Man of choice

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Early Sunday morning, a young man CHARLIE was passing a corner of the Broadway and Ocean Boulevard in Santa Monica. He stopped at a coffee shop to grab a hot energizing drink. He stared at the menu for a long time. BARISTA couldn't wait any longer, so he offered Charlie some of the today's specials. That silenced Charlie for another seemingly endless chunk of time. Eventually, Charlie chose americano. This entire experience made Charlie feel very anxious.

He left the coffee shop wiping the sweat off his forehead, leaving customers and Barista making funny comments about him. A few runners in their colorful, branded outfit, were doing their Sunday morning run, which was sponsored by a fitness tracking app.

The sound of coins in the metal mug attracted Charlie. "Excuse me, sir," HOMELESS asked, "spare change?" Charlie looked at Homeless, terrified, and he ran away. Homeless looked at Chalie, thinking that Charlie is out of his mind. Charlie ultimately got out of his breath, and he sat at the bus stop bench. A moment later, a bus arrived, the door opened. Charlie was studying BUS DRIVER who was indifferent to Charlie’s actions. Charlie didn't enter so Bus Driver closed the door and left.

A sensation of the upcoming rain, troubled Charlie, he looked up at the sky which was getting dark surprisingly fast. Multiple bolts of lightning appeared in the distance above the Pacific Ocean. Charlie was stunned. People around Charlie pulled out their smartphones, recording the sky, which one could describe as the end of the world. Lots of birds were going crazy, and dogs were barking. A few cars crashed into each other. It got very dark and loud in a blink of an eye. Some trees were hit by thunderbolts, which set them on fire.

Amid this chaos and destructions, Charlie saw a girl who he couldn't take his eyes off. He finally decided to approach her, but the lightning struck him in the head. Now, Charlie doesn't have to worry about any decisions.