"Good morning, it's 6.30 in Chicago on the 24th January and it looks like another one of those dull days today. The temp..." The monotonous voice of the radio DJ was abruptly cut off by a violent push onto the off-button of Gary's radio-alarm-clock. He peered carefully through one eyelid, hoping the world would not depend on his heroic deeds for one day. Just for one day. 
   Why me? was the question he had been asking himself ever so often during the last few weeks. The newspaper had been coming to him for over two years now and he needed a break. Definitely. But every time he had decided to take one, the stupid paper had done something to prevent him from taking it. Well, the paper of course hadn't actually done anything, it had been him who had done the inevitable. Or so he had thought. 
    Then, there was the unmistakable sound that he had so much gotten used to over the last months, that he frequently had caught himself missing it when it hadn't been there. "Meow!" and then a faint Plop in front of his door. 
    Reluctantly, he exited his warm and cosy bed and opened his hotel room door. There they were, the cat... and the paper. He picked it up and tossed it idly onto his table. No, not the cat, the paper, of course. He didn't even bother reading the headline. He would deal with that later, first he needed a hot and strong cup of coffee and something to eat. He half expected Chuck to arrive at his door every minute, but then he remembered that Chuck was on a business trip to New York. Lucky bastard! He can have a few nice days outside Chicago and I'm stuck here with the whole world resting on my shoulders. In the meantime, the cat (which still didn't have a proper name, for whatever reason) had made itself at home, snuggling up to Gary's still warm bed, rolling itself like a fur-ball into his duvet. "Yeah, that's what I call a dog's life. Or cat's, as it is. You want to tease me, do you? Try me." he snarled at the cat, half-heartedly throwing a piece of dried cat-food at it. The cat just lazily lifted its head, carefully sniffed at the thing, decided it wasn't worth getting up for and continued dozing, much to Gary's dismay. "Oh, do what you want, will you? That's what you do all the time, anyway." 

Gary was holding a steaming cup of coffee in one of his hands, occasionally taking a sip. In front of him was the paper that already had some decidedly brown coffee stains on it... He quickly skipped through the headlines. Then it struck him. Wait a minute. This isn't tomorrow's paper! The look onto the front page confirmed his assumption. It was dated 24th January. What the hell, he thought. This can't be right! He looked again, but no matter how much he stared at the date, it wasn't about to change. He went over to the bed, poking the innocently sleeping cat, so that it woke up with a startle. "You! You brought the wrong paper! It's today's!" 
    "Meow," was all the cat had to offer. Gary wasn't sure how to react. Should he be glad that his innermost wish had finally come true? Or should he be concerned that he wouldn't be able to save whoever was out there to save? Chuck, was his first thought. Whenever he didn't know what to do, Chuck had something helpful to offer. Well, mostly it wasn't that helpful, actually... But at least he had someone to discuss his problems with. 
    Hadn't Chuck left a phone number somewhere? He frantically searched his apartment. No use, though. For a while he stood in the middle of the room, trying to focus his thoughts. 
Just then there was a firm knock on his door. "What? Who is it?" Gary was confused. "It's me, Marissa." 
    "Oh, thank God." There she was, a helpful angel in desperate times. He opened the door for her. They both sat down at the table. 
    "Coffee?" 
    "Yeah, why not." 
Gary poured her a cup. Spike had settled next to the bed, gladly giving the cat a wet cleaning with his big tongue. And the strangest thing was that the cat even seemed to like it. It purred loudly. But Gary had no eyes for the idyllic scenario today. Although Marissa couldn't actually see Gary's sour expression, she somehow sensed something wasn't right. 
    "Gary, is everything okay?" 
    "Well, yes and no." 
    "What is that supposed to mean? Come on, don't play your cryptic games with me." She wanted to add something along the lines of Do you think being blind is the same as being stupid? but then she thought the better of it. She knew that Gary knew she was not stupid. 
    "You see, I got the paper today, just as always. Just as I was used to. But it's not tomorrow's paper, it's today's." 
Marissa lifted one eyebrow, Mr. Spock-style. "That's strange." 
    "That's all you can say? That's strange!? Thanks for the support!" 
    "Gary, don't get mad at me. It's not my fault, is it? And anyway, isn't that what you've always wanted? To let the paper leave you alone? To be just a normal guy who gets today's paper, not having to save everyone and everything?" 
    "Yeah, that's what I keep telling myself, too. But somehow it doesn't work. Somehow I've got this feeling that the paper might be somewhere, waiting for me to pick it up. And what if someone else finds it? What's that someone gonna do with it? Run straight for the next shop, buy the winning lottery ticket? Or make a fortune at the stock-exchange? What if that someone isn't going to change the important things the paper reveals?" 
    "Gary, Gary, Gary. You know what your problem is? You're so obsessed with that paper that you can't let go of it. It has become your life. Look at you. You're young, you're attractive, I guess. You've got your whole life in front of you, and all you do is chase people, get yourself into trouble all the time and basically run your butt off for people you're probably never gonna see again, let alone get a Thank You from them. This has become your life. And now you wanna tell me you miss that? You want the paper back, get that life back? Frankly, I don't understand you, Gary." 
    "You know, you sound more and more like Chuck." 
Marissa couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I guess I do. But for once, Chuck is right. Get a life, Gary. Forget about the paper!" 
    "I'm not sure if I can do that, Marissa." 
    "So, what do you want to do? Look at every paper in Chicago, just to see if it's tomorrow's?" 
Gary let out a sadistic chuckle. "That's the point, I don't know what to do! What if this is some sort of cryptic sign the paper wants to give me. It happened before, didn't it? You remember the time when the cat got sick and the cat started staying at Eunice's?" 
    "But this is not the same. The cat's here. And it brought a paper, didn't it? It was just not tomorrow's. See it this way: the cat figured you needed a break and decided to give you one. Why can't you just accept it?" 
    "Because I can't." 
    "Now, that's a good explanation! Or what about this: someone swapped the paper in front of your door and gave you his instead." 
    "Only the more reason to try to get hold of the paper. But for one thing, that person must have been a world-record athlete. It didn't take me more than a few seconds to get to the door after the paper got there this morning. No no no, that can't be it." 
    "But you gotta do something! You can't just sit here the whole day, pondering about where or with whom the paper might be. Come on, Gary, let's get out and do something fun for once." 
    "Don't you have to go to work today?" 
    "Nope. Got a few days off." 
    "Great, that's just what I need. A baby-sitter." 
    "You're getting unfair, Gary. Just say a word and I'll go." 
    "I'm sorry, Marissa. I'm just a little on edge." 
    "So, are you coming or not?" 

Gary had persuaded Marissa to stay in the hotel room a little longer, hoping that the paper would still arrive. A futile attempt, the paper hadn't been coming and Gary had the distinct feeling that it would not come to him at all, just by sitting around in his room. 
    "You know what, Marissa, you're right. Let's get outta here." 
    "Whatever you say." 
Marissa took Spike and off they went, diving into the bustling heart of busy Chicago. 
 

It had gotten late. Gary had taken Marissa's arm and they were both laughing out loud while they walked along the hallway to Gary's hotel room. They had had a nice day, doing all sorts of things both of them hadn't had time to do during the last few weeks. They had gone to the fun-fair, riding one of the old-fashioned horses on a merry-go-round. Gary had talked Marissa into going ice-skating. They both had been a bit wobbly at first and with Gary's help Marissa had even managed to feel quite safe on the ice. Then, they had been to the movies, munching away on popcorn and cola. Gary had felt a little uncomfortable, as he thought that Marissa wouldn't enjoy herself as she couldn't actually watch the movie. But she had insisted and apparently she had had her share of fun with the film, after all. Then, Gary had taken her to the café that had been his favourite when he still had been at college. After that, they had gone to the horse racing, just as they had been the day Gary had gotten the paper for the first time. They had both bet a little money, though no one had won anything. Very unlike the last time, when Gary had won Spike for Marissa, in a way. But without the paper, Gary was just a regular guy who had to bet on chance and on his gut. And what had it brought him? Five bucks less than what he had before... Though, he had immensely enjoyed himself. The day had ended with a nice meal in Marissa's favourite Italian restaurant. And now they both had a little booze from the red wine. 

They arrived at Gary's door. He had to fumble with the key a bit, before he was actually able to open the door. 
    "You sure I can let you go home all on your own?" 
    "Yup. I still got Spike, remember?" 
    "Alright, then." 
Gary went into his room but he turned around again. "Marissa?" 
    "Yeah." 
    "Thanks for the lovely day. It was great. Haven't had so much fun since I broke up with Marcia." 
    "Don't mention it, my pleasure." 
Then they finally parted and Gary went into the lion's dungeon. The lion wasn't there, what a surprise. The cat had fled from the sinking ship. While he got ready for bed, he slowly started facing reality again. This morning's incidents came back to him. When Marissa had taken him out, at first he had been a little nervous, suspecting the paper to appear any time somewhere. But no matter how hard he had tried to look out for it, he couldn't see a single paper anywhere. And after a few hours he had enjoyed himself so much that he had actually forgotten about the paper. 
    He made a careful inspection of his hotel room, suspecting the paper to lie innocently on a desk or a table. But... no paper. Just the one the cat had brought this morning. He suspiciously checked the date on it again. Still the 24th January. Alright, he thought, maybe the cat has decided to give me a break. Why not accept it after all? I guess I could get used to a normal life again. And with that final thought he climbed into his bed and was dead asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. 
 
 
 End part I