Dec. 8th, 2005 Way to Eden

Way to Eden

The first three hours had been dull and Sophie did not expect to find the rest of her day much more interesting. She had taken the temp job as receptionist to earn some money, as her thesis was not coming along quite well and she could use the money. Her thesis on old English literature dating just after the Shakespearian time was still in the planning phase. She had not even chosen the writers she wanted to portray and her teachers were nagging her to get a move on. She rose from her chair and stared down at the front door, would someone come in and need directions now? Her eyes flew over the phone, would it ring in her short absence? No, probably not. She would only be away for a few minutes, just a bathroom break, anyone would understand.

Sophie brushed of the black skirt and started to walk away from her seat behind the counter. Nobody came in through the door, the annoying ring from the phone was not heard. She let out an audible sigh of relief and moved through the doors into the back office. A cup of hot chocolate might be good too, and maybe a cookie while she was at it. She smiled and ran her hand over the trusted machine that made their coffee, tea and hot coco. Whip cream was out of the question, she had been on a diet for a week now and it was already paying off. A lock of red hair framed her face as she reached down in the cupboard to get herself a mug. She turned on the machine and waited patiently for it to stop fuzzing and rattling, when it was ready to fill the mug with chocolate delight.

Suddenly, her thoughts were disturbed by someone entering the back office. She looked up and found a young man smiling at her. “You are Sophie right, the girl from the temp agency?” She nodded and grabbed her mug, it was warm but she did not feel it in her hand as she was taken in by his warm eyes and that soft smile. “Yes, yes I am,” she said, her cheeks turning a light color of crimson, she was also suddenly aware of the heat in her hands. He came up to her and took the mug from her, “There is someone waiting at the front desk, he wants to know if Mister Greenspan is in today,” Sophie, who had half expected him to kiss her and tell her she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, nodded absently. She took the mug back and hurried to the front desk where indeed a man in a tight Italian black suit stood waiting. As soon as she had given him the room number he needed, she settled back in her chair.

The young man did not come by and the phone did not ring. No new customers or employees passed her desk. She enjoyed the taste of the hot chocolate and closed her eyes as she let her head fall back in the chair. Her mind wandered over the young man and what it would have felt like to be kissed by him. His fingers running through her dyed red hair, his eyes closed and peeking a few times at her, to see if she was enjoying it as much as he did. Sophie emptied her cup and smiled over the rim at the beam of sunlight that hit through the window next to the entrance door. The way to Eden was smooth, easy and gotten through the simplest of delights, a cup of warm chocolate milk and a daydream of a gorgeous colleague, just waiting to kiss you.