Page 66 - Interior_SPRING SUMMER FALLING_2021

66 | FRANCESCA PE NN

I know it is bold to call her a pet name and I also believe she will try to decipher
it a hundred times before she sees me again. But I decide in that moment to up the
game. I did have her mother’s blessing after all.

My alarm blazes a short four hours after I fall asleep. My eyes feel like I’ve slept with
sandpaper; I am so tired--I want to cry real tears. Not the grown man kind either. I
want to cry the blubbering baby tears that would force my body into a fetal
position. I pull it together. I have to go get my girl. I shower again using the
energizing body wash I’ve only used for such occasions. I throw my belongings into
the back of my SUV and blast my High-Octane playlist to keep me awake.
I jump out after arriving. My SUV locks, and I drag myself towards the
building. The parking lot is still desolate save for the three cars of the café staff. I
order a few pastries – tiredness leads to high calorie decisions – and the strongest
coffee they can legally offer. Gollum is already here to fuck up my morning. His
thinning hair sticks up in a few places, but his thin body is impeccably dressed in a
pressed suit and shiny shoes. His face? The permanent mask of dislike.

“Good morning.” I force out the greeting and offer him a pastry.
To my surprise and pleasure, he accepts it with a chaste “thank you.” He needs
to eat. I slide behind my desk and boot up the computer. His frail body hovers as I
show him the improvements. We map out some changes, and I inform him that I
will be leaving around 11:30 to catch my flight. He simply nods because I deliver
the news with my best “don’t fuck with me” face.
The other engineers start filing in earlier than normal. The threat to work over
the weekend must have put a renewed fire under their asses. Even Stu left his
asshole behavior behind. It takes a team effort, but enough is done for me to head
out at 11 AM. Gollum even wishes me a good weekend. That is the closest thing to
a miracle I’ve ever seen.
I damn near run to my SUV. Anticipation grips every molecule in my body; in
a few short hours, I will be in Florida with Sanya. I hit the fucking holy grail of good
travel karma. The traffic to the airport is light. I nab a good spot in the flat rate lot,