Interludes

The morning is glorious! I decide to ride into work on the motorcycle. It’s always a big production when I take the bike, especially if I plan to go to the gym after work. I haul out all the stuff I need, lay in on the park bench near the drive, and then try to pack everything in the saddlebags or on the luggage rack. My arms are loaded with lunch, purse, gym bag, jacket, helmet and gloves and I bang out the front door. Two of my neighbors are out for their morning walk and they say hello. They come into the drive and ask if I can help them out. They’ve spotted a baby bird that has fallen from a nest. They ask if I have anything with which they might pick it up. I head back into the house and Andy finds a small box. Perfect!

One of the neighbors I have known for years. Her name is Anne. I don’t really know the other woman. We are introduced to each other. Anne tells me Lynn, lives in the house up on the hill once owned by Norm. Anne asks me how things are going. I ask if she’s heard about the lab closing. I mention this because she knows a number of people who were laid off. She used to work with them at another technology company. Both Ann and Lynn are interested in the story, but I’m going to be late for work. Lynn suggests a company to mention to people now looking for work. Anne tells me that her daughter, Grace, now works at e-Copy. I know a number of people who work there, including some past employees, but it is always nice to have another contact. I thank them, wish them luck with the bird, and then I’m on my way.

It is always bittersweet riding into work on such a beautiful day. The morning air is refreshing and the urge to keep going is strong. In the end, I always do the right thing, put my signal on, and turn into the parking lot. This morning, at a stop light, I pull up alongside a small yellow school bus. Since school is out for the summer, I wonder where this bus is headed. Summer camp possibly? I look up into the windows and a small boy is looking down at me with curiosity in his face. I smile at him and he smiles back broadly. He is the only child on the bus and is sitting directly behind the driver. It could be that the driver is Mom and the poor kid is relegated to riding a bus during his summer vacation. Here I was feeling bad for myself at having to turn into the parking lot on such a great riding day. Things could be worse. I could be sitting on a bus, going nowhere all day long.

I take my lunch out to the picnic table I had Bill move to the front of the building. Someone has moved it to the parking lot from the grass while I was away on vacation. I sit in the sun and eat my lunch while reading a book. After the first half hour, I move to the grass and sit in the shade of one of the pines. It’s pretty quiet around here. The traffic is light. There is a small breeze, which feels good after sitting in the sun. I put the book down, lean back on my hands and close my eyes. I just want to be still, feel the breeze on my face and listen to the quite sounds.

My hour is up all too soon and I head back in. The days are not as they used to be. I’ve resigned myself to that fact. Not too many people can say they once had a job they loved and people they loved working with. Is it possible that this can happen more than just once in a lifetime? I can only hope.

I head to the gym after work, and put some effort into the workout. I’ve become grumpy toward the end of the day and the workout is a way to exorcise my demons. I’m not very successful. At home Andy has prepared supper on the grill and has things set out on the deck. Since the house is hot, eating outside makes sense but the flies are annoying me. I’m not good at hiding the fact that my mood is sour and by the time supper has ended, we begin a verbal sparring. I quit first, because I realize I’m at fault and there is no excuse for it. Andy doesn’t hold it against me and after the dishes he presents me with a Mojito. I accept the peace offering. Things never look so bad after a Mojito.