Unfurling

The Next Day

Who’s horn is going off? Paige thinks half awake. Oh my gosh! That’s not a horn, it’s my alarm!

Paige sits up in a panic when she realizes its her alarm. Grabbing her cell to turn it off, she notices it’s thirty minutes later than normal. Shaking her head she wonders how she slept through that noise for so long.

That’s a great thing about management, she thinks. I can still get my workout in and then head to the office.

She pulls on her workout clothes and heads to the gym. She can’t help smiling as she jogs the path because she is extremely grateful the hurdle from IT has been successfully vaulted. Her team is working on revising the training to accommodate the work around and is working on the roll out contingency plans. Getting IT to fully commit to the full fix is going to be the next challenge but she is not afraid to escalate to their executives if needed.

She swipes her card and heads to the elliptical. Trying to change her workouts frequently helps keep it interesting and clears her head in preparation for the day ahead. Most days she cannot wait to get on the equipment and burn her sleep off or the stress off before heading into the office. She thinks it’s because she doesn’t work out on the weekends and actually takes advantage of sleeping in.

Looking around she sees that the time of day you use the gym does impact the number of people in the little gym as there are people on almost every piece of equipment. The elliptical was the only thing open along with the free weights. Paige notices that the app on the elliptical has her walking in Hawaii along the beach and enjoys the scenery  on the display. Then the door to the gym opens again and she notices someone is now setting up for yoga.

He throws his bag on the floor by the door and checks his watch, noting there’s enough time for him to shower before she heads into the office. He walks through the living room, stops at his bedroom to grab something for his lower half and proceeds to the bathroom.

Paige finishes her workout and jogs the path back to her apartment. Once inside she showers and heads to the closet to peruse her options for work wear.

She decides on a windowpane suit with a one button blazer adding a sleeveless white shell under the jacket. As the suit background is a very light grey with a white, camel, and dark gray windowpane, she adds camel color heels to complete the look. Checking the mirror again to confirm it flows, she decides to add a chunky gold necklace.

Reaching the kitchen, she grabs a handful of granola bars and throws some cut raw vegetables in a bag to eat. She then tosses romaine into a container along with a spoonful of chicken salad. After filling her travel mug with coffee, she puts the other food items into her briefcase and pulls on her black coat.

I wonder if I’m going to have a problem with the maintenance guy today, she thinks. What did his supervisor say his name was? Oh yeah, David something or other.

He decides to forego the coffee this morning and grabs a glass of water. Shuffling to the armchair he realizes he is tired. It was a long night at work. Settling in the chair, he hopes he doesn’t fall asleep before she arrives. He notices that there aren’t a lot of people on the sidewalks yet and the parking garage isn’t full.

Paige decides to grab some breakfast items for the office. She stops at a bakery on the way selecting a mix of bagels, muffins, and donuts. Not sure if there is cream cheese or butter in the office, she has them added to the bags. Once she pays, she heads back out to the car thinking about how everyone will enjoy the goodies.

Should I offer the  maintenance man something, she thinks. No, I’m not going to offer him anything. Tough beans if he’s mad at me for calling him on not doing his job!

Reaching the parking garage, she decides to park half way up. She tries to change her parking routine daily so that if anyone is watching her, she isn’t arriving at the same time nor is she parking on the same floor. In her opinion, it is just smart to be conscientious about those type of things.

Making sure her swipe card for the building is around her neck, she slings her briefcase up over her shoulder and grabs the bags.

Darn! I have my coffee too, she thinks.

She maneuvers the bags to the crook of her arm so she can hold her travel mug and heads to the elevator.

He sees her white car come in and eagerly waits to actually see her. Watching her figure out how to get everything in to the office, makes him smile. He can see the frustration cross her face when she realizes she still has her mug to carry along with the bags and her briefcase. He wants to run across the street and help her but it just isn’t the time.

That’s nice that she’s bringing stuff in for the office, he thinks. She is a nice person I bet.

He watches her come out of the parking garage doors and walk towards her office building, noticing she seems to be in good spirits as there is a half smile on her lips. The lips, he notices are full and red. Shaking his head to clear it, he watches her shiny hair swing with each step she takes.

I wonder what it’s like to run your fingers through that hair, he thinks. I bet it’s like silk.