Stranger at My Door

CH02: Ana

CH02: Ana

As I frantically search the kitchen for batteries, I notice it is only four minutes past eight; the whole exchange took less than five minutes and has turned my relaxing morning routine into a frantic quest. Yes, I am searching, hunting, foraging for that which fuels the Energizer Bunny; in the process hitting my left knee on the side of one the open pink drawers. Yet I find nothing, zip, zilch, zero, nada.

I waddle upstairs feeling the cool hardwood floors under foot, climbing the stairs favoring my left knee, and I limp until I reach my bathroom. I love my bathroom; it has large gray slate floor tiles that are smooth under foot and cold to the touch. There are white subway tiles surrounding the bathtub and separate shower from which the light bounces in just the right way to form small rainbows here and there.

I had a skylight installed to allow natural light that brightens the room and gives a serene feeling to the space. As usual, I look up to the sky and give a quick morning prayer - for love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness. There is no law against these things!

I take a quick shower as my mind keeps swirling around images of the stranger at my door; he was so handsome with grey eyes and reddish messy hair. I cannot recall his name, Grey was it? Chris, Christopher… Christy was the little girl… shit what was his name?  Well Adonis the stranger has to be it from now on I suppose.

My hair is certainly unruly today; there is no time left, so, I do the sensible thing and braid it to the side. Hurriedly I slip on my favorite easy to wear but yet nice-enough-to-go-to-work outfit. It is fitted and makes me look dressed up.

I have a meeting and I want to look professional but at the same time not look as if I am trying too hard to impress. My outfit consists of a dark charcoal ‘A’ line skirt, the fabric has some give to it and is quite comfortable. The three quarter length button up silk blouse is a matching charcoal, which has large five silver buttons on the front and at the end of the sleeves. I finish up with eye liner and lip gloss.

I think I look pretty good and wink at myself as I hurry about my apartment collecting all the manuscripts I have been reading during the weekend. All of them have some sort of romance and erotica themes, and I have to decide if SIP should jump into the erotica band wagon – I have a speech prepared along with facts and examples of why it is a good idea, even the target market is growing among mainstream readers.

Right at ten to nine, I stumble out the door, and I see no other than Adonis walking down the street; his little girl is still protectively perched on his hip. She is clutching a pink balloon and looks like she has been crying. There are a few men in suits around, and I recognized them as the same men I saw earlier and thought were passersby, now I think they are probably all together – odd.

I smile, wave and cross the street – don’t look back, maybe he is checking out my ass. I should probably sway my hips but I am so clumsy I’ll be happy if I do not stumble. I need some girl power to give me inspiration here.

As I turn the corner to enter SIP, I look back and there he is, looking at me and with a smirk and a wave he goes into the very expensive looking black car he is standing next to. I cannot help my smile, Adonis the stranger was checking me out. How about that; girl power rules! 

“Morning, Ana!” Claire the-ever-cheerful receptionist greats me “Looking good!”

“Thanks Claire, how was your weekend?” wait for it, wait for it, and there she goes.

She starts talking about the latest movie, club, concert, game or whatever she went to with her friends. I wait for a little bit, agreeing at the right times and eventually interrupting her with a “Sounds like fun!” and leave for the sanctuary that is my office.