A Story About the Universe

(Excerpt taken from pages 102, 103)

It was lunchtime when I finished my sales call and I was feeling pleased with myself. I had just closed a big deal and the clients had given me a very warm referral and promised to call s well. As I waited for he elevator, two female executives came through the swing doors. I knew both from innumerable meetings:

Elanor was a good-looking rehead with an irrepressible smile. She had deep laugh dimples in both cheeks and seemed to have just emerged from a screening of a really funny movie. She was neatly dressed but, as usual, her clothes were rumpled. Joan was smiling now but, below that, frown lines were permanently etched on her face. As usual she was dressed impeccably.

They nodded pleasantly to me and the elevator arrived just at that moment. As we entered, Eleanor turned to Joan and remarked, "It's just past noon and I've already created my third miracle."

"What miracle?" asked Joan, puzzled.

"I'm in a rush today and have to get backk to finish the new pitch book. So I made the elevator come right on time. Now Ican just get to my favourite place and back, rather than having to settle for a sandwich from the horrible deli." Eleanor was grinning and gushing. I ensed that she was egging Joan on.

"That's no miracle," snapped Joan. The smile vanished and a look of exasperation appeared. "have yo forgotten what happened two weeks ago?"

"Yes, I have. What happened two weeks ago?" queried Eleanor.

"We were supposed to have lunch together. You were in a rush again. Some moron was holding the elevator open on the floor above. These are smart elevators and the programming led them to believe that the nearby elevator would come for us, so all the other ones bypassed us. It was five minutes before the idiot released it, and when it came down, it was too full for us to get on. That's what happened," said Joan vengefully.

"I remember," agreed Eleanor. "It got so late that I had to skip lunch and go back to my office."

"yes," said Joan, and her anger seemed to be building. "Where was your miracle-mongering the? There are eight elevators in this bank. This gentleman had already pressed the down button, so it was just chance that it came as we arrived." She nodded at me as she said this.

Eleanor nodded pensively.

"It's coincidence. Got that? Coincidence," said Joan emphatically. "Repeat after me: C-O-I-N-C-I-D-E-N-C-E. And by the way, I'd be very careful what I say in front of otheres. Keep doing this and men in white suits will come to take you away."

The elevator reached the lobby and Joan strode away, her high heels click-clacking with emotion. Eleanor and I looked at each other and burst out laughing simultaneously. We understood each other perfectly.

"It must be terrible being Joan," I ventured.

"Yes," agreed Eleanor. "I wouldn't want to inhabit the world she lives in."

"But she did have a point," I prodded. "It wasn't a miracle any more than what happened two weeks ago was." I was curious to hear what she would say.

"Two weeks ago WAS a miracle," Eleanor responded. "It was an even bigger one. When I got back to my office, my phone was ringing. It was a headhunter I had known for years and he would not have left a message. One of his clients was about to make an offer to someone he thought was unsuitable. It was a completely different industry and he didn't think I would be interested, but he called me anyway, on a whim."

"And then?" I queried.

"We got along famously and I accepted the offer this week," Eleanor said, smilin. "I'm handing in my notice on Monday. there are too many toxic people in this place."

-----

You do have a choice.
You can be Eleanor or you can be Joan.
Decide wisely.