Dream Ticket - 1

ONE

She pulled the door closed behind her and, with umbrella angled toward the sky, scurried off to the bus stop, silently cursing the old git who had failed her on her driving test last month. 

Another day, another rain-soaked journey to work. Surely life had more to offer? By the time she had shaken the worst of Manchester’s rain from her umbrella and was in her usual spot on the bus, she was thoroughly depressed again for the third morning this week and it was only Wednesday.

Her only solace was the 45 minute journey, which allowed her to gaze across the slate grey skies and dream of her ideal man.

Emma was married but five years into wedded bliss she was beginning to have pangs of disappointment. Sex with Simon had never been the best she’d had, but just recently things had started to go off the boil. He was a great bloke, though and to start with, his caring and consideration used to make her gasp with amazement. He had once hired a limousine for the evening, back when it was the ultimate romantic gesture - well before it became a cheap and tacky hen night feature. The thoughtful acts, though were now few and far between. Maybe the seven year itch was arriving too soon, but from her side of the table things weren’t quite as tasty as they had been in the early days.

Working as a clerical sales assistant for a local IT firm, they had met on a company course and it was their little joke that it had taken People Awareness to bring them together. Things had been great for three years, when they were both at the same site in Trafford. With Simon next door in Marketing, they had travelled to work together, took lunch together and came home together.

Eighteen months ago though, things started to change when Simon was moved to Salford and they started travelling separately to work. Then last year, when he was promoted to marketing executive she felt everything had changed forever. She’d never forget how he burst through the door, sweeping her off her feet and spilling pasta from the packet in her hand. The only other candidate had apparently messed up his interview ‘and now you’re married to an Area Sales Manager!’ He’d lifted her up and down, making her giggle and adding more linguine to the lino.

She knew she was being selfish; the company car, the extra foreign holidays and her bigger wardrobe were all great news but it also meant she saw less of him than ever. Between the conferences three times a month and the late nights, she hardly saw him anymore and blamed his promotion for the way she was feeling now. 

So she took opportunities like this to indulge in her one fantasy; to have an office romance. The thrill of a workplace assignation made her tingle and blush and put a smile on her face. She would meet a complete stranger at work, at a party or on a training course and would hide her wedding ring and flirt with him, the way she used to with Simon. Eventually she would meet him for lunch and more, completely scared and excited and happy all at once.

One night, lying next to Simon, feeling unfulfilled as usual, she’d suggested she should have an affair to spice up their love life. He’d laughed it off, thinking she was joking. The fact he hadn’t taken her seriously told her a lot. He clearly believed she would never want another man and once she would have agreed, but these days she just yearned to feel special again. 

* * * 

The bus pulled into the terminus and she joined the rest of the grey people as they disembarked and made their way to their own personal work nightmares. Emma pushed up her umbrella and set off to the office, her head still full of indiscriminate thoughts. Simon would only just be getting up now; he had a sales meeting in Sale (hilarious) and didn’t have to be there until 10.30. She looked at her watch. At 8.05 she was nearly half an hour earlier than she needed to be because of the bloody bus times. Sighing, she walked through the large iron gates which symbolised her imprisonment for the next nine hours. She glanced at Eddie the security man, warm in his little yellow hut and made her way over to the revolving doors. Two shakes of the umbrella, a squeeze at the sopping ends of her long brown hair and she was in the foyer of Syntex Ltd.

The familiar musty smell of old, damp walls greeted her nostrils as she reached for her clock card. Punching in she turned slowly and headed for the lifts. In about an hour this major intersection in the busy office block would be teeming with people but, as she was early, there was only her and the morning cleaner. Sighing she pushed the button for the second floor and waited for the car to descend.

When Emma reached her office, however, she was surprised to see the lights were already on and her three colleagues sat around, drinking coffee and chatting.

‘Morning Em, what time do you call this?’ shouted Elaine, pointing to the clock as Emma reached her desk.

‘What are you lot doing in at this time?’ she replied, hanging her coat up.

‘Ah, we know something you don’t know!’ chanted Jane. ‘And that’s what happens when you finish early!’ She tapped her nose with her finger and winked.

Pouring herself a coffee, happy for once that she didn’t have to start the percolator; Emma dragged her chair over to Maggie’s desk. Naturally inquisitive, she hated missing out on gossip and cursed yesterday’s dental appointment.

‘Go on then,’ she said, sipping the hot black brew and allowing her head to wake up, ‘what did I miss?’

Maggie reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘Only the best news that our sleepy little office has had for months. Remember the Diet Coke advert?’

‘Erm. The "11.30" one? That one’

‘Mm-hmm’

‘I can't see any naked builders.' Emma massaged her neck, still not quite ready for conversation a full hour before she was used to it, although she was still intrigued.

‘What Maggie’s trying to say,’ Elaine continued, ‘is that we have a new hunk starting in Sales today. His name’s Lewis Anderson and he popped in yesterday with Mr Royle just before we finished. He’s transferred from Salford, and best of all, they have no room next door yet so he’s having Puffy’s old desk!’. Puffy Ellis was the oddest and loneliest man Emma had ever known and they were all pleased when he had retired at Christmas.

‘He’s lovely!’ Maggie gushed, her long-lashed eyes flickering behind her thick lenses. She was a pretty girl but she insisted on wearing such awful specs.

‘And he’s perfect for you!’ Jane piped up, winking.

Emma choked on a mouthful of coffee. What did she mean? Her little fantasy was a secret she had kept to herself.

‘Meaning..?’ she replied.

‘He’s an Aquarian and he plays tennis, apparently!’

Emma relaxed. ‘Really?’ Jane and her horoscopes; horror-scopes, Emma called them.

‘Yes and he's coming in early today to bring his stuff over, which..’

‘.. is why you’re all in to make his first morning memorable’ Emma finished.

‘We weren’t going to let you have him all to yourself!’ Jane pouted.

‘Yeah, he deserves better, and anyway, you’re married so let the real talent get a look in!’ Elaine jumped up and did a little pirouette. They all laughed.

Emma got on well with her three friends, although as the only married one she often felt a bit left out, especially when they had a girls night out. It was almost as if she had leprosy or something similarly disfiguring. You have a husband, but feel free to watch us fall over the fellas. Many was a time she wished she was single as she watched her friends, especially Elaine, brazenly hit on every single bloke they saw. She wished she could snog the face off some random guy, taste cigarettes and mouthwash, feel clumsy hands up her skirt and shout ‘Don’t wait up!’ before disappearing into a taxi.

There’s no reason she couldn’t of course, but despite her thoughts, she didn’t want to upset her friends and make them think her marriage was on the rocks. Besides, she was usually glad of the normality when she returned home.

Now however, for the first time outside of a nightclub, she wished Simon never existed.

Chapter 2