Sunday, August 4, 2013

Casual Friday has nothing on Backwards Day

I dreamt that my boss - who is hyper, driven and can be intimidating to the point of rudeness (I quote: "that experiment is RETARDED!!") - returned from a tropical vacation with corn rows in pigtails, sporting flip flops and a goofy smile.

She sauntered down the hallway, greeting people with a slow husky drawl.  At the elevator, as we the lab, a core cadre of eight plus six summer students, were waiting for a car to take us to seminar, my type A boss sidled up to me, extended a foot and asked if we were the same shoe size.  She was now in front of me so I had wrap myself around her a little to extend my own foot and answer the question - which was no; her feet were larger.

My boss stepped aside so that the lab members could file into the first elevator, and when it was full, smiled and said, "no problem, we'll take the next one," indicating me.

We loaded into the next elevator car, which already contained five people.  As we crossed the threshold, me a single step ahead of her, she rested both hands on my hips.  I turned, curled an arm around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss.  We made out in the car for all four descending floors, while the rest of the car looked on in amazement.  I pulled up for air as the elevator dinged its arrival and she said, "Oh man, you have no idea how hard this has been for me."

"Oh.  I'm sorry.  Did I read that right?  I thought..."

She shook her head,  "You did.  I just..." her lip quivered, tears filled her eyes.

The exiting passengers gawked over their shoulders as the elevator emptied.  We left last, and she took my hand as we walked, swung it back and forth and poured out her experience of the last six months: her divorce, custody battle, the stress of coming up for tenure, and her secret inappropriate attraction to one of her employees.  She looked meaningfully into my eyes.

I woke up.

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