Rain, Wine and Magic

“ The ad should have said ‘Personal Slave Wanted’, not 'Personal Assistant to The Chairman’ ", Cole muttered under his breath. His third week on the job and he still had to give himself a pep-talk every morning, “You need the money, you need the money...you need this job...you can do it!” His days were filled with a combination of administrative duties and menial tasks that Cole found insulting at times, everything from coffee runs to picking up dry-cleaning or booking massage appointments. He found his boss, Mr. Blake, to be a pompous, arrogant, finicky jerk. Everything was kept to a very high standard, no short-cuts, no substitutions. He had a taste for the finer things and an ego the size of Texas.

On today’s list, Cole found something a bit different. “Pick up the keys to my condo, drop off two crystal wine glasses, a corkscrew and a bottle of Jetbird Merlot. I like it chilled, leave it in the fridge,” his boss stipulated. The luxury condo, beach-front on the Fort Lauderdale coast, was a new acquisition. “Date night, another one of his conquests,” Cole smirked to himself.

Cole stopped at a home goods store, bought the glasses and corkscrew, then headed to the wine shop. “Jetbird, Merlot, North Coast”, he read off the bottle. Done.

As he headed to his car, he noticed thick, black clouds gathering above him. He had a good hour’s drive ahead. Within minutes, a strong storm started raging with very heavy rainfall. The wipers danced frantically on the windshield in unison, barely helping with Cole’s visibility.

After a nerve-wracking commute, Cole dashed through the rain and entered the front lobby. He signed his name and headed towards the elevators. As he approached, he was stunned like a deer in headlights when he saw her. Sarah had just pushed the button, her hair was dripping wet from the heavy afternoon deluge, and she was trying to wipe off droplets from her sun-tanned skin. She had a natural beauty and elegance about her.

Upon entering the elevator, they gave each other a discreet glance and polite smile. Cole pushed 14, Sarah 17. “What a storm!” Cole said, trying to find a conversation-starter as the light displayed floor five. A sudden jolt stopped the elevator and the lights went out. “We’re stuck!” Sarah exclaimed. Cole quickly turned his phone’s flashlight on, found the emergency phone button on the panel and pushed it. The voice on the other end let them know that there were power outages in various buildings and technicians would get to them as soon as possible. Sarah pulled out her phone as well, “Hey, I’m here but stuck in the elevator! No, I’m fine. Hopefully, it won’t take too long.” After a few minutes of awkward silence, Cole asked Sarah if she lived in the condominium. “No, just here to see my cousin...I picked the wrong day...I’m actually a little claustrophobic...” Sarah responded anxiously. “Maybe we should sit, it might be a while,” Cole said as he sat down and propped his phone against the elevator wall for light. Sarah decided to join him. “Maybe some music will help, I hate closed spaces, I'm so glad I'm not in here alone," Sarah said, trying not to let nervousness get the best of her. She realized she found his presence to be soothing. She put on some relaxing tunes and propped her phone against the wall as well. After a few deep breaths, Sarah asked Cole if he was a tenant in the building. Cole explained he was dropping something off for his boss, that he had been in Florida for six months and that he was from Montana. Cole had a rugged, humble charm about him, very appealing to Sarah. Shortly after, the two found themselves engaged in deep conversation...and very attracted to each other. Sarah would pause and take deep breaths every couple of minutes. “Sarah, do you like Merlot?” His question caught her off guard. “Yes, I do as a matter of fact. Why?” Cole opened the bag and started pulling everything out. He removed the glasses from the box, wiped them off, popped open the bottle of wine, and slowly poured. Sarah reached out, bewildered and amused, as Cole handed her a glass. Clink. “Cheers, this will help with the claustrophobia”, he said with a smile. The Merlot was like a warm embrace, a hint of spice balanced with an aroma of berries. “ Mmmm, nectar of the gods,” Sarah smiled as she let herself relax. There was chemistry, connection and good wine.

“Can I see your phone?” Cole asked. Sarah didn’t think much of it as she passed it to him. “Maybe he’s sick of this music,” she thought to herself. Within a few seconds, his phone started to ring. She figured he had just called himself from her phone. Letting out a laugh, she whispered “Smooth...” under her breath. “Sarah, we have dim light, music and a glass of Merlot, I do believe we are on a date. Can I call you sometime for another one?” Cole asked. Sarah tried to hide her enthusiasm and let out a nonchalant, “Sure, I would like that,” as she finished her last sip of wine from the glass.

Within a few minutes, the power came back and the elevator started moving. They said goodbye and off they went. Sarah to see her cousin and Cole to buy another bottle of Jetbird Merlot.