The Unhappy Life of Robert Simms part 5.

Things start to get weird for Robert. Thank you for sticking with me thus far, we're about half way through... perhaps longer :)

He felt it happening in the morning meeting.

After a full hour of being sat in the morning rush hour traffic, Robert had entered the regimental grey building that contained his offices. He had passed the receptionist whose name he did not know, but had always wanted to learn and climbed the stairs at the far end of the reception. He climbed the same three flights of stairs that he had climbed for the past five years and pulled open the brown door that led to the open planned room that made up Robert’s work place. It was full of grey cubicles housing Roberts colleagues, some of which were busy scurrying back and forth from their cubicles to the photo-copier or the printer or the kettle, contently going about their morning rituals. As always he had kept his head down and walked to his own cubicle in the near corner of the office. Away from his uncaring colleagues he stowed his brown satchel bag under his desk, flung his blazer over the back of the chair and set about booting up the computer.

The rest of the morning had been tedious work, catching up with what he had failed to finish the night before. He’d always been playing catch-up with his work, he couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t had to come in to the office early and leave later than everyone else.

 At 10 A.M. the manager had sauntered in, casually walking to his work place as if he had all the time in the world, despite being an hour late. The manager was an arrogant man by the name of Paul Greene. Robert hated the very core of the man for everything he stood for. He was a hypocrite, an alcoholic and, if Robert believed the rumours, not only cheating on his wife, but cheating on his mistress with another mistress. Robert hadn’t quite known what to think when he had over heard Paula ‘the blab’ and Jane ‘the gossip’ talking about that in the next cubicle over from him. He could see how a man like Greene wasn’t faithful to his wife but Robert couldn’t believe that three women could be attracted to such a man. He was average in everyway, always smelt damp and the little hair he had left was greasy and styled in the least convincing comb-over Robert had ever seen.

At 10:15 A.M. the team had been called to the meeting which was held in a long glass walled room with a long, cheap wooden table that had too few chairs to accommodate the work force. Robert was sat next to Jane ‘the gossip’ and a tall, broad man called George. Robert wasn’t sure on George’s actual job but judging by the gormless look he held Robert didn’t expect it to be anything too important.

The meeting had dragged on for 10 minutes when Robert noticed a change in him. Whilst talk of what was needed to push the company forward, changes to the holiday schedule and break regulations Robert felt something deep inside him.  It was a warm feeling in his stomach that Robert knew was coming from somewhere else, but he let it grow all the same. He felt it envelop him and he felt as if he were almost glowing. Robert took a sip of the water that had been provided and as he touched the cool crisp water to his lips his eyes widened in shock. He put the glass back to the table gently, frightened of scaring away what he thought he had just felt. He raised his left arm to his lips and ran a finger from one corner of his mouth, down a slight dip and back up in the opposite corner.

Tears filled Roberts eyes. He was smiling! Robert couldn’t breath. Iablo had done something. All that worry from the morning that he had been going crazy, all because of that visit from that strange man. It had been true. Iablo had given him the happiness Robert had craved. He recognised that warm feeling now. It had been described a million different times in a million different ways. It was the feeling of happiness, a happiness he couldn’t contain. The first true happiness he had ever felt without any need to fake it. All his colleagues here to witness this wonderful moment. Robert traced the room slowly with his eyes, mentally willing anyone of them to look at him with the first real toothy grin he had ever given. He didn’t care. He felt happy and wanted nothing more than to smile and be happy, to enjoy this warm feeling deep inside that had now risen well into his heart.

The rest of the meeting flew by with talk of letting staff in other sectors go and the budget on paper being tightened drifting harmlessly in the air over Roberts head. Never did the smile fall from Roberts face, it hurt like hell in the end but he was going to make the most of his new found happiness.

Once Greene had dismissed them everyone piled out of the meeting room and back to their grey cubicles. Robert returned to his and set to work, finally truly happy, feeling motivated to crack on with his work and excited to go out and live.