Stuck Apart

~Sarah~

I woke at 5 AM to the not-so-glorious view of my cat’s rotund backside. It dawned on me in my state of morning delirium that this is sadly such a regular occurrence in my life that I might actually be shocked to open my eyes to any other scene. I gave my cat a gentle shove and rolled onto my back. “Oscar, get your butt out of here,” I said as he protested on the jump down. Staring at the stipple covered ceiling I let my limbs stretch as far as they could, took a deep breath and sat up to face the day.

It is my habit to start each day with a quick scan of the expected weather before brewing coffee and contemplating a half-hour of yoga or spinning. On most days I tend to flake on myself and instead of following through on the contemplated physical activity, I end up watching TV or picking up where I left off the night before in a good book. Today’s weather check reveals that the city of Chicago is essentially at a standstill under an unexpected whopping four feet of snow. To confirm, I opened my curtains and indeed, I was staring at four feet of snow. 

In bare feet, I padded over to my desk and flipped open the lid on my laptop. I quickly scrolled through my email and my eyes landed on my boss’s name, John, he’d sent me an email just a few minutes prior. I clicked it open and read, 

“Sarah,

 Please just stay home today. I spent the night at the office last night - it doesn’t look like I’m getting home any time soon this morning. I’d rather you be safe than sorry, hopefully, the city plows will be out this afternoon. I’ll see you tomorrow, weather permitting. 

Ciao, 

John.”

I looked over at Oscar, “I guess I’ve got plenty of time for yoga today, hey buddy?” Oscar made a sort of whirring sound, circled and led me to his food dish. I sighed, fed the beast, then stared back out the window mulling over what I might do to fill my day now that I was stuck at home for the day.

~John~

John hit send on the email to his editorial assistant, Sarah, telling her to stay home. He rented a small office space in downtown Chicago to house his one-man, one-woman editorial firm. His business had just recently begun to pick up steam after an author he did work for landed on the best-seller’s list two months ago, so he’d stayed into the wee hours working on a new submission. He was so engrossed in the task he hadn’t realized he was snowed in until around 1 AM and there was already almost two feet of snow to contend with on the ground. 

He opened his office mini-fridge and sighed, there was one container of strawberry yogurt, one quarter of a week-old potato salad and a bottle of sparkling water. Not much to sustain oneself. He sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. I know Sarah has snacks in her desk drawer, I’m sure she won’t mind. John pushed up out of his chair and mosied over to Sarah’s desk. He opened the drawer he was pretty sure held the goods, and “Jackpot!” He exclaimed. Not exactly what you’d call a feast, but at this point in the outlook of his day he would definitely settle for instant oatmeal and apple sauce. 

Back at his desk John turned on his computer screen again to surf the net while he ate. He noticed a ‘new mail’ icon on his email and clicked it open. 

“John, 

Thanks for the day off, I guess? You know I’m probably going to lose my mind cooped up at home all day with Oscar. I’m kicking myself for not bringing home any work. 

This weather sucks, I’d better be able to be there tomorrow or I might die of boredom. 

Talk to you later, 

Sarah.” 

John chuckled, he’d always liked Sarah from the minute she applied for her job. Her resume was succinct, clean and organized - she possessed the experience and credentials he was looking for in an assistant. When she arrived for her interview, she was fifteen minutes early and dressed professionally. It wouldn’t necessarily behoove him to admit it as her employer, but he did find her to be very attractive. Her long brown hair and light blue eyes were a beautiful contrast that he was sure very few men or women could miss. She was a bit of a loner but whip-smart, kind, confident if a little self-effacing and funny as all get out, even when she didn’t intend to be.

In the two years since he’d hired her, they had become an extremely efficient team and he relied upon her heavily. He owed a great deal of his success to her assistance and expertise and he was never shy of telling her so. They had an easy manner toward each other and he liked to think they had also become friends. As he opened the second container of apple sauce he had pilfered from her drawer, he hit the ‘reply’ button on the email.

~Sarah~

I started with a list, ‘Things-To-Do While I’m Stuck At Home’ was scrawled at the top. ‘-Yoga -Scoop the poop -Laundry -Catch up on correspondence -Catch up on PVR list -Take a long bath -Organize the Tupperware drawer.’ As I read it over it occurred to me that there were seven things on my list, and I chuckled reminiscing over a memorable sketch from a popular mid-90s Canadian comedy show. I added ‘Make List’ to the top and scratched it off and smirked in amusement. All right, that’s enough Miss Jocularity, get your butt into vinayasa mode, I thought to myself.

As I readied my mat and cued up a favourite yoga video I heard the chirp of my email notification. Never one to be bashful about procrastinating my personal workout routines, I wheeled around to face my laptop and caught myself smiling a little to see a response from John. I would be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that a big reason for my desire to be at work was that I was sure I would miss his company. 

I clicked the email open, 

“Sarah, 

I’m sure Oscar will keep your company in good form as he usually does. You deserve a break, so I’m glad you neglected to drag any work home with you. I have bad news… I ate all your oatmeal and apple sauce. Please don’t hate me. 

Also, I have a burning question, what on earth is that weird bottle of green stuff in your desk drawer? It looks like a bottle of algae, I sincerely hope it’s not. 

John.”

I laughed out loud, startling Oscar out of his cozy spot on the couch. “Sorry, bud.” I patted him on the head and he purred in assent. John and I had been working together for the past two years, he’s my boss, but it never really feels that way. He’s always treated me more like a partner than an employee. Recently our banter had begun to feel a lot more like flirting than just friends, and I couldn’t say that I disliked it. It did worry me a bit that if anything were to happen, I could lose my job if things didn’t work out. But for now, I chose to live in the moment.

“Dearest John, 

I cannot believe that you would rob me of my oatmeal and yogurt stash this close to Christmas! You know the budget is tight, I expect to find replacement snacks upon my return to work. Or an expense check. :P Oscar is sleeping, he’s the worst company. So you’re wrong there. 

Are you getting any work done or are you just snooping through my stuff? I wish I was there to police my desk, now. The green stuff is a Chinese herbal oil for migraines, though I’m now regretting telling you that as I suspect you may now consider its free game the next time a client gives you a headache, given your apparent laissez-faire attitude toward personal property.

Your esteemed assistant, 

Sarah.”

~John~

He had to give it to her, she had him pegged. John had re-read the last email about six times and his face had begun to ache from smiling. He thought the email read a bit flirtier than usual, he wasn’t sure but he couldn’t help but note the little flutter of hope that had started in his chest. Glancing at the clock John noticed it was already nearing 10 AM, he was startled to realize he’d been daydreaming over Sarah’s last email for a little over an hour.

Worried she was flirting and might now think he took it the wrong way, he prepared himself to write his reply. He stretched and settled above his keyboard, relishing in the old fashioned courting feel of corresponding in the written word.

“Dearest Sarah,

I humbly apologize for raiding your desk. You must know I acted in complete and total desperation, as a man of my noble nature could only resort to such behaviour in dire circumstances. I will promptly replenish your, stash - as you put it, please advise me to any of your heart’s desires.”

John sat back from his computer for a moment, am I coming on too thick? He wondered. He decided to keep it as-is, feeling a surge of bravado, he thought about the strange things life can throw your way - like being unexpectedly four feet snowed into your office when you already pulled an all-nighter at work. He opted to drop the pretense and tell her how he really felt.

“Sorry about my delayed reply (and no, I did NOT fall asleep at my desk again), your last email made me smile like an idiot for way too long. In all honesty, I think I’ve had a crush on you for a while and was fearful to admit it, considering I’m your boss and that you were with Tom for so long. I never want anything to be weird between us because I value your input here at work so much, but I decided I need you to know how I feel. You don’t have to reply to this piece if I’m way overstepping.

In other news, I think I finally hear plows out there! We may be free from hibernation soon! Yippee!!

Yours always,

John.”

~Sarah~ 

I studied my list. I had crossed out three of seven items and had just started a load of laundry. It was almost a quarter after ten and Oscar was chirping at something outside the window. I came up behind him to take a look and saw several pigeons who appeared to be enjoying a game of taunt-the-cat on the fire escape. I looked past the fire escape and saw a snowplow rounding the corner.

My heart leapt in joy at the prospect of being able to get somewhere soon. Maybe I can make it to the office to work! I thought, and then my happiness dimmed as I thought about the fact that John had not replied to my last email yet. I worried my over-the-top friendly flirtatiousness had bitten me in the rear. My laptop chirped and I just about tripped over the ottoman racing to see if it was from John. It was, and I sat down to read.

A feeling that I can only describe as elation began to flood through me as I read his email. By the time I had read it six or seven times I was certain that I hadn’t misunderstood. I had often wondered when Tom and I were still together if John was harbouring feelings toward me. After Tom and I split up I thought about it again, but I was so content with my situation until recently, so I had pushed the thought aside. 

I stared at the empty reply screen, my brain was spinning with possibilities and excitement. It took me a full fifteen minutes to figure out how I would reply, once I began I typed furiously as I was now eager to get in the shower and get dressed to go out.

“John,

I’m so glad you told me!

Can you make it to our pizza place in half an hour? I think I can, the plows have been around my block. Fingers crossed they’re open! Let me know ASAP?

Yours,

Sarah.”

I had barely made it to the bathroom door when I heard the chirp that told me he’d replied.

“I’ll be there. I look forward to seeing you. 

Yours, 

John.”

~Casey~

It had been the weirdest day for weather Casey had seen in a while. She decided to open up the pizza parlour she owned below her apartment around 11 AM as the plows had finally cleaned up outside and she noticed people emerging from indoors. She wondered if it would be worth it to open at all today, but figured she’d better at least open for lunch. 

Casey went down to the restaurant via the back stairs that lead into the kitchen. She flicked on lights and ovens, opened the fridge to survey what she’d need to prep and moved on to turn the dining room lights on. As she neared the restaurant’s entrance she noticed two people standing outside waiting for her to open. She opened the door and greeted a man and a woman. They were holding hands and looking flush, perhaps a little shy.

“Good Morning, come in! I’ve only just opened, your pizza will be fresh. Can I start you something?” Asked Casey.

The man and the woman looked at each other and shared a smirk. “Oh please do,” said the man, “I’m absolutely starving!”