100TWC - Day 49: Umbrella

Jeremy stood in the lobby gazing out at the rain. Any other day, the inclement weather would have been cause for depression. Today, Jeremy was on a mission. A meticulously planned mission. One that depended on rain.

He'd first conceived it the day he started at Felicity Mutual. That was, he counted, more than nine months ago. Nine months of sleepless nights and nail-biting days trying to juggle his new responsibilities with the enormous stack of rules and financial regulations he had to learn while all the time the space in his head -- that should have been devoted to these important and urgent tasks -- was filled with one image. The arresting image he had seen as he first took his seat at his new desk. Half-way down the office on the other side of the floor, facing him but giving all her attention to her monitor as she began her work for the day.

Misha.

Exotic, mysterious, raven-haired, fragrant, beautiful Misha. Out of Jeremy's league Misha. Misha who didn't even know he existed. Misha who was regularly hit upon by the senior partners at Felicity Mutual, but who never responded. Oh, sure, she would smile and flash her clear brown eyes at them, and reply with infinite patience and rigorous politeness, but then she would turn away and continue with her work, or discover some vital errand that required her to walk to the other side of the building. She was well practised in the art of dodging unwanted attention while maintaining her professional integrity. All of which, naturally, only made Jeremy love her more.

He twirled his umbrella absent-mindedly and checked the weather again. Still raining. The forecast had assured him it was set for the day but one could never be too careful. His painstakingly constructed pack of cards would come tumbling down if those essential raindrops stopped falling. He glanced at his watch. 12:37. Misha's lunch break started at half past, but she could easily have picked up a piece of work that one of the partners would claim was urgent just to get her alone in the office when everyone else was out to lunch. He dismissed the thought with a frown. Not today. That wouldn't happen today.

The elevator pinged its arrival in the lobby and Jeremy refocussed on the glass in front of him. From his position at the side of the lobby, the marble-faced pillar outside the building created a mirror effect on the glass frontage of the building so he could observe the traffic to and from the elevators without appearing to be watching. To a casual observer it looked as if he were simply staring at the rain outside.

The elevator emptied into the hallway. Misha was not among them. Jeremy checked the other lifts. One at the third floor going up, and the last one at the eleventh floor coming down. He worked on the ninth. Misha could even now be waiting for the third lift on the ninth floor. A tingle ran up Jeremy's back causing his neck hairs to rise at the expectation. He tried to relax as the lift descended. It stopped at nine! He shifted his feet and stretched to release the tension in his shoulders. The lift continued its downward journey, not stopping at any other floors. It pinged again as the doors opened.

There she was! Jeremy swallowed hard and rubbed his free hand on his trousers. He surreptitiously checked his breath. He had flossed carefully this morning -- even more carefully than usual -- and the results were good. As far as he could tell. Misha swayed across the lobby. He could watch her walk all day long. Poetry in motion. She stopped beside the door a few feet away from him and wrinkled her nose at the weather.

"Damn it! It had to rain today didn't it. Of all days. The day I lost my umbrella."

The moment had come. It was now or never. Two steps and one short sentence to change his life for ever. He gripped his umbrella in his right hand and stepped toward her.

"Would you like to share mine?"