In the beginning of fall, Josh, a self-declared atheist and confirmed bachelor of forty, ran into the beautiful and pious Mary while ascending the stairs at his workplace. Their eyes met, and they greeted each other. He moved aside to let her pass and watched after her as she made her way down the staircase before disappearing behind the main door leading to the street, leaving only a faint trail of her perfume behind. It was the first time Josh had seen her; in fact it was the first time that he was seeing a lady at his workplace. When he turned his head around, he saw the watchman on the landing of the first floor with his usual coffee mug in hand.
- Met our new secretary?, asked the watchman as his lips twitched to form a suggestive smile.
- I see, so did she join today?
- Yes, apparently the boss is very pleased with her already, the watchman replied, smacking his lips to clear the froth left from his last sip.
- So he arrived early today? Well, that's good, I need to talk to him, said Josh contemplatively.
- No, I don't think you can. He said he is tired today and needs to leave soon. He has to be at the station in an hour, informed the watchman.
- Oh yes, I remember now, he had told me that his wife is going to her mother's today.
- Yes, that must be it.
Nevertheless, Josh went to his boss' office and knocked on the door. He had to talk to him about his salary; he had been promoted three months back, but hadn't seen any raise since. His boss, Mr. Sweeney, was a fat, short swindler, who after having made a fortune in the real estate business had aligned himself with a political party of similar dubious ideology and started the consultancy office where Josh had been employed for the last three years. When Josh entered Mr. Sweeney's office he found the old swine panting as usual, perhaps a little more than usual. He excitedly informed Josh about his new secretary, Mary. While he went on with his monologue, Josh absentmindedly imagined how it would look if one were to hang Mr. Sweeney upside down and slash him from his chest to lower abdomen with a sharp blade so that his entrails fell out like those of the pigs in the abattoirs. While Josh was still engrossed in his grotesque reverie, Mr. Sweeney suddenly looked at his watch, jumped up from his chair and left the room. Josh followed him, but Mr. Sweeney hurried down the stairs with loud grunts and pants. By the time Josh reached the main door, Mr. Sweeney was driving off in his car. When Josh came out on the street, the sun blinded him for a moment and a dark silhouette appeared before him. The familiar smell of perfume told him that it was Mary.
- Are you all right?, asked a mellifluous voice.
- Yes, I am fine.
Mary helped him back to the office. He thanked her and took her around the office, introducing her to all the other employees, just the way Mr. Sweeney had asked him to. It was only then that Josh noticed the innocence on her face, but there was something seductive in her. He observed her moist red lips, her dark brown eyes, the brown locks of hair that caressed her nape, and judged their beauty like an expert jeweler carefully weighing old gold trinkets before buying them. Mary seemed to be more beautiful than he had previously thought. She was twenty something, but there was a charm and poise in her that he had never noticed in any other girl before. Moreover, she had attended college, a rarity among girls in that town. Overall, he was very impressed with his new colleague. Josh had never been very close to his colleagues before, perhaps because he had a certain disdain towards them for their vulgarity and ignorance. Their crudeness and insincerity appalled him. But Mary was entirely different from them. She was beautiful and intelligent. In his heart he felt that her arrival at the office, and therefore in his life, held a promise that was yet to be explored. That day on his way back from work, Josh felt some inexplicable happiness rising in his heart which made him feel strong and young. In his happiness, or perhaps in an effort to preserve it, he even paid off a drunk beggar, which was not only uncharacteristic of him but also went against his principles. He sat down on a park bench. The change in nature had begun, the leaves had taken a yellow hue. He sat there for long trying to recreate Mary's face in his mind.
- Met our new secretary?, asked the watchman as his lips twitched to form a suggestive smile.
- I see, so did she join today?
- Yes, apparently the boss is very pleased with her already, the watchman replied, smacking his lips to clear the froth left from his last sip.
- So he arrived early today? Well, that's good, I need to talk to him, said Josh contemplatively.
- No, I don't think you can. He said he is tired today and needs to leave soon. He has to be at the station in an hour, informed the watchman.
- Oh yes, I remember now, he had told me that his wife is going to her mother's today.
- Yes, that must be it.
Nevertheless, Josh went to his boss' office and knocked on the door. He had to talk to him about his salary; he had been promoted three months back, but hadn't seen any raise since. His boss, Mr. Sweeney, was a fat, short swindler, who after having made a fortune in the real estate business had aligned himself with a political party of similar dubious ideology and started the consultancy office where Josh had been employed for the last three years. When Josh entered Mr. Sweeney's office he found the old swine panting as usual, perhaps a little more than usual. He excitedly informed Josh about his new secretary, Mary. While he went on with his monologue, Josh absentmindedly imagined how it would look if one were to hang Mr. Sweeney upside down and slash him from his chest to lower abdomen with a sharp blade so that his entrails fell out like those of the pigs in the abattoirs. While Josh was still engrossed in his grotesque reverie, Mr. Sweeney suddenly looked at his watch, jumped up from his chair and left the room. Josh followed him, but Mr. Sweeney hurried down the stairs with loud grunts and pants. By the time Josh reached the main door, Mr. Sweeney was driving off in his car. When Josh came out on the street, the sun blinded him for a moment and a dark silhouette appeared before him. The familiar smell of perfume told him that it was Mary.
- Are you all right?, asked a mellifluous voice.
- Yes, I am fine.
Mary helped him back to the office. He thanked her and took her around the office, introducing her to all the other employees, just the way Mr. Sweeney had asked him to. It was only then that Josh noticed the innocence on her face, but there was something seductive in her. He observed her moist red lips, her dark brown eyes, the brown locks of hair that caressed her nape, and judged their beauty like an expert jeweler carefully weighing old gold trinkets before buying them. Mary seemed to be more beautiful than he had previously thought. She was twenty something, but there was a charm and poise in her that he had never noticed in any other girl before. Moreover, she had attended college, a rarity among girls in that town. Overall, he was very impressed with his new colleague. Josh had never been very close to his colleagues before, perhaps because he had a certain disdain towards them for their vulgarity and ignorance. Their crudeness and insincerity appalled him. But Mary was entirely different from them. She was beautiful and intelligent. In his heart he felt that her arrival at the office, and therefore in his life, held a promise that was yet to be explored. That day on his way back from work, Josh felt some inexplicable happiness rising in his heart which made him feel strong and young. In his happiness, or perhaps in an effort to preserve it, he even paid off a drunk beggar, which was not only uncharacteristic of him but also went against his principles. He sat down on a park bench. The change in nature had begun, the leaves had taken a yellow hue. He sat there for long trying to recreate Mary's face in his mind.
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