Diving

I never told you about Darren’s step-diving, which is strange, because it’s one of those regular worktime occurrences that I truly look forward to, brief flashes of happiness in my otherwise rather unsatisfying working life whereby I think, well, this can only happen in an office, and not any office, THIS office, I am so blessed and so utterly privileged for being right here, right now -

My office communicates to Call-me-Harry’s considerably smaller but considerably plusher wood panelled quarters through a door accessed via three small carpeted steps. It is on these very steps that Darren, to my constant utter delight, practices imaginary dives into an equally imaginary olympic-size pool. He stands on the middle step, bouncing slightly, arms outstretched out to his sides at 180 degrees¹, palms down, his gaze projected ahead, focused on infinity but by no means lost, in fact totally centred and mindful and gathered, in athletic contemplation. 

I watch Darren prepare for the dive and almost hold my breath when he is briefly distracted by the sound of Harry hanging up the phone (all of the above tends to happen in Harry’s absence or during one of Harry’s prolonged phone calls) - the inevitable relief follows as the sound of another telephone number being dialled signals that Harry is going to be engaged for a little while longer.

Then Darren jumps, and my office and all its rather rickety furniture shakes for a few seconds, as the athlete is catapulted towards the opposite door that leads into the corridor. The dive is over. 

Elation is brief. Sadness follows.

¹ Lately, Darren has branched out into a further category of athletic excellence, i.e, the paralympic dives. These jumps are performed by standing closer to the sides of the wall, thus preventing him from outstretching both arms. It’s a one-arm dive. I don’t know how often you will have seen one-armed swimmers diving into olympic size pools, but I get to witness this amazing athletic prodigy on most working days.  Hence the feeling of being blessed.

Comments

[Ayla's Sling]

Am I seeing the influence of DFW with the footnotes?

[Me]

Absolutely, I think everyone reading DFW is immediately affected by the Footnote Syndrome!
Ayla's Sling...I LOVE THE NAME!!!