, I will!” Davy said. He walked furiously from the worker and back to his car. Again, he pushed people out of his way and they made their rude remarks about him.



Davy got back into his car and drove out of the parking lot. He had to go to the next store, further up the road. He was still furious at the way the situation was handled back at the other store, but he needed paper more than he needed to worry about some dumb guy thinking he was being smart.

He got to the next store, it was opened twenty-four hours, so he didn't have to be so quick about it.

He walked through the parking lot after parking his car. He needed his paper still, and the last store wasn't very helpful.

Once he made it inside, he went back to the printer supplies. That was a mistake, they didn't carry their paper there. He knew where they kept it though, which wasn't too far from where he was. So he walked as fast as he could to the paper aisle. He went through there looking for the printer paper. He was unsuccessful, again.

“Damn it, Davy, it's just not your day,” he said to himself. He saw where they kept the printer paper, it was empty as well. He knew that there was no hope there, they restocked in the middle of the night. So he had to go on to the next store.



At the next store, he searched and searched for paper. He couldn't find it anywhere. So, he asked a worker. He walked up to a woman and asked, “Where's your printer paper?”

“In my printer,” she replied.

“I mean here!” he corrected himself.

“Oh, down three aisles from here to your left about halfway down,” she directed.

“Okay, thanks,” he said. He walked down three aisles and looked to his left halfway down the third one. Nothing. He walked back to the woman, she was still standing there.

“Excuse me...” he looked at her name tag when she turned around, “Tracy, it wasn't there.”

“Um... well...” she walked down to where she had directed him. She looked, instead of paper, there was soda. “I know it was here,” she said.

“Tracy, does this look like paper?” Davy asked picking up a twelve pack of soda.

“No,” she replied.

“I need paper, not goddamn soda!” he exclaimed.

“Please, be patient, I will find it,” she tried to explain.

“Whatever, find it then,” he ordered.

“Okay, hold on,” Tracy said. She started walking to the front of the store, Davy trailing behind.

They met a girl and Tracy asked, “Where's the printer paper?”

“Oh, it's four aisles down, in the middle, on your left,” she explained.

Davy went alone, he was finally going to get his paper. He walked down the aisle, and about halfway down, to his left, he saw an empty space. There was no printer paper there.

“Fuck this!” he yelled. “I'm outta here!”

He walked out into the parking lot and got into his car. He didn't want to go anywhere except home now. He drove as fast as he could all the way back to his house.

He pulled into his driveway and got out of his car. He walked inside his house. He saw his mom at the kitchen counter.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

“Trying to get some printer paper, I'm out,” he explained.

“Oh, printer paper?” she asked. She didn't say anything else as she dug through a drawer near the end of the long stretch of counter. She pulled out a big stack of paper and handed it to him. “You should've asked if you needed some, I got that today at the store, I saw you were out and would you believe this was the last of they had?”