James woke up to the sound of his alarm. 6:30 exactly. He sat up and stared at his grey striped bed, and yawned before getting out of his covers. He quickly made his bed, with his sheets folded down, ready to be slept in again. He put his dirty clothes in the basket, and proceeded to the closet to pick out a white button down shirt, grey dress pants, tall socks, and a grey jacket to match his pants. He put on his black tie and tightened it up to his neck. Then, he went back to his closet measuring the length between the hangers with his thumb. He moved a few until they were perfect. James grabbed his brown leather briefcase from his side table and stepped down the stairs and into the kitchen. He started up the already prepped coffee maker, and got out a bowl, spoon and cornflakes. He ate for approximately 10 minutes, and by the time he went to tie up his black leather shoes, it was exactly 6:55. He left his house at 7 on the dot, and arrived to work at precisely 7:58. He sat a moment in the parking lot, gathering his things into his lap, tapping his fingers on the dash. He exitted his car, and walked at a mildly fast pace into the building. Exactly 8:00. He walked to his cubicle, and set his briefcase on the desk. He opened the briefcase, code:4587-his address- and pulled out his mouse, folder, and calculator. He sat in his swivel chair, pulled up to the desk and logged into his computer.
“Hello, James!” Said Martha, James’ friendly coworker.
“Morning.” He almost whispered.
“What a peculiar women.” He thought to himself. He looked her up and down, a strange creature in her floral high heels, bright pink pencil skirt, and blouse with too many ruffles to count. Her hair was a mass of curly blond frizz, but somehow suited her character. She was beautiful. James realized how the time had passed and 4 minutes and 45 seconds of his life was wasted. His next meeting was at 9:00, and he still had charts to prepare.
Later that day, James was sat in his cubicle and took out his ham and cheese sandwich on white bread. Exactly 12:00.
“James, I was wondering if you'd like to go to lunch with me? I might be going to the bakery down the street and eating in the park.” Martha seemed unsure.
“I'm quite alright, thank you.” James replied.
“Okay... see you later then.” She seemed displeased by his answer but began to walk away. He watched as she swung her purse over her shoulder, realizing how naive he'd been,
“ Martha!”
“Yes, James?”
“Let me just grab my coat.” He grabbed his coat and wallet-knowing he could not make a lady pay- and hurriedly caught up to her. It was approximately 12:10 when they set off walking down the street. They made small talk about the weather and work. She talked of her pets, and hobbies. He mostly listened, for he was not a man of many words. They reached the bakery, and she ordered a panini and a cookie of all things! He ordered a turkey and Swiss sandwich on rye. She began to take out her wallet,
“Miss, I can't let you pay. Here, I brought my wallet.” He persisted. She stopped him,
“The day I rely on a man to pay for my meal...”, she said trailing off. This phrase confused James. Was this not how it was suppose to be?
Martha payed for lunch and they went off to the park. It must have been at least 1:00. They walked a few more blocks talking about more personal life stories. She had been to places all around the world. She spoke of India and America and Brazil and Germany. It was inspiring. He told her about his trips to the North and Wales as a child- saying only a few sentences. They reached the park and sat down on a bench. They talked, ate and occasionally James would throw in a comment or too, becoming more frequently part of the conversation. They both finished their sandwiches, and she looked down at her cookie. Martha split the cookie in half and held it out, awaiting his response. He reluctantly took the other half, knowing sugar was no good for him. They both ate their pieces slowly until every last crumb was devoured. He looked into her eyes and she into his, and something felt right. After that they might have shared a kiss, in which time would stop. In that moment, the only thing that would've mattered was each other. They might have walked back to the office with smiles on their faces and a skip in their step, if not for his watch. He looked down feeling like he had stared a bit too long, and got a bit too close, only to find that it was 8 minutes after his official lunch ended. Exactly 1:53.
“I must go. Thank you for lunch.” He said, already halfway out of the park. He walked faster than ever before, down five blocks, past the bakery, and into the office building, where he sat down into his swivel chair. Exactly 2:05. He began to work. James worked until, exactly 5:00, then packed up and left the office. Arriving home at 5:58, he sat in his driveway, gathering his things into his lap and tapping his fingers on the dash. He walked through his front door. Exactly. He ate his leftover pasta from the night before, and washed his dishes. He put his dirty clothes into the basket, putting on a fresh pair of matching white pajamas. He went to his closet measuring the length between the hangers with his thumb. Perfect, exactly an inch in between. He was in bed at precisely, and fell asleep. Exactly.
James woke up to the sound of his alarm. exactly. He sat up and stared at his grey striped bed, and got out of his covers. He quickly made his bed, with his sheets folded down, ready to be slept in again.