she walked the half mile to the subway station in her heels, the sides biting painfully into her tender skin. Once down on the crowded train, she wished she had a car, one that was reliable so she could avoid this kind of daily irritation. But that was for another day, she thought as the train opened up and she walked through the wet, dismal streets to the office.
Helen walked in to find Dimitri already in a meeting and she grimaced as she pulled the notes she’d compiled for him out of her desk drawer. How could she have forgotten to give these to him last night?
The pace was frantic that day. It seemed as if every project that had been initiated months ago was ending today and urgently needed review and approval. She was fielding phone calls, processing requests and summarizing contract documents as fast as she could. By seven o’clock, she was exhausted. Dimitri was still working but she simply couldn’t face anything else at this moment. She remembered that he had asked her to stop into his office before leaving, but when she listened at the doorway, it didn’t seem as if his current meeting was going to end anytime soon.
She turned off her computer and pulled on her rain coat, depressed even more with the idea of walking home in rain that had been falling almost all day.
As soon as she stepped out into the street, a car drove past, sloshing cold water all over her legs and the hem of her skirt. Staring down at the wet mess, her shoulders drooped and she trudged home grimly. The only way she was able to make it all the way without breaking down and blowing money on a cab ride was the idea of stopping to get a bottle of red wine at the little corner store in her neighborhood and savoring the rich taste in front of the fire. She’d spend her money on a good bottle of wine, not on a cab ride.
With the bottle tucked under her arm, she walked the final block home. Dropping her sopping raincoat and umbrella in the small mud room off her kitchen, she stripped off her clothes on her way to the bathroom, uncaring of where they landed as long as the cold, wet material was no longer against her skin. In the kitchen, she grabbed a wine glass on her way but didn’t even bother with a sandwich for dinner, too tired and depressed to think about eating anything. She only paused to turn on some music. A soft jazz CD playing in the background had her dancing slightly as she unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it onto the floor, her lacy bra following. Her skirt made it onto the sofa but her stockings were stomped on when she dropped them onto the floor. Helen had no idea, nor cared, where her underwear landed. All she cared about was stepping into the tub and not feeling the frustrations of the past two days.
The bathtub filled up quickly and Helen pulled the pins out of her hair, letting the long brown tresses hang down her back. Feeling instantly better, she poured herself a glass of wine, poured in some bubbles, then sank slowly into the warm water, not even waiting for the tub to fill up.
As the water and wine relaxed her, Helen allowed her eyes to drift closed. Slowly, the tension in her shoulders and back uncoiled and the tension eased. She drained her glass and poured another, feeling very relaxed now.
The knocking on her door roused her slightly but she wasn’t expecting anyone, so she assumed the person had arrived at the wrong house and would eventually figure it out. But the knocking persisted and she sat up in the tub. Dripping wet, she slid the robe on, then stopped to pour herself another glass of wine. She swayed slightly when she walked but didn’t care. She wasn’t feeling the stress or anger anymore, and that had been the plan. Mission accomplished, she told herself, raising her glass in a mock salute. She suspected she had a silly grin on her face as well but didn’t stop to look in the mirror since she couldn’t focus on her image anyway. The two glasses of wine had made the world very soft and fuzzy.
Helen only had wine every few months for special occasions so this was a complete change for her she thought to herself as she