La alarma de Clara

Clara had been trying to sleep all night. First she thought about work, then she heard a noise in the street, and later her neighbor played music. She looked at the clock many times: it was twelve, one, and half past two.

At half past six in the morning, she finally closed her eyes and fell asleep. Her body was tired, and her breathing became calm.

But just then, the alarm clock started ringing. Clara opened her eyes with difficulty. She did not understand where she was and looked for her phone under the pillow. The sound continued, getting louder and louder.

“It can’t be…” she murmured.

She found the phone and turned off the alarm. The room was silent again. Clara checked the time: it was six thirty-five, and she had to get up for an important meeting.

She thought about sleeping a little longer, but she knew she might fall asleep again. She closed her eyes for a moment and then reached for the phone to set another alarm.

Clara set another alarm for six forty-five. Then she left the phone on the table, far from the bed, so she would have to get up. She drank a little water and sat down. Her head hurt and her eyes felt heavy, but she did not want to go back to sleep.

At six forty-five, the phone rang again. Clara got up slowly and walked to the table. She turned off the alarm and looked at the screen. It had only two percent battery left.

“Oh, no, please!” she said.

The meeting was online and started at half past seven. Clara looked for the charger next to the bed, but it was not there. She looked on the floor, under the chair, and inside her bag. Nothing.

Then she remembered that she might have left it in the living room. She still had time, but the room was cold and her legs were shaking from tiredness. Clara opened the door and heard the phone vibrate again.

Clara walked to the living room with the phone in her hand. The screen was almost off. She found the charger next to the sofa and plugged it in quickly. Then she went back to the bedroom to put on comfortable clothes and wash her face.

While she waited, she made a cup of coffee. She was not very hungry, but she ate a little bread. She felt tired, although the cold water on her face helped her wake up.

At twenty past seven, the phone had enough battery. Clara turned on the computer and checked the camera and microphone. Everything was working well. She sat down at the table just as the meeting began.

“Good morning,” she said, trying to smile.

Her coworkers talked about work, and Clara took some notes. At first, it was hard for her to concentrate, but little by little she felt better. At half past eight, the meeting ended. Clara closed the computer and breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterward, she made another coffee and decided that tonight she would leave her phone far from the bed, but with the charger plugged in.