Tardy

It was almost sixty degrees here yesterday. Standing out in the parking lot at work, I could smell the sun on the asphalt. Wearing my sunglasses and no coat, I savored the taste of spring that Thursday offered.

Today, the morning DJ I listen to said the high would around fifty-five. When you're used to snow and thirty degree weather, 55 feels positively tropic.

It was raining this morning, though. And I was late. I sped down the road to work with my windshield wipers on full speed, clearing the glass of the thick droplets of rain that threatened to impair my vision. I drank my coffee and listened to Howard Stern, sure that today would be better than yesterday, maybe not in terms of the weather, but at least in terms of my mood.

And then I saw it: My boss's car, heading in the opposite direction. I couldn't be sure he recognized my car, but if he had, I'm sure he took a second to look at his clock. It was already past eight, and I was a good fifteen minutes away from the office. I'm supposed to be in at eight.

Climbing into my car this morning, I thought of the reasonable excuses I could employ for being late: I got stuck behind a dumptruck/tractor-trailer/school bus on the drive up, and I had no chance to pass (I take a long, two lane road to work). I had no power this morning and was therefore not ousted from sleep by an alarm (even though the power was fine and I just hit the snooze button about thirty times). I couldn't sleep last night. I have stomach problems. I ran through them all, wondering which excuses sounded better than the truth which was that I just didn't realize how much time I took getting ready this morning.

I pulled into work, unlocked the door, turned on the lights and sat down at my computer, sure that the boss would stroll in only seconds later. I figured, since he was going in the opposite direction, he was probably just stopping at the local mini mart for coffee and would be right behind me. I made myself look busy in preparation for his arrival. I also expected the phone to ring, with him on the other end checking that I'd finally made it in. I decided to go with whichever excuse popped into my head in the exact moment I spoke to him. If I gave any excuse at all.

And, just as I suspected, the phone rang.

And, just as I suspected, it was my boss.

However, not as suspected, he was calling me from Atlantic City. "We came in to gamble last night and decided to stay over. We're leaving now," he said through the receiver. "I'll be back in about three hours. You can call me if you need anything, I'll be on the road."

Ever have one of those days where you just feel lucky?

Because, now, the rain has stopped and the sun is shining. My other coworker called and said she'd be stopping to see some customers on the way in, which means I'm alone in the office for at least another half hour; which means I can check my email and drink my coffee in silence. And I don't have to work tomorrow. Hopefully, this is a sign of a good weekend to come.