This morning I get into my crazy-ass scooter and fight the rush hour traffic to get to work. The guys on the motorcycles are a bit too fearless this morning, zooming at break neck speeds for the two seconds it takes to get to the next traffic light. Its wet out so I don’t go nearly as fast. I let the death-wish boys go ahead of me. While stopped at the lights on Borough High Street a man in a huge black-top crushing machine is tearing up the road as a cigarette dangles from his lips. As I watch smoke swirl around his cab I imagine what it will be like in England after they vote on this smoking ban today: pure delight!
Its nice to have a steady job and yet not be here every day of the week. I get out of the house and see the same people and the same places, but its not a grind. I think that makes it more pleasurable. I can stop and look around, enjoy a deserved lunch out, even enjoy the hours spent working on a mindless task, the office banter, the instant coffee.
Last week I walked a bit further away from the office so I could have a nice view at lunch. I went to the EAT. chain coffee shop, and I was a little freaked out by the man behind the counter. He seemed very familiar to me and it took a second to realize he was the same guy that worked at EAT. on Canary Wharf back when I used to work out there. Either that or he has a twin brother. It kind of confused me for a second because it felt exactly the same—having a break at work, being served by the same guy—and yet the rest of my life now feels completely different.
I felt transported back to last year where I was in that cafe almost every day. I remembered looking forward to and dreading those breaks at the same time. I would be alone, eating my lunch at the odd hour of 10AM if I was on an early shift, staring at the video displays in Toni & Guy across the way, watching the sleepy masses of smartly dressed workers or bored shoppers trudge across the faux marble tiles. My life is so different now. I can take a break pretty much when I like. I can sit and watch the boats on the Thames, enjoy the fresh air and views of the City and St.Paul’s. Its amazing the little things we take for granted. I wonder about the guy working in the café. Is he better off? Did he get a promotion? Even if it was just a relocation, its surely better than working in the Wharf’s basement all day. I know I surely feel better off, not having to ride out there anymore.
