Ten minutes more… it’s only my third day with this IT company and I’m going to be late for the third time. So careless… so stupid. I can’t help but keep tapping my foot in eagerness against the decorated floor of the lift. “Why can’t they have set-up the operations department in the lower floors instead of placing it in the 25th?” I ask myself. In an effort to amuse myself, I try to think about all those guys in my department who are like slaves to smoking. It must be really hard for them since they have to go down to the ground floor just to have their fix.

Ding.

The door opens on the 20th. Five more minutes.
I find it really hilarious the way someone on the lift has to get out before me on each floor before it reaches the 25th. And it always have to happen when you are rushing to beat the clock. I wouldn’t actually mind to have my pristine attendance record to be tainted with tardiness, its just that SYSACOM has this cruel policy with such transgressions. And if come in late one more time this month, they’ll require me to clock in four Saturdays next month or they’ll cut my pay by four days. Cruel… absolutely inhumane.

Ding.

Finally, I only have about 80 seconds to spare. I rush towards the biometrics machine at the end of the hall. Not even acknowledging the sincere greetings of our receptionist Maia. Didn’t even try to notice how sophisticated the way she dresses, which I have been doing the last two days.

Panting. I start to notice how heavy my laptop is, I wish I’ve bought one of those ultra-portables instead. I would’ve saved a couple of minutes if I had one of those. Then, in the most movie-like way, I bumped into her. Like one of those bad Kung-Fu movies, when somebody gets hit by a fatal blow, she falls down in slow motion. And like a child playing with dried leaves in autumn, all of her things were flying everywhere like confetti of resumes, reports, and procedural forms.

Embarrassed, I helped her up and started to pick-up from the floor what’s left of her her grace and poise. “Gomenasai” she says. And like being struck by lightning, I was startled and started remembering all the childhood fixations I had with Japanese women. As shy as I normally am, I tried to peek through her fringe and figure out if I was just imagining things. It was really easy to see how much she is blushing because of her fair complexion, like spotting a ruby rose in the snow. And somehow I also found it relatively easy to find myself pacified by her emerald-colored eyes. Before I knew it she already got her things together and swiftly walked away from the scene of the crime. My crime. For giving my heart away in those few seconds that we shared.

I couldn’t even utter an apology…
I can’t even even feel my hands now…
I can’t even… Oh my God!
I can’t believe that I’m already two minutes late!

This will be a long week…

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