2.2 Sydney

"That's IT!!!!" shouted Sydney to no one in particular.

She grabbed the three remaining Kleenex from the box on her desk and tried to sop up the tea she had just knocked over. Trickles of the dark liquid were making their way to her freshly printed presentation material, and in snatching the stack away she leaned directly into the tea stream.

As a lovely stain formed on her left thigh, Sydney threw her hands in the air and said "I give up."

"You talking to me boss?" Anne stuck her head in the office with a smile. "Ooh - that's not good. Can I help?"

Anne was a great assistant. She always appeared at the right time, said the right things, and made Sydney's day go as smoothly as possible.

"No, but thanks Anne. It has been a horrible day, and now look at my pants." Sydney stood up and gestured at her leg towards the stain that was now roughly the shape of an artichoke.

"At least they're white. You can bleach them," Anne offered helpfully.

"Yeah I suppose. Anne I've had it and I want to go home."

"Umm, Syd," replied Anne, "you're the Director you know. You can do that. And it is almost 5 anyway."

"Hey you're right! That's the first good news I've had all day!” Sydney grinned. “Ok then, let's both pack it in and head for the weekend."

Anne raised her fist in a sign of solidarity and headed towards her desk to pack up.

Sydney wiped up the last of the tea, tidied her desktop and grabbed the papers she wanted to read at home. She swiped on some lipstick (because you never know, HE might be on the subway today) and did a last check in the mirror, wondering for the tenth time if this pink top, which had been a favourite of hers for some time, was now a little tight.

"No more donuts," she swore to herself. And grabbing a bottle of water she headed towards the subway.

She was met by a massive throng of commuters, and determined not to act like the half-crazed people who pushed their way onto already full cars, she waited patiently for the next car with a bit of space.

Sydney smiled at the thought that this was "leaving early" for her. Since her promotion last year her hours had lengthened considerably, but she didn't mind. She loved her job, loved her location, and loved her team. Process Engineering was not the most exciting career for some, but she loved making things run more efficiently - and doing it for an airline, well, there were nice perks!

Sydney decided she was in no hurry. She switched into her "Zen Commuter” mode, and when she was subsequently rewarded with a seat, she made herself comfortable and decided to tap out a few messages, none of which had to do with work.

Sent Using: Peer-to-peer
Message Status: Sending
To: Summer Richardson
To: Olivia Bodnar
Sent: July 20, 2007 5:15 PM
From: Sydney Maxwell
Subject: Friiiiiiday!

Hey ladies. Woo Hoo! It’s Friday! Who’s up for a walk by the beach, some pizza and a couple of drinks?

Sent Using: Desktop
Message Status: Sending
To: Lyndi Weston
Sent: July 20, 2007 5:16 PM
From: Sydney Maxwell
Subject: Re: What to do

Sorry I couldn’t get back to you earlier – it was quite the day and I’m on the train home now. I have no idea how you should handle OBF. Is he paying attention to you or are you already breaking your own rules???? Chat this weekend?

As the subway passed over the Don Valley she noticed with satisfaction that she got a signal, and her messages were zipped through cyberspace. Her blackberry also vibrated with an incoming message.

Brrrrrt. Brrrrrt.

Message Status: Opened
To: Sydney Maxwell
To: Summer Richardson
Sent: July 20, 2007 5:13 PM
From: Olivia Bodnar
Subject: Hot Friday Night!

Hey my friends, beach tonight? Let’s go watch the vballers!!! Hell, let’s take a ball down and practice setting!!!

Sydney laughed out loud and then looked up to make sure no one saw her. She wasn't surprised that she and Olivia were on the same wavelength.

As she climbed up the stairs to the bus platform she tapped out a reply.

Message Status: Delivered
To: Olivia Bodnar
To: Summer Richardson
Sent: July 20, 2007 5:31 PM
From: Sydney Maxwell
Subject: Re: Hot Friday Night!

Great minds think alike Liv. Let’s meet on the boardwalk at 7 so I can get a few things done first. Summer, you coming? The correct answer is YES!

She snapped her blackberry into its case and looked up into the late afternoon sun. She sighed as she noticed the bus pulling out across the street, realizing she would have to wait for the next one.

"Oh well" she thought, "at least it's Friday and I live in the Beach. And with Liv and Summer, you never know what will happen!"