Love after Life

Meeting Her

You ever have one of those days that start off like any other, but they end up being one of those life changing days that you'll end up remembering forever and ever? It's like, you go to bed the night before thinking you know exactly how that day's gonna be, and then everything just takes you by surprise. Know what I mean?

It should have been a day like any other for me. At around eight thirty in the morning I carpooled with my coworkers: Josh, Mel, and Ashley. Carpooling is fun, for all intents and purposes, but dang can it be a pain now and then. Not this day, however.

"Morning," I said as I climbed into the backseat of Mel's 2008 mint green Toyota Corolla. "Have a good weekend, guys?"

"Guess so," said Mel as she shrugged her shoulders. "Went on a date, it was OK."

"Me and the wife had some Chinese take-out on Friday," said Josh.

"Oh, I spent the entire weekend binge watching this show on Netflix," said Ashley.

As usual, we drove to work. By nine AM we were at the office, clocking in and heading to our cubicles like the good workers we are. My little cubicle is two rows away from the window, and three rows away from the bathrooms. I got on my computer and began typing away.

It was eleven past ten AM; as innocuous a time of the day as any. I was stretching on my seat because my back was killing me. As I got up to grab a quick drink of water, the ENTIRE building goes pitch black! Everyone got up from their desks; some were yelling about how they hadn't saved yet, and some were asking in confusion what was going on.

"Attention!" Said the floor manager, a guy named Tom Seller. "There's been a blackout! Since there's nothing that can be done, you can all go home!"

"Wooo!!!" Nine tenths of us hooted and hollered, because honestly to hell with work! As we all made our way outside the office, we discovered precisely what caused the blackout: some idiot drove into a power post and knocked it down.

"Daaaang," said Josh as he surveyed the scene. "Welp, now what?"

"Go home, I guess?" I suggested, shrugging.

"I kinda don't feel like it," said Josh, sighing. "And we gotta wait for Ashley and Mel, regardless. I know for a fact that Mel would still have to stay at least a few more hours, since she's the manager of the third floor."

"Well, shoot," I said as I untied my ponytail. "I suppose we could muck around town a bit."

"I should text Ashley to join us," said Josh, taking out his cellphone. "Damn, my wife's texting me that the blackout reached her, too."

I picked up my phone; no messages. Josh texted his wife, then he texted Mel and Ashley. Minutes later, both responded.

"Ashley says that, since her boyfriend's off work, too, he'll be coming around to pick her up," he said. "And Mel has to stay till noon anyway."

"Soooo, what now?" I asked.

"Look, my wife's coming," Said Josh as he pointed to his wife's red Sedan. "Guess I'm going home. Wanna lift?"

"Thanks, but," I began, shaking my head. "I think I'll stick around, check out the town, wait for Mel."

"Suit yourself," said Josh as he and his wife drove off.

I sighed and checked the area around me. Probably shoulda gone with those two, but honestly? Me and Amy (Josh's wife) just don't see eye to eye. She's the insanely jealous type, you see, and I think she thinks Josh and I have a thing going on. We don't. Anyway, I decided to bum around town for a bit, see what's happening.

Eleven o'clock, and I decided to grab a bite. Normally I eat at noon, but I'm peckish and bored, and when you're bored, peckish feels like dying of starvation. I hit a cafe that had a generator in the back; I'd been there before, just never at this hour. When I came in, I noticed it was far emptier than I'm used to; there were actually SEATS available! I stepped up to the counter and ordered a burger and a vanilla shake; I normally order a can of pop, but to hell with it, I'm treating myself!