1.1 Tim

This was not the way today was supposed to start. At least not the way Tim had imagined it. Instead of the grey skies and persistent drizzle, he pictured brilliant sunshine. Instead of his now creased and somewhat limp looking suit, he imagined looking natty and well turned out, crisp French cuffs snapped precisely into place. And instead of being jammed onto this crowded subway platform with miserable, dripping commuters, he had planned on flying down the highway in his sparkling silver Carerra, top down, sunglasses on, and radio blasting.

But it was not to be, for he was awakened this morning by a shout, a crash, stunned silence, and finally frantic chatter. He stumbled out of bed to look out the window and the first thing he noticed was the rain. “So much for putting the top down,” he thought. Then he noticed the tree plunked squarely down across the middle of his beautiful baby car!

He wasn't sure if the cries of pain were from him or his car.

Now, as he stood waiting for the subway, he supposed that it was not worth killing someone over a crushed car. The workers were stupid, yes - who cuts down trees in the rain? But at least they had insurance.

It's just that it was his first day at his new job on Bay Street. VP, Mergers & Acquisitions for a new upstart company, and he wanted to make a good impression. This included being on time.

Well, he decided, "I will have to do that with my charm and winning smile." But as he looked around him, he realized he was as defeated looking and grumpy as everyone else. Making a good impression would require significant effort, and perhaps an act of God.

Suddenly he noticed a woman walking towards him on the platform. Tall, brunette, and curvy. "Well there's 3 on my 10 point scale right off the bat," he thought. She was dressed in a linen skirt, a silk blouse, and... Hmmm... Flip flops.