Somedays you just know aren’t going to end right, but this day wasn’t one of those days. It started no different than a thousands of other days. Breakfast, work, and then a happy hour. She set up the happy for the birthday of a co-worker. Being at one of our favorite local watering holes and this being an opportunity to see her I knew wild horses couldn’t keep me away. I was laser focused on my tasks for the day to be sure nothing delayed me from today’s birthday celebration. It’s amazing what a man can accomplish with the right motivation (that motivation almost always being a women). My team was in the middle of a project and as always there were a long list of unforeseen tasks that came up, but nothing was going to keep me from her today. I handled each task the way a medieval knight slayed dragons. Before I knew it it was 5 pm. I quickly and silently undocked my laptop and packed up for the day so not to alert my team of my on time departure. It never failed anytime I wanted to leave early someone would have an urgent request or my team’s lead would need to have a conversation with me, but not today. I stepped away from my desk with the skillful stealth of a ninja. I even took the back stair case to avoid any possible obstacle. Finally I was at my car, I quickly threw my bag in the car and drove to the bar. I saw her car as I drove in the parking lot and quickly parked in an adjacent park spot. Seconds after walking in an unconscious reflex led my eyes to her. Walking up I made sure she was the last person I greeted to be sure I wasn’t obvious in my reason for being there. (in progress will be back later tonight to finish)