I awoke early this morning and pried
myself out of bed carefully as not to jostle Jillian. She was up late studying
last night and never seems to get enough sleep. To start my day, I showered and shaved.
I put on a large pot of coffee so that there would be enough left for Jill to
take to her first class of the day. My travel mug filled
with the rich, steaming coffee; black. Before leaving for work, I tied my
running shoes and buttoned up my black winter coat with a poppy pinned to the
lapel; it was almost Remembrance Day. I was ready for the long day ahead of me.
I could tell that the biting fall air was continually growing colder. Many of the houses on our block were still dark. My shoes scuffed along the pavement. Each morning I look forward to my walk to work; Jill has a greater need for the Camry as her classes are on the other side of town. At first I detested the walk, but I have grown accustomed to the time alone to wander along the path of my thoughts.
“Good morning, Stephen,” Fiona greeted me from the front desk. It was only 8 o’clock in the morning and the office was already buzzing with the anticipation of the upcoming holidays.
“Morning, Fiona. Any messages for me?”
Fiona shook her tousled curls and replied, “No, not yet. Oh, but I should remind you that Mr. Rupert is coming to meet with all of you at 2 o’clock sharp.”
“Right,” I began, “I’ll cut my lunch break short then but it’s not a problem.” I adjusted my glasses nervously. For my lunch break today I had planned to go shopping for a gift for Jillian; an engagement ring. Her birthday was this weekend and it was the perfect time to propose. She had begun hinting months ago with bridal magazines, wedding blogs, and honeymoon destinations. I understood perfectly but appeared oblivious to her. We had been together for 5 years, living together for one, and things were perfect. The only thing missing was the diamond ring on Jill’s left hand.
I buried myself in work for the next 5 hours. Usually when people exclaim how boring accounting is, I disagree with them. However, my job lately has been growing more and more tedious. On this day in particular, I sat at my desk going through the actions of my work day and counting down the minutes until I could escape to go ring shopping.
As soon as the clock struck one, I was off for my lunch break. I had a measly 60 minutes to do one of the most important tasks of my life. I walked at a brisk pace as the mall was 3 blocks away and I had no time to spare. My first stop was Michael Hill Jewellers. I began carefully examining their extensive showcase of engagement rings. The consultant behind the counter was friendly, but I declined her help; this was something I wanted to do on my own. Next, I moved on to People’s Jewellers. I appreciated their assortment, but I was becoming increasingly worried that the perfect ring was not yet within the grasp of my wallet. Each ring I asked to examine was attached to a disappointing price tag. Deterred, I started wandering throughout the mall. My hands were fidgety with anxiety; my car keys rattled in my coat pocket. I shamefully kept my head down as I walked. 1:37 pm. I had only a few minutes left to spend at the mall before attending another monotonous meeting. Before exiting the mall I stopped one last time, at David’s Tea; specialty tea was Jill’s favourite. I bought several varieties for her to try while also providing myself with an alibi for going to the mall in the first place. I presented my credit card and paid for the small gift. It was going to have to do for now. The cashier handed me the bright blue bag.
“Have a great day, sir,” he said with a smile.
“Thanks,” I replied, but I knew it was simply too late for that.
I could tell that the biting fall air was continually growing colder. Many of the houses on our block were still dark. My shoes scuffed along the pavement. Each morning I look forward to my walk to work; Jill has a greater need for the Camry as her classes are on the other side of town. At first I detested the walk, but I have grown accustomed to the time alone to wander along the path of my thoughts.
“Good morning, Stephen,” Fiona greeted me from the front desk. It was only 8 o’clock in the morning and the office was already buzzing with the anticipation of the upcoming holidays.
“Morning, Fiona. Any messages for me?”
Fiona shook her tousled curls and replied, “No, not yet. Oh, but I should remind you that Mr. Rupert is coming to meet with all of you at 2 o’clock sharp.”
“Right,” I began, “I’ll cut my lunch break short then but it’s not a problem.” I adjusted my glasses nervously. For my lunch break today I had planned to go shopping for a gift for Jillian; an engagement ring. Her birthday was this weekend and it was the perfect time to propose. She had begun hinting months ago with bridal magazines, wedding blogs, and honeymoon destinations. I understood perfectly but appeared oblivious to her. We had been together for 5 years, living together for one, and things were perfect. The only thing missing was the diamond ring on Jill’s left hand.
I buried myself in work for the next 5 hours. Usually when people exclaim how boring accounting is, I disagree with them. However, my job lately has been growing more and more tedious. On this day in particular, I sat at my desk going through the actions of my work day and counting down the minutes until I could escape to go ring shopping.
As soon as the clock struck one, I was off for my lunch break. I had a measly 60 minutes to do one of the most important tasks of my life. I walked at a brisk pace as the mall was 3 blocks away and I had no time to spare. My first stop was Michael Hill Jewellers. I began carefully examining their extensive showcase of engagement rings. The consultant behind the counter was friendly, but I declined her help; this was something I wanted to do on my own. Next, I moved on to People’s Jewellers. I appreciated their assortment, but I was becoming increasingly worried that the perfect ring was not yet within the grasp of my wallet. Each ring I asked to examine was attached to a disappointing price tag. Deterred, I started wandering throughout the mall. My hands were fidgety with anxiety; my car keys rattled in my coat pocket. I shamefully kept my head down as I walked. 1:37 pm. I had only a few minutes left to spend at the mall before attending another monotonous meeting. Before exiting the mall I stopped one last time, at David’s Tea; specialty tea was Jill’s favourite. I bought several varieties for her to try while also providing myself with an alibi for going to the mall in the first place. I presented my credit card and paid for the small gift. It was going to have to do for now. The cashier handed me the bright blue bag.
“Have a great day, sir,” he said with a smile.
“Thanks,” I replied, but I knew it was simply too late for that.
