I’ve been in a waiting room for seven minutes and twenty-four seconds. They told me it would just be a minute, but here I am six minutes and twenty-four seconds later. I should probably go ahead and leave. They’ve most definitely blown me off, I’m nothing more than a statistic to them, another dropped appointment, another miscue that will go unreported. Damn them all!

 

“Sir!” A mouse-like secretary had scuttled into the room unnoticed. She looked weak in the eyes and had a weary voice to accompany her overall tired look.

 

“ ‘Scuse me… I, uhh, I was zoned out.”

 

“It’s fine. Mr. Longwood will see you now.”

 

Just before she finished her sentence she began to walk away. I followed presumptuously but when I rounded the corner she had vanished down one of the many mahogany corridors. The carpet was an antique, woven with silk and gold leaf. Upon further inspection it had been foolishly tarnished by what looked like coffee and ash.

 

“Damn it all to hell. This has to be some kind of tactic to get me out of here. Clever bastards….”

 

I looked around for a bathroom. I had a habit of using a bathroom break as an excuse to hide and collect my thoughts.

 

Several paces down the main hallway I passed a dark office with a cracked door. A familiar smell creeping into my airspace halted me immediately. I took a prolonged whiff of the scent to jog my memory.

 

“Sweet Tobacco, Turkish Coffee, and Baklava.” I moaned under my breath. I realized I hadn’t eaten or smoked all day due to my nervous pacing about. My curiosity was aroused and nothing could stop me, I tapped on the door lightly.

 

“Why the hell are you bothering me during my quiet hours, Karen”

 

That was the gruffest, most cigarette affected voice I’d heard in ages.

 

“My apologies. The nurse didn’t show me where to go and I couldn’t resist the aromas coming out of the room.”

 

William Tynan McMahon