Calling
it a day, Becky gathered her things and started for her car. It had been a frustrating week and her single
thought was to escape. She walked toward
the stairwell with the car keys in her left hand and purse swinging from the
strap that dangled in the bend of her arm.
Cell phone in her right hand, Becky pressed her hip into the push bar on
the stairwell door. She descended slowly
while finishing her reply to an email.
Her
heals echoed off the steel steps and concrete walls as Becky noted additional
footfalls rapidly ascending. Crossing to
the right hand side of the next flight of stairs, Becky looked at the figure turning
to come up the stair she was on. She
recognized her coworker and called out to him as he looked at her, “You’re
going the wrong way, Scott.”
“I
forgot my keys. Got all the way to my
car before I found out.”
Becky
chuckled, “Sorry to hear that. Don’t
rush. Drive careful and see ya Monday.”
Taking
steps two at a time, Scott replied, “Yep, see ya.”
The
light by the exit door flashed as she approached. A flash of anger rose. Becky sent repeated requests since Tuesday to
fix the light. Yet, there it was, still
flickering. Thoroughly annoyed, Becky
slammed her hip into the push bar and stepped outside. The fading light of day drew her eyes
skyward. The scene before her eliminated
previous thoughts.
A
canopy of ornate clouds spotted the sky.
Eyes drawn to the distant sunset, Becky marveled at the distant ivory
sky. Magenta and fuchsia clouds reflected
slivers of the sun’s fading brilliance.
The scene imprisoned Becky as she walked, eyes up, to her car.
During
the commute home, Becky felt the pull to look skyward. The canvas was ever moving, ever changing. Even after arriving home, Becky forsook her
demanding bladder and exited the garage to capture the final moments of sunlight. The stars winked in greeting the earth. Becky soaked in the eternity before her.
It
has been a difficult week but Becky fully appreciated the beauty. There is more to life than work.
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