So, as I was walking into work yesterday morning I noticed (out of the corner of my eye) that a guy had caught up to me and then continued to walk dead-step-even with me.  If I slowed down, he slowed down.  If I sped up, he sped up.  Then it happened.

He said, “you smell awfully good this morning.”  To which I responded, “Thank you, I shower regularly.”  As we continued to walk, not saying anything, I happened to sniffle.  That tends to happen when it’s 40 degrees outside and I have wet hair.  He asked me if I had a cold.  I said not yet, but that I probably would because everyone I knew was sick.  We took a few more steps and then he asked me my name.  I didn’t feel threatened by the guy so I thought why not…”I’m Katie,” I said.  He told me his name was Charles.  He then proceeded to ask me if I had a boyfriend.  I was thinking to myself, oh great here it comes.  I said, “why, Charles?”  Yes, I was having a little fun by this point.  He said that he could only assume that someone as beautiful as me would be taken.  I couldn’t help but agree, but I told him no I didn’t have a boyfriend.  He then asked me if I was interested in gaining a friend…someone who I could hang out with, go to dinner with, etc.  I said, “Oooh Charles, I’m flattered.”  He then asked for my number.  I said no.  He pleaded for a while.  I didn’t waiver.  He then grinned and said, “well, have a blessed day.  I was supposed to turn a few blocks ago, but I wanted to talk to you.”  I told Charles that it was lovely meeting him and we went on our separate ways.

I continued on and couldn’t help but laugh.  I just kept thinking, “did that really just happen?”  It was funny.  Little did I know that that was just the beginning.

I met a prospective vendor for lunch.  This was a re-scheduled lunch from last week.  Why was it rescheduled?  Well, because I COMPLETELY forgot about it and ended up standing her up.  Oops.  Anyway, back to yesterday.  We were supposed to meet at 12:30 PM at a place that required me to drive.  Not a big deal.  Well, I get there (she of course is already there) and there’s like a twenty minute wait.  That’s ok cause we’re chatting.  Not a big deal.  The food was great and the conversation was enjoyable.

It wasn’t until the end of our lunch that things became uncomfortable.  Don’t get me wrong, the conversation was still lovely.  The food was still delightful.  And, my pumpkin spice latte was near perfection!  But, when nature calls…

Anything said within the last ten minutes of our lunch was lost to me.  All I knew was that I had to get back to the office.  We said our goodbyes and I glanced at my watch.  It was 1:49 PM!!  I had a 2 o’clock meeting.  I park ten minutes away.  I needed to go to the bathroom.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!

I got in my car, sat down gingerly and was off to the races.  I thought about parking in a garage that was closer.  But, my stinginess got the best of me.  I parked in my garage.  It was 1:54 PM.  My shoes were already giving me a blister.  But, I didn’t have time to stop and complain.  I had to keep moving.  By the way, it was still cold and windy.  My hair was no longer wet, and it wasn’t exactly curly…more of a wind-blown look.

As I walked inside my building, I saw that an elevator was open…but starting to close.  I lunged…and caught it in time.  To my surprise there was a gentleman already on the elevator.  He was an Italian looking man, wearing sun glasses.  As I leapt onto the elevator he said sorry for not seeing me/opening the elevator.  I said it was ok.  He then said, “I better take these things of (referring to his sunglasses), you can’t see me wink.”  I laughed.  He said, “it’s not every day an old, chubby man can wink at a beautiful young lady.”  I said, “I understand.”  He said, “oh no you don’t.”  I laughed and said, “no, I’d wink at me if I were you.”  We wished each other well and I got off at 27.

I raced back to my desk.  Well, I didn’t have the login info for my 2 o’clock webinar.  My boss didn’t have it either.  So, I had to email the guys running the thing.  In the mean time, I went to the ladies room.  Disaster, partially avoided.

I eventually got logged on, but my computer speakers are so soft and the printer behind my head was/is so loud, I could hardly hear.  I was getting frustrated.  When my neighbor started talking on the phone, it was all over.  Eventually the sound stopped working.  This was about the same time that I realized I had left my pumpkin spice latte in my car…four blocks away.

Since my sound stopped working, I decided to make the trek to my car.  It was a pumpkin spice latte, after all.  And, I figured the outside air would do me good.  Otherwise, I would have hurt someone.

Well, I was about a half block away from my garage, by a bus stop, when I almost stepped on a huge piece of chewed gum.  I saw it in time, but it definitely caused me to trip.  An older, black gentleman advised me “not to trip.”  I kept walking.

I got my latte out of the car.  It was luke warm.  This, of course, was a victory for me.  I thought it would be ice cold!

As I was walking back, the same black man approached me as I was passing the same bus stop.  He said, “you almost fell earlier, didn’t you?”  I said “yes, I totally tripped.  But, I was trying not to step on that huge piece of gum (I pointed).”  He smiled and said, “if you had actually fallen, I would have caught you.”  I smiled and said, “well, thanks.”  We parted ways.

I was again laughing as I walked back toward the office.  I couldn’t help but wonder, “what next?”  Well, I was about ten steps away from the revolving door to go inside, when out walked the Italian man in his sun glasses.  We both just busted out laughing.  He had no idea the depth of my laughter.

I don’t know if it had anything to do with my outfit (um a sweater and khakis - nothing slutty)…or my beautiful frizzy hair.  Perhaps it was God realizing that I was having a bad morning and a frustrating afternoon.  He knew I needed a laugh, or two, or three.  So, I quite enjoyed my disturbing, yet funny, encounters.