A Mistake Worth Living

Lights Out

Lights Out - Chan POV

I can feel the lukewarm water damping my chest as it seeps through the fabric. The smell of coffee will remain with me throughout the day as it lingers in the air. I'm a fan of the awakening beverage, but after a while the smell sets in - generating a pounding in my head; one that will 360 my mood.

I'm typically a morning, sunshiny person but when I get a headache I can no longer focus on the task at hand. I get frustrated over the little things and irritated by the quietest sound.

Headaches are my weak point; I could be jolly old Mr. Bing, but once that pain sets in I will turn into The Grinch.

Not that I'm against Christmas traditions, but while at the office I'd appreciate it if there wasn't a mistletoe hanging above my door. It's not professional and every now and again I get an important client that comes in to discuss blueprints.

If I could only get back to my office without attention I'll be able to slip out of this shirt and into my spare one.

Unfortunately, I barely have my hand on the door when Jessica, one of my newest interns, stops me in my tracks. "Mr. Bing, I'm glad I caught you." She walks up with a pile of folders in her arms. "I need a quick opinion about the jet powered scooter board..." She trails off while she opens the document in her hands.

I shift from one foot to the other, waiting impatiently as she gathers the information she needs to go over.

"Um..." She stutters before finally pulling out the sheet of paper she needs a second opinion on. Trailing her finger over the words she searches the document "Oh! I wanted to know if we should spray on some sort of wood preserver to protect the handlebars from those little kids who were born with sticky fingers?" She suggests, eyeing me with a curious look.

I nod with a little chuckle "I like it, Jess. Why don't you make those changes on the final piece, slip the document into my mailbox and I'll sign off. Then we can get those down to HR before the holiday rush begins." I tell her "Nice job."

She smiles, proud of herself as she looks down at her shoes and then back up again "Thank you, Mr. Bing."

"No problem," I flash one of my famous smiles "Listen," I glance back at my closed door and reach for the handle "I've got a lot of work to catch up on, so I'll talk to you Monday, okay. If you have any further issues, ring Heather and she'll make sure the information gets to me." Twisting the knob, I take one step in before she even has a chance to respond.

"Okay," She nods quickly "And Heather is-"

"My secretary." I finish for her "Yep, just give her a call. All the employees numbers are in the spreadsheet attached to your welcome email."

She nods again, and before she asks another loaded question, I step into my office and shut the heavy wooden door behind me. Without moving, I let out the frustrated breath I've been holding in and focus back on the problem at hand. "This is just wonderful." Sighing, I slowly stride over to my closet where my spare outfit hangs. Unfortunately, my green tie doesn't match the blue linen shirt I have available.

However, it'll have to do. "What's one day without a tie?" I guess this is how the phrase 'causal Friday' came about.

Reaching into my wardrobe, I pull out a pressed shirt and slide it off it's hanger. Tossing the garment over my desk chair I begin to undo my tie.

I remember the very first time I learnt how to tie a tie. I was 4 years old and getting ready to attend my grandfathers funeral. My dad stood behind me as he guided me through all the loops and pulls. As I created a knot, he was there to undo it, when my tie became wrinkled from all the fuss, he was sure to straighten it. It took me some time, but after only a few dozen tries, I actually managed to get a straight tie that didn't dangle beneath my belt.