The rain is falling. That is not an accurate account of the current situation. There is rain, lightly sprinkling which barely wets the surface which will inevitably stop each and every droplets descent. Then there is rain, the type unleashed by a storm so powerful it begins to threaten the existence and permanence of everything in its path.
This is the latter. Normally I love this weather, particularly watching it through the window, as the wind howls and the droplets form solid jets of water flying horizontally in a resemblance to the static interference on old analogue Televisions.
Normally however, I would be surrounded by solid walls, under a solid roof, simply enjoying the show. I feel underdressed for the conditions, wearing a light grey suit I had purchased while on holiday in the Bahamas a few years prior. Shivering as the wind cuts through the drenched layers of thin material, I breathe a sigh of relief as I enter the building lobby of my destination. The warm flow of air beginning to thaw my body once more.
It's a Friday, just after lunch and I'm running fashionably late for an appointment with a large client's CEO, as I have to deliver a weekly report on a software implementation my company has been contracted for. This implementation has been ongoing for the last 6 months, so I find myself on familiar ground as I step out of the elevator into the 40th floor lift lobby. I marvel at the excessive grandeur each time I visit, dedicating an entire building floor to just two people is not something I will ever get used to. Stepping out of the elevator, my shoes squeak & squelch on the marble floor as I approach his personal assistant's desk leaving a trail of wet footprints in their wake. I'm greeted warmly with a smile and barrage of questions about how my week has been and how bad the weather outside has turned.
I can't help but feel a little sorry for her, she always seems so bored and eager to have someone to talk too when I visit. The entrance to her boss' office sits another 10 odd meters past her desk and the heavy wooden doors remain closed all day long, effectively leaving her isolated. I will often try to arrive early for my meetings just to talk & bring a smile to her face. From what she has described, the boss hardly gives her enough work to do to fill the first 30 minutes of the day, so even an incoming phone call becomes exciting. I endeavour to answer all her questions & probe her with a few of my own, buying me valuable time to admire her.
Sitting in front of me, is a bubbly personality called Anna. I'd estimate her to be in her early 20's, around 5'2", and 50kg. She is slim and toned all over, with a fair complexion and long red hair running the length of her back. Today, she is dressed in black knee-high boots. There is some kind of patterned stockings visible just over her knees, before a light grey and slightly less than knee length skirt travels up to her hips. A thin red cotton jumper is keeping her warm, and there is a white blouse underneath, just poking out of the neckline. My thoughts are interrupted by her nodding towards the door behind, "he's expecting you".
We play this game. I am capable of letting myself in, but always prefer to watch her walk in front of me. She knows it, and never misses an opportunity to put on a good show.
"Lead the way." I smile from ear to ear and swing my arm around in a grand gesture towards the door. Her hips swinging side to side as she walks, with her skin-tight skirt revealing the type of underwear she is wearing simply from where the material creases across her perfectly toned behind.
It's a high-cut set of panties today. Excellent. I politely thank her for letting me in, before whispering sternly "That will be all" as she pulls the door closed between us, barely able to contain a giggle.
Turning around, I see her boss, Mark, is on the phone. He gestures toward an empty seat in front of his desk. Hanging my jacket on the coat stand near the door, I quietly do as ordered. Mark is a big man, he's somewhere in his late 40's, early 50's. I am not a small man, at 6"2' I would dwarf the majority of people I see on a daily basis. He stands much taller than I do, based off my own height he would be around about 6"4', maybe even 6"5'. He is a well built, very fit man and always has a perfectly maintained haircut. I've never seen a trace of facial hair since I met him, and I idly think he looks more like he belongs in the military rather than in a business suit.
Setting my folder down on his desk, I begin flicking through it while I wait, to familiarise myself with its nonsense. It's loaded with this week's reports, pages and pages filled with project timelines, cost breakdowns & budget estimations that were up to date at the time I left the office. About now, it would be worth pointing out that I shouldn't even be sitting here. If it wasn't for the fact that he ripped apart 4 previous project managers in as little as the first 4 weeks, I would never have met him. I'm not a project manager, nor do I have any desire to become one. I was sent as a stand in, while my company were looking for someone to head up the project, and he took a shine to me for some reason. The end result is that they have left it to me to keep him appeased.
By the time he's put down the phone, I'm bored with the contents of the paper in my hand, and push it across the desk to him.
"Here you go..." I start with, and begin giving him a detailed run through the project this week. We've had some obstacles at the start of the week, pushing the budget out a little as several pre-delivered components were deemed to be not fit for purpose, and custom modules were written in their place. He is studying the figures hard, but I want to bring his attention back to the bottom line as I walk around his desk and stand next to him. Pointing to the bottom line to highlight that we'd reduced costs elsewhere to bring it in as close to target as possible. He understands, but still doesn't seem overly happy. I don't know whether it's this week's overview or the phone call he was on when I arrived, but he doesn't seem his usual cheerful self.