Chasing Joy: And all things that Matter

Chapter Three: Tied

Setting: NYC Chinatown. 

What am I doing? I am crazy. I am just as crazy as she is. I thought in my brain from the outer body experience I just had in the break room. Normally, especially Friday nights, I am the last one to leave the building. I hear the talk around the building. No one has any idea of the man labor, the stress, blood and tears it takes to run an architecture firm, especially one that is as trusted as ours. You walk throughout this building; you wouldn't be able to tell who the owner is. We run such a well-oiled machine, with everyone very clear on what their job is and how to do it. We have several supervisors and overseers. The architects we hire work on some of the most beautiful buildings in the city and beyond. There are so many people in and out of our building, not a lot of the people we hire would notice someone like me. Even though they most certainly should.

I love the feeling of wearing some dressed down pants and a button down to work being able to get a cup of coffee in the breakroom unnoticed. I look like another architect that works for the firm.But I am not any of those things. I am the principal partner- or in blatant terms- the boss. And I am realizing that this...associate? I Have no idea. Times like this I often consider when contemplating my 'involved' style of management. Yes, I conduct meetings with other architects, but it is rare we bump into each other. I like our business this way; It allows me to keep my personal and business life completely separate. I can look at the efficiency of the work we do from the inside out versus the top down. My title of principal partner allows me a say in how I run this firm because it is respectfully owned by me.

God Bless this woman's soul. She obviously means no harm. I wish I could remember her name. I hire so many people throughout the year that it is hard to keep track. I bet you I wasn't even the one that hired her. My line of work requires me to meet with so many architects around the country- I am rarely in the office. I heard a funny rumor: one of my partners has identified himself as the boss. Another rumor says I only come to the office during the midnight hours. I even heard one that there is no boss and my empty office is a plot. I laugh at each one knowing that the unique way I run my business has made me and a lot of people lots of money.

This was just like any other evening except now I remember walking into the break room opening the door and I immediately noticed a pair of hips slightly swaying in front of our faculty microwave. It immediately made me smile to my surprise- more because there was someone who valued the efforts of hard work as much as I did. Before I could even process my thoughts, the woman turned around knocking down her entire lunch and began to stare at me. I must have looked like a fool. A smile was already planted on my face and there was no time to play it off or conceal it in any way. At least I could turn it down slightly and give a normal half smile. Seconds felt like hours as she just stared at me from the floor. I almost thought she hit her head because she hadn't uttered a single word.

What if she recognized me?

I uttered some comments about concussions and then I heard that she could speak. Before I had a chance to help her up, she was on her feet with red plastered all over her sweater. Why didn't I move faster enough to help her? Way to go Jonah; soo smooth. Pulling on it only accented her curvy features that made me swallow a gulp I didn't realize I was holding in. Her body had the kind of the look that made me realize she was working with more sex appeal than she let on. I felt like a complete idiot. But for some reason I couldn't snap out of it. I don't know if it was the twinge of hunger after being out in meetings all day or the way she watched as I nervously started playing in my hair, but I didn't want to break this tense trance between us. It was a nice change in my normal routine. We were tied in this dance of a moment that seemed bigger than the both of us. She was something. As we were tethered together at this moment- I tried to make a mental list of her appearance as to remember it later:

Her cheeks slightly flushed. I could notice it through her caramel skin.

She has long curly brown hair.

She doesn't pack a good lunch. Is that soup???!?

I make her nervous.

She stays late on Fridays...well I think so?

She wears clothes two sizes too big. That sweater doesn't do those lovely curves any justice.

And most importantly- she makes me nervous. Why does she make me nervous?

She must have felt it too. She began talking so fast and nervously I couldn't interrupt her fast enough to tell her to watch out before she fell all and dropped all my reports from the meeting with the architects from earlier that day. Immediately my first response was to laugh. I can explain it, but I haven't laughed like that in a long time. I had no idea even what her name was, but I knew once I heard her laugh; that I wanted to make her do it again. It made me proud to know that I had done it and wanted to get to know this woman in any way imaginable.