A Moment of Fragrance
Friday 20th;
02:03 pm.
The silence in the office is deafening. Wanda leans over her desk, looking down at the spilled nail polish, its glittery gel spreading over the laminate.
I’m sick. It’s the wrong time. She shouldn’t be painting her nails now. She does that 09:42 am. 09:42, 09:42, 09:42.
This is what happens when the pattern is broken; 09:42, 09:42, 09:42.
I take a breath.
“Well, it’s no big deal,” She chirps, looking for a tissue, “The cleaners will clean it up tonight. And Boss won’t even know. I’ll just…“
I watch as she picks up tissues and starts to wipe the mess around the laminate in a terrible attempt to clean it up. The nail polish isn’t coming off. She opens a bottle of nail polish remover and pours it over the glittery sea.
The smell is suffocating.
02:05 pm
The door opens. He walks out, carrying a USB. My heart hammers. My eyes will to close and erase this memory.
He’s two minutes too early.
02:07, 02:07, 02:07.
Wanda looks up in surprise. She opens her mouth but he walks past quietly. He doesn’t say anything.