Just A Simple Moment In Time

When a man meets a woman.....

The  insistent knocking on his office door had interrupted Fritz Klein’s second cup of morning coffee. He was really in no mood for such things. When he snarled “Who is it?” a strange woman stepped quickly through the door, slammed it behind her, then pulled a chair up close to his desk, plopped down on it, slid his in-box out of the way to make room for her elbows, and leaned over toward him.

“This must stop,” she said in a loud, determined voice. “It absolutely must stop.”

“Must it?”

“Yes!” she said, slapping the palm of her hand on the desk. She lifted her elbows off his desk, leaned back, crossed her arms and repeated herself, this time in a softer but still very firm voice. “Yes.” Klein noticed for the first time that behind the agitation and bluster there was a very pretty woman in her thirties. She was dressed in a stylish tailored suit in a bright shade of red that complemented her soft, blond hair. She was wearing just a tiny hint of makeup. That was all she needed.

“What is it exactly?” he asked.

“It?”

“Yes, this thing I must stop. What is it?”

The woman raised one eyebrow. “Why, you must know of course. It’s obvious.”

Klein took off his reading glasses and started tapping them on his desktop. “Indulge me,” he said. “Let’s assume for a moment that I’m a total ignoramus and have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. So, please explain it to me.”

The woman closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Her shoulders drooped. “Okay,” she said. “Okay.” She raised her head, tightly gripped the arms of the chair, and took a deep   breath. “Mr. Patrick, you simply must stop sending me those emails. It’s disgusting. Revolting. If you don’t stop I’ll tell my husband, and he’ll probably take matters in his own hands.  That, sir,  won’t be pretty. Believe me, you do not want that to happen.”

“I see.”  He glanced down at the bare ring finger on her left hand. “Well, the thing is, ma’am, my name is not Patrick.

“You’re not Jameson Patrick?”

“No, I am not. If I’m not mistaken, however, there is an attorney with that name in office 1512.” Klein pointed at the ceiling. “That’s one floor above me.”

The woman stood up abruptly, her face showing a flush of red. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Please forgive me.” She turned and left hurriedly.

Klein followed her out the door. The woman went to the elevator, punched the up button and stood there nervously tapping her foot. Klein’s office was part of a suite of small professional offices. They shared a receptionist in a central area just in front of the elevators. He saw that the reception desk was empty. Again. That explained why the woman’s visit had been unannounced. The elevator arrived and the woman got in. “I wish you luck,” he said to her. She nodded, avoiding his eyes. The doors closed.

I hope we meet again, he thought.

 

           © 2016 Stanley R. Teater

                All rights reserved

Author's Note

This is not really meant to be a story. Sometimes when I'm stuck for an idea I just start typing away. Sometimes something interesting comes out. Sometimes not. This was one such exercise. I'm not sure anything will come of it. But maybe that doesn't really matter.

Reviews

[Kami]

A snippit of life- someone's life, someone we can relate to or maybe someone we have never met and possibly someone exactly like ourselves. Again, your piece brings the characters' feelings to life and isn't that a big part of what life is about? Thank you for sharing!!

[Faye F.]

Not bad. Sometimes I write little stories to help with my writer's block too.

[Lisa A from Colorado]

Good job, writing to get writing. I think Mr. Klein ought to start out at a lower emotional pitch, or have a reason to be so pissed hinted at. :)

[Shannon]

Stuck is not a good feeling. I like this, though, so maybe 'unstuck'? Sounds like the first scene to set up a larger piece, a friendship or a working partnership.

One thing I would challenge : what about the woman us 'strange'? Later I am guessing the narrator means he doesn't know her. But the characterization is distracting at first.

Well done little excersize.

[Allinababe]

If you don't mind me being judgemental: I think the story was good but not perfect. You had the opportunity to make the dialogue a little bit longer by amplifying the humor. Also, I think it's a little weird he stood in the doorway and watched her Lmaooo but hey. Wouldn't be the first time a book got awkward. Read my short little (very little) story and see if my review is worth it.

[Stanley R. Teater]

As I said in the Author's note it's really not meant to be a story. It's just the result of a writing exercise meant to fight writer's block. I may make a story out of it someday.

[Valentine]

The last line says it all. Many times those chance encounters turn into something good. Valentine

[Adrienne Richardson]

Very cute, again another great story!

[Jenny Leigh]

It was interesting. When I was reading this, I could almost imagine an old black and white film, kind of like Casablanca with the famous "Of all the gin joints" line. I think it is interesting how when you are stuck, you just spill out something to see what comes to life.