That Monday was a day that lasted forever.
It was a day when work was everything and the only thing that mattered was to be there at my desk ready to cover all eventualities and possible outcomes. Everyone was in the same boat and we all had to make sure we were rowing in the same direction. As the sun began to set in late afternoon, it felt as if we’d survived the economic storm and had come through it in pretty much one piece.
But ever since Janet had left my office that morning something else had been on my mind.
Something that would mean so much more to me in the coming days.
Part 2.
That Monday was a day that lasted forever.
It was a day when work was everything and the only thing that mattered was to be there at my desk ready to cover all eventualities and possible outcomes. Everyone was in the same boat and we all had to make sure we were rowing in the same direction. As the sun began to set in late afternoon, it felt as if we’d survived the economic storm and had come through it in pretty much one piece.
But ever since Janet had left my office that morning something else had been on my mind.
Something that would mean so much more to me in the coming days.
*
Tuesday.
Routine was to be in by eight and be ready to go by eight-thirty when we hooked up to the grid and the numbers started to come in. The assigned secretaries would make sure everything would run smoothly in the background with them keeping various clients and departments up to date with what was going on.
Today was different. Instead of heading up to my office, I made my way to the West side of the building to where the company canteen was. A place I usually avoided for obvious reasons and wanting to keep away from the noise and gossip that would no doubt arise as most of the secretaries took their breaks there during the day. Coming face to face with numbers one to nineteen was something I didn’t fancy much so I had most of my meals delivered up to my office.
The canteen pretty much covered half of the ground floor with spacious row upon row of tables and chairs where various people were already sat taking in an early breakfast before starting out the day. It had just gone seven forty-five and the place was surprisingly busy with workers gathered in their various groups with the hubbub of chatter and laughter filling the room along with the fresh smell of coffee and toast.
Feeling slightly awkward, I made my way to a spare table next to one of the windows which sparkled with early morning Winter sunshine and sat myself down to wait and watch.
Waiting to see if it was her.
*
“She’s blind.”
Ever since Janet had said those words yesterday in my office, my whole sub-conscious had been completely consumed by the possibility that it had been the girl in the rain she was talking about. What were the odds? It had to be her.
That it probably was also meant I had to come to terms with the realization that I was more interested in this girl than I would normally have been with new recruits to the pool. Was it because of the events of yesterday? Was it the fact that she had this disability? Was I interested because I felt sorry for her? Was it a kinky sex thing? I took a sip of coffee and winced at my callous immaturity. Don’t be so stupid. It was pathetic to even begin to think like that and was probably down more to curiosity than anything.
I was interested. Interested in her. As a person. I wanted to know her name. Who she was. What she was like. Where she came from. More than anything, I wanted her to know me.
I sat back in the chair and tried to relax. I hadn’t felt this sense of anticipation for God knows how long. Relationships had pretty much been one night stands for the past few years and I had no real interest in beginning a longer one. Of all the women I had fucked recently, not a single one had piqued my interest enough to ask them out again. Come to think of it, the only one I’d consider as a “friend” would be Janet but that was probably due more to the fact that she was unobtainable than anything else. Janet, I could talk to. Janet, I could have a decent conversation with and not spend every other second trying to figure out how to get into her panties – not that I’d say no given the opportunity which Janet never would.
So here I was. Bemused. Confused. Nervous. Sat with the great unwashed waiting to see if this girl was who I thought she was. I frowned slightly as each thought gave rise to another then another.
If it was her, then what?
*
At that moment a group of six or so women came into the canteen and made their way to the far side of the room across from where I sat.
I took another sip of my coffee and stared at them over the rim of the plastic cup. Was she in that group? I continued to stare at them as they took their seats with three of them going over to the service counter and ordering various things from the girls serving.
It suddenly occurred to me that I only had a vague idea of what this woman looked like and from this distance it was impossible to tell. I hadn’t seen a white stick or anything that would make her stand out from the crowd. I put my coffee down, gave my eyes a rub, and sighed. What on earth was I doing?
“Don’t often see the wolf amongst the sheep.”
I glanced up to see Janet standing in front of me holding her own coffee and looking at me intently. I gave her a wry smile. “I think I’m lost,” I replied lamely as she took a seat opposite me.
“Uh huh,” she said, “Curiosity has killed many a cat over the years. You should be careful.”
I frowned at her and she waved a hand across her face.
“Don’t worry, Mike,” she promised, “I won’t tell a soul. Ever since yesterday, I’ve known.”
Known? Known what? I shifted in my seat as Janet continued to stare at me with a slight smile on her lips. I glanced over at the group of chatting women on the other side of the room and she grinned at me.
“What?”
She sat forward. “How long have I known you? Ten years?” She went on, “Give or take. From the first moment you started as a trainee in this place wet behind the ears and twice as scared. I’ve seen a lot of men like you come and go over the years. All spunk, bravado, and nonsense. But you, you I’ve always considered different and kept an eye on you. Like I said, I know.” She sat back and took another sip of her coffee as she watched my face.
“You’re imagining things,” I muttered. No, she wasn’t, and you knew damned fine well she wasn’t. It was her job to know you better than you know yourself, you fool. She was like a second mother to you.
“Do you want to meet her?”
I gave a start. What? Meet her? Here? Right now? In the canteen? I felt my heart skip a beat and a surge of electricity flash through me leaving me feeling slightly stunned in its wake. Of course, you want to meet her. Why else were you in this place to begin with? I had this unfamiliar feeling that events were being set in motion and I wasn’t in control of them like usual. Now that made me feel uncomfortable and uncomfortable was a thing I didn’t handle well. I shook my head. This whole episode was getting beyond the pale.
Janet just sat there with a knowing smile on her face.
*
“Ladies, I’d like you to meet Mr. Sloane.”
Janet had her arm through mine as we stood at the far end of the table where the six new recruits sat enjoying a morning coffee and a good gossip. Five of the women turned to me and smiled as they glanced at each other before saying hello. Only one girl sat still and she was the only one that mattered.
Janet made introductions and I nodded to each of them in turn. Their names simply faded away like early morning mist for my attention was on the curly shoulder-length chestnut haired figure who sat in the middle of the three to my left with the others on the opposite side of the table.
Janet had left her introduction till last and I had no doubt she had done it deliberately.
“And this is Heather,” she said as she indicated the young woman who had sat forward and was listening intently, “Heather McCallister. Heather meet Mr. Sloane. He runs the tenth floor.”
She lifted her face and hesitantly smiled at us. She was obviously aware that there were other people around her watching. She sat a little further forward and folded her hands together in her lap. “Uh, hi hello,” she said carefully, “Nice to meet you.” She then held out her hand for me to take as the other women glanced at each other with increasing curiosity.
I looked at Janet who raised her eyebrows with amusement.
I stared at her hand for a second before reaching out to take it. I carefully slipped it into mine making sure there was no fumbling of fingers this time. She was warm and smooth to the touch and as I gave her hand a slight squeeze I saw her raise her head towards me now that she had some measure of where I was standing. There were those sea green eyes again looking directly at me and I swear to God I felt something change within me.
It also suddenly occurred to me that she was wearing spectacles.
“Nice to meet you too, Heather,” I grinned as we shook hands, “Welcome to the insane asylum.”
*
“It’s snowing!”
I turned in my chair and looked out of my office window. It sure was. Great gusty swirls of windswept snowflakes swooshed against the glass and the world below slowly turned from a morbid concrete grey into a wonderland of white. Winter storms were always much more impressive when viewed from the tenth floor somehow.
It was a Thursday. Just gone two in the afternoon and work was still hell-bent on being a pain in the ass as it had been ever since that Monday morning when the week began. There would be no getting off this train until it ran out of steam or when some common sense hit the markets.
Jimmy was doodling numbers on the whiteboard and Janet was taking calls.
“Ted on two,” she said, holding the mobile to her impressive chest. She gave me a pained expression and winced as her other mobile beeped in her other hand.
I shook my head and drew a finger across my throat. Oh, fuck that. Fuck Ted and his “Do me a favor, bud. Have a word with so and so about this and that and how we’re going to sort it out either today or tomorrow” bullshit. Christ knows how many times I’d hauled his skinny ass out of the shit over the years. As I keep telling him; “If you don’t want to end up in the shit don’t keep fucking jumping into it in the first place!”
Janet knew the drill. “Mr. Sloane says go away, Ted. He’s busy.” She then disconnected the call and answered the other mobile as she picked up various folders full of paperwork.
I jumped up and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Where were you when I was eighteen? I’d have married you on the spot. Life would have been a lot simpler and probably a whole lot more fun if we had.”
Janet squirmed out of my grip. “When you were eighteen I was giving birth to my second child that’s where I was. Don’t you worry, someone will come along,” She stopped at the door and turned back to look at me, “Maybe someone already has.”
Then she disappeared and I was stood there staring after her wondering what the hell all that was about before I was interrupted by Jimmy who wanted me to sign off some more documents before they were sent down to the mailroom.
Today was shaping up to be one of those days.
And, as ever, she was always there at the back of my mind ever since our first proper introduction.
Outside, the storm closed in as Winter settled in for the season.
*
“Are you sick?”
“What?”
Brad sat forward on his stool and leaned across the bar. The place was packed and throbbing as Friday night got into full swing. “I said, are you sick?” he repeated with a slur in his voice as the drink took him.
I shook my head and undid my tie. Despite the foot of snow outside it was like an oven inside. “No, why’d you ask?” I shouted over the din.
Brad snorted and nudged Jerry who was mumbling into his beer. “Listen to this schmuck here,” he grunted. Brad was a big guy with a huge bald head, “Because you and that over-long dick of yours are usually stuffed up the snatch of one the pool gals by this time on a Friday night. I mean, fuck me, you’ve been banging a different hottie every week for the past six fucking months. So, ergo, you’ve got the plague, right?”
Jerry raised his half-empty glass. “My thoughts exactly,” he said by way of a toast, “Some of the guys in retention are getting nervous. People have placed bets that you’ll work your way through the new intake in less than a month. I mean, remember a couple of years ago? You did four in one week. Talk about pounding pussy to go. You have your reputation to uphold. I’ve got ten bucks on you to do the newbies in less than a month,” He gave me a look, “Including the weird one.”
I blinked and stared at him. Him and his matted ginger hair and ginger goatee. Jerry may be an asshole but he was a smart asshole. Smart in that he knew his limits and who not to fuck around with.
“Weird one?”
He waved his hand as Brad nodded. “The blind chick. Have you seen her?”
“Maybe,” I replied defensively, “What makes you think I’d want to do her too?”
Jerry looked at me surprised. “Dude, are you kidding?” he laughed, “If it has tits and a pussy you’re in there like the eager beaver. Hell, all the guys know you’ve shagged nearly all of the pool this time around. Thought you’d fancy a new challenge.”
I turned back to the bar and contemplated my drink. The asshole was only repeating what most people thought and it was usually something I just shrugged off with a laugh. Not this time. She would be a challenge alright. But that wasn’t the kind of challenge I wanted. I shook my head. “Nah, not for me. Not this time. I’m not that big of a shit to pull a stunt like that just to say I’d done it.”
Brad waved his bottle in my face and slapped me on the shoulder. “See, he does have some morals after all. Very smart. A lot of people are looking out for that little lady and I don’t think they’d let anyone try it on with her. Don’t get me wrong. I reckon she can handle herself just fine and dandy. I mean, she does shit you wouldn’t believe. Seriously, the way she gets around the way she does. It’s fucking amazing. She does the audio thing. She came into retentions the other day and everyone was like, you know, oh shit, what do we say? What do we do around her? But nope, in she comes with Lucy to help her get settled and away she goes like a fucking pro. By the time we got to lunch every one loved her. She’s smart. Knows her onions does that one. Amazing gal.”
Jerry nodded. “Have you seen her eyes?”
I took a swallow of beer.
Brad sighed. “Yeah. Ain’t they something. I mean, don’t get me wrong, she ain’t a great looker like, say, Hallie or that Suzi, but she’s damned pretty in a natural sort of way. It’s those eyes that do it. I had to talk to her for a bit and I swear every sane sensible thought disappeared out of my head when she looked at me. Fucking spooky. Ain’t that right, Jerry?”
Jerry nodded. “Yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it.”
All three of us sat in silence looking at our reflections in the big mirror behind the bar.
“She’s probably still a virgin,” said Brad suddenly with a big sigh, “What a fucking crime.”
I stared at my doppelganger staring back at me.
*
UpState looked like the perfect Christmas card.
The storm had passed and dumped about two feet of snow on the ground and the air had that icy crispness to it that added a layer of frost on top as I stood looking out across the flatlands of my parent’s property. Thankfully, most of the roads had been cleared and I was able to head North to spend the weekend away from my Manhatten apartment and the distractions of city life and living.
“Want to talk about it?”
I turned to see Mom trudging towards me wrapped up like a little Eskimo. She stopped beside me and raised her hand to shield her eyes against the low morning sun.
I dug deeper into my heavy black coat and turned back to look at the view. “No, I’m fine,” I said with a slow smile, “You’ll find out soon enough if things change.”
“Is it a girl?”
I didn’t reply but just shrugged my shoulders. I needed to clear my head. This past week had turned many certainties in my life upside down. Things that were my bedrock and which my life revolved around. A good life that had taken an immense amount of effort to attain. The reward you get out is only worth the effort you put in. A good life with good living and a lot of sex without consequences.
I felt Mom snuggle up to me and slip her arm through mine. “Of all my children, you were the one I worried about the most growing up. Not because you were the youngest but because I’ve always felt you were the loneliest. The sort who would find it the hardest to settle down. You’re like your Grandfather. Too much of the free spirit in him too. Then one day, out of the blue, he met your Grandmother quite by chance. A turn a different corner sort of thing. And here we all are,” She looked up at me, “The only thing that matters in this life is to be happy. More than anything it is the one thing you should be looking for. Before time takes it away from you.”
She let go of my arm. “Take as long as you need, son. Dinner is on the stove.”
I watched her go and realized I didn’t need to go looking for anything.
I had already found it.
*
End of Part 2.
Story continues in Part 3.
