One Unlucky Day

One Unlucky Day 

“ Mom? Mom, aren’t you supposed to be leaving for work?” Jacob asked me.

My oldest son, standing by my bed, looking down at me.

You may wonder how I know he was standing by my bed. Well, even though my eyes were shut, I could feel it. A mom knows, right?

“What is it, Jacob?” I asked him. My brain was mush and I just wanted to sleep. He better have a good reason for waking me up.

“Mom, it’s 7:30 and I am pretty sure you overslept.” He told me.

I slowly sat up, blinking my eyes, “What! What time is it?” I yelled suddenly in a panic jumping out of my cozy warm bed. 

“Mom, I told you it was 7:30,” Jacob said, grabbing his book bag he left by my bedroom door. Slinging it up on his shoulders, he turned to grin at me. “I love you; I’ll drop Landen off at school on my way to the high school. Be safe, and no speeding.” Walking away, he yelled for my youngest son to get in the car.

I stood there, letting reality sink in for a minute, laying my clothes out on my bed, I jumped in the shower. I was in such a hurry that I didn’t ensure the water was warm enough. “Cold, Cold! Millie, you doofus!” I yelped out loud as the water turned a bit too warm. Oh my lord, I could see how my day was starting to go. I hated running late with a huge passion, wracking my brain trying to figure out how the hell I missed my alarm, or did I even set my alarm?

I quickly washed, and in my haste to jump out of the shower, I didn’t lift my leg high enough over the bathtub ledge, therefore, stubbing my toe, which was very painful. I let out a loud GRRRR! I could feel my blood pressure starting to rise. Yep, I could feel the agitation coming up and I’d only been awake for less than 15 minutes. This was not going well at all.

Ok, just breathe, I tell myself as I quickly but carefully dry off. Dressing and applying my eyeliner and throwing my hair up into a messy bun, I decided I passed for decent looking. 

Hopping down the hallway to the kitchen, I slipped into my pumps, squishing my poor toe that I stubbed on the ledge of the bathtub. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I admired how nice my pumps looked with my conservative dark blue pencil skirt. Were pencil skirts even in anymore? Probably not, I surmised, grabbing a bagel and diet coke. Tossing my bagel into the toaster, picking up my diet coke, and taking a swig, I swallowed, or at least I meant to. Oh my God! I don’t know how this is happening. One second I am attempting to simply take a drink of my soda or pop, as the easterners call it. Then in a split second, I am choking on the damn soda, I mean spit and soda, spewing out of my nose and mouth, tears flowing freely down my face. I am gasping for air at this point. Oh God, please don’t let me die, I thought as I kept gagging, trying to stay alive. Anything to stay alive at this point for real. All of a sudden, I heard a ringing in the midst of my gagging and I am not sure why my fuddled brain grabbed onto this thought but it was amazing how quiet and far away my phone ringer sounded in my own ears being forced to listen to my own choking and gasps of air. 

I missed the call because I was too busy dying by drinking the stupid diet coke that went down the wrong pipe or tube. Is it a tube? Is it a pipe? Who the hell cares, Millie, I tell myself as I begin to take deep breaths. I'm pretty sure I missed a call from my boss, which was never good.

I mean, when you are in the midst of dying with snot and spit and soda pop, tears and eyeliner basically dripping everywhere down the front of your beautiful off-white brand-new silk blouse, a freaking tube or pipe really has no bearing on the situation.

I am honestly not sure how much time has passed at this point but thank God I finally began to breathe a bit normal again. Making myself just stop and breathe, now I have a mess of spew mixed with soda pop on the counter and the floor. Taking a deep breath, I mop up the nasty mess and make my way back down the hallway, proactively grabbing my phone so I can call my boss Alan 

He was not going to be happy with me for being late. I am pretty sure I missed or was missing the manager's meeting. I shook my head, sighing, sitting on my bed; I swiped my phone off the lock screen and hit the phone icon. Looking at my favorites I stare at Alan’s picture. Resigned to my fate for the morning, I hit the little Alan face icon. I took a deep breath hoping for a better afternoon. 

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Finally, at work, after sitting in hour-long traffic grrrr….’ that's the California way of life for you,’ I can hear my mother’s annoying voice in my head. I head straight for Alan’s office, my briefcase at my side. Thankfully, I didn’t have any more mishaps unless you want to count the heel of my pump getting stuck in what I thought was a crack in the sidewalk but it was actually a stupid hole breaking my heel off of my shoe. I might have been walking unevenly into Alan’s office, but I was in a different off-white blouse, adding a silk multi-color green scarf which added to my green eyeliner, making my eyes pop. Stepping into Alan’s office he was on the phone and motioned for me to sit down. Butterflies began to dance in my stomach. He made me nervous when he didn’t directly look at me. 

On the phone earlier, I knew he wasn’t happy that I was late. The meeting I missed was important because, with the three other managers, we were going to discuss three new potential clients and discuss who would be assigned to which client. Finishing his call, Alan set the phone down and stared at me.

You will not look away, Millie, you will not look away, I tell myself,

“You know how much I count on you, right? Millie, when I took over this advertising company, you were a constant help to me. I always know that I can count on you.” Alan took a deep breath, He came around his desk sitting on the edge in front of me.

“Are you firing me?” I asked him, I mean, if he was, let's be real about it and not waste time.

Looking up at him, I meet his stare directly, I have always thought Alan was a beautiful man. His hazel eyes, oh my. You could melt onto the floor in a big puddle of mush when he smiled or laughed. He is impeccably dressed, professional with clients, and warm with his employees. We became close working the hours we did and developed a friendship. I hadn’t had the best of luck with men so I never let my mind get out of control with that. Oh my gosh, what if he was gay? That would be such a waste if he was. 

“Millie, are you with me? You look like you are a thousand miles away.” Alan asked me gently.

“I’m here, Alan; I’m sorry I’m a bit distracted. I never oversleep, and somehow I did; I know it was a very important meeting. Then a few other things happened ‘I was not about to go into the story of Death by Diet Coke strangulation’.  

“I know how much you wanted to be a lead on the Sylvia Dye account. I know you could have really pulled it off, Millie, but you weren't here. Being on a time crunch, I had to hand it off to Jasmine. I know you have some great ideas, and I am sure if you have the time, you will be able to lead her and give her some great advice.” Alan told me seriously but his eyes were twinkling seemingly and I was in a bit of confusion. If I have the time? What?

“Okay, well, I would be happy to help her. Let me just grab my computer out of my bag.” I open my briefcase and my computer isn’t where it should be. Are you kidding me right now I mean, oh my god! After everything that could go wrong and losing a big account like Sylvia and all the sketches and plans I had put together on my computer, I didn’t put my computer in my bag!?

I will not cry I will not cry, I tell myself.

“Hey, hey Millie, are you alright? What’s going on?” Alan asked me the gentleness in his tone of voice made me pause. I stared up at him, willing myself not to cry, but fatigue hit me and my lip began quivering and that was it. 

He was on his knees in front of my chair right in my direct space, so close I could feel his breath on my face.

“Hey, it’s ok, things sometimes happen that we can’t control, this is really my fault. I have been pushing you too hard, giving you too many things to do, and expecting you to be able to do it all and get everything done because that is how I think of you, Millie. You are my go-getter, you can do anything and everything. It’s my fault for running you so hard, so relax, please.” Alan pleaded. 

“It’s just been a really bad day, unlucky is a great word for it. I’m tired and maybe it’s because I don’t want to let you down.” I tell him gently. Oh, he has such beautiful eyes, I think to myself.

“Not possible, you haven’t let me down. Now it’s time to stop dragging out what I have been wanting to tell you for the past half an hour. I was going to make this announcement in front of the group but I think it will be just as great if I tell you myself.” Alan told me, standing up and reaching for my hand.

He has such big hands, I thought to myself. Focus, Millie, I tell myself. 

“Hang on just a second,’ I hang on to his arm as I slip out of my shoes. My toe was still so sore. ‘Ok, that feels much better.” I say, looking up at him with a grin.

He smiled down at me and I felt my face grow warm. I mean, really, what was going on with this crazy day? “How did you break your shoe?” He asked and I rolled my eyes.

I follow him to the adjoining office. It’s a bit dated for my tastes but it was large and airy. One single yellow rose stood in a vase in the middle of the desk. 

Looking up at him, I open my mouth but shut it when I see the nameplate with my name on the desk. 

Millie Hutchins, I liked it, my nameplate, but why?

“Millie? Do you need to sit down? Millie?” Alan was shouting or it seemed that he was.

“What? Yes, it would be nice to sit for a bit, I accidentally left my breakfast in my toaster after the diet coke almost killed me. I was just trying to get to work in the stupid traffic and then my heel got stuck in the hole in the sidewalk and now my shoe is broken. My toe might be broken and I don’t know what is going on and I am really hungry.” I know I am rambling on like a fool but I couldn’t help myself. 

Alan presses a button on the desk and asks Jack, his assistant, to step in.

“Yeah, boss?” He asks Alan.

“Will you grab Miss Hutchins a chicken salad sandwich and a diet coke, please?” Alan asked him.

“Sure thing,” Jack said, grinning at me and leaving the doorway.

‘Is chicken salad still your favorite sandwich?” He asked me, settling me into the chair behind the desk.

“Yes, but I didn’t realize that you knew that,” I tell him softly. What the hell was happening? Was I starting to see Alan in a bit of a different light? What was with this office anyways?

Jack returned with my sandwich and sat it in front of me with the diet coke, looking at it, I asked him for a bottle of water and he brought that. “What did you mean that the diet coke almost killed you?” Alan asks me,

“It’s a long story, you really don’t want to know.” I tell him, causing him to raise his eyebrow

Finally sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk, he begins to explain what he’d been up to. 

Apparently, I am a huge asset to the company, deserving a huge promotion, which means I get to work side-by-side with Alan daily. Who, come to find out, has a crush on me. How do I know this? Because he told me at dinner that same night. Apparently, he’d been interested in me for the past year and I was oblivious to it. Being busy with my kids, life, and work it never dawned on me. 

My day started rough with what seemed like a lot of bad luck and by the middle of the day, I was beginning to believe I was trapped in some unlucky twilight zone. In an instant, my luck changed, my position at work as Lead Sales Manager is going to be great, with only room to grow. I am ecstatic about my new relationship with Alan and to see what happens next.