28th and Umbrella

[Picture Source: balkanec.bg]

She was in the middle of her way to a building in a city. What a sunny day, a lot of lights, but too hot since equinox came. Some people wore a hat or an umbrella, to protect their skin from extreme UV lights at 14:00 or didn't wear anything like her. It was not because she didn't have hat or umbrella, she just didn't bring them because she didn't care about the climate. One thing she really cared about at that time was she had to come on time to the meeting or her boss would get angry and fired her at final. 

Arriving in the bus shelter, she stood lonely for 30 minutes, but the most awaited bus hadn't come yet. It's a fact that the city has poor bus time management. No one could predict what time the bus would arrive and it's only a fool who waited for the bus for a long time, you might become a lucky person if you could get the bus in a short time of waiting. Came up from that, the people preferred to walk rather than to wait for uncertain bus. She knew, she was one of the fools, but she just tried to get a fortune, might be it would be her lucky day. Yet, that day was not her luck so she decided to walk.

The city had a big sidewalk so it provided the people to walk comfortably. The new governor supported the people to be healthier by walking rather than using vehicles, so he supported to enlarge the sidewalk rather than add more public transportation. It's complicated and controversial to discuss the new policy. Some people were eager to argue, but some people didn't care, she was one of the person who didn't care. 

Numerous big trees and colorful flowers in  each side of the sidewalk, reduced her stress. She enjoyed walking without being disturbed by the sunlight because the light was blocked by all big trees. She also didn't feel disturbed by the sound of vehicles on the road because numerous vehicle users moved to walk. Since, the new governor also increased the vehicle tax and parking lot fee. 

In the middle of her way, the sky became dark and the cloud became grey in an instance. It's a bad sign. She almost reached the place and she really wished that the rain would not come before she arrived to the destination. Again, it's not her lucky day. The rain came mercilessly. No shelter and building close from her position. She decided to stop walking and went under the big trees to avoid the rain. Nobody around her, it's only her own self, all the big trees, flowers, and a wet bird. Indeed, it's a quite city with a little residents. She blamed herself for not bringing an umbrella so she didn't have a weapon to beat the rain. She waited until the rain stopped. 

Fifteen minutes left if she didn't want to come late, but it's still raining. She wished there was someone who brought her umbrella or the boss told her that the meeting was canceled. Nothing she could do besides waiting until the rain stopped. 

Five minutes left, she couldn't stand to wait anymore. She decided to break through the rain. At least, she could protect her presentation material by wrapping it in a water resistant folder. It's okay for becoming wet, she just needed to show herself in front of her boss that she arrived on time and asked him to give her permission to change the clothes. 

Two minutes before she came late, she succeed showed herself in front of her boss. 

"This is the presentation material you asked me before. You see, I didn't come late," she said to make sure the boss didn't get angry.

He smiled, "Yes, thank you. Thank you for giving the material before the meeting. You finished it before the deadline I gave."

She felt confused, "Wouldn't the meeting be held at 15:00?"

"Yes, at 15:00 on April, 28th which is tomorrow."
"Isn't today April 28th?"
"No, tomorrow is April 28th."

"Oh... yeah... hmmm," she still confused.
"Okay, let's meet up tomorrow on time, see you..."
The boss turned around and back to his work table.

She grabbed her dry clothes in her locker and get changed. She still confused and mumbled, "Isn't today April 28th? Why did he told me that the meeting will be held tomorrow? I had made sure that today is April 28th, I saw it through my calendar in the bedroom this morning. I swore again, today is April 28th, the boss was wrong." She said confidently to her own self. 

While sitting besides the window in order to watch the rain, she sipped the hot coffee to warm her body, she was still guessing what just happened and started to mumble again, "Did the boss mistakenly remember the meeting schedule? He probably meant the meeting will be held on April 29th which is tomorrow. If that so...  It's okay, since I don't have courage to tell him about this, because I know his mood can switch unpredictably, a few minutes before he could smile, but who can guess a few minutes later she might get angry without any reason or just only because a small problem? So I decided to follow whatever he said."

"Even though, I'm quite disappointed for being wet and for everything I've struggled to make myself come on time. Yet, in the end, I'm okay. I accepted for what it is. At least, I've made the boss happy by giving the presentation material before the deadline. It's a rare to see him happy." She tried to cheer up her own self. 

She knew, she could check the date in her phone. But, as her professionalism principle, she would never use her phone during in the company. The company also supported that kind of principle by only using email and office telephone to communicate. She also might ask directly to other employees there about the date, but at that time no one there because they had out of town duty, except the boss, but she was reluctant to ask about that directly to her boss.

Since her job had finished before the deadline, she had a lot of time to do anything else including going home. The company didn't force the employees to be in the office, because the most important thing was the employee did the job well wherever they did it. Mindlessly, she decided to go home and continue watching Korean Drama, so she was lazy also to turn on her computer, if she just wanted to check the date since the office didn't have physical calendar as the company supported the idea of paperless, so another way to check the date was by turning on the computer. Once again, she was too lazy to do that.

In her long way home, she checked the phone and found out, at that time was April 27th, but she still didn't believe it until she could check the calendar in her bedroom for sure. As she arrived at home, she hastily went to her bedroom. What a surprise, indeed, she didn't mistakenly see it, it was right that i'ts April 28th. But, it's her calendar a year ago. So her boss was right, April 28th was the next day. She was like a fool barely founded. A monkey who acts like a rabbit.

Two mistakes for that day, she mistakenly viewed the date and didn't bring an umbrella. A lesson learned obtained, for the next day, she must view the date carefully, at least checking the year first whether it's appropriate or not. Because of her careless, she also didn't prepare an umbrella so she became wet because of the rain in order to reach the place on time. So, it also gives her a lesson learned, whatever it is, whether it would be raining or not, just keep silent and bring the umbrella.