In Which I Save the Day

For several months, my boss and his wife have been planning a trip overseas to attend a fabulous event in a certain pastel pink country on the Mediterranean. The rest of us at work have been anticipating the relaxed atmosphere that will come from their trip. And I've just been trying to be perfect at my job as Assistant to the Boss, so when I got the confirmation email for his flight times, I printed it out for the Mr. and forwarded the email to the Mrs. Soon after, there was a flurry of confusion and it became clear that, even though she had booked their flights, both my boss and his wife had been under the mistaken impression that they were leaving on Saturday, not Friday! In the weeks since booking their flights, they had both forgotten, and if I hadn't received and forwarded that email, they would have completely missed their flight. So for the next 24 hours, life at work was a big scramble as my boss and I tried to get every single loose end tied up before he had to catch his plane the next afternoon. Appointments had to be rescheduled, and everything we had intended to do in two days was packed into one. Add to the mix an unexpected but obligatory funeral to attend, and my boss and his wife had a hectic last day in town.

But despite all the craziness, my day went pretty well. It began with a gift from a watch dealer, a bag of chocolate dipped meringues from Sant Ambroeus. Probably the most divine treats I've ever tasted. Then I found the watch box I've been searching for for the last 3 months and was able to get it shipped to the patient client. I ran errands, making sure everything was arranged for my boss' trip: calling his phone company to make sure his phone would work, reserving a rental car for him, arranging travel to the airport. I fielded phone calls, cleared the decks, and tried my best to get everything taken care of that might be an issue otherwise. The bad news is that I didn't really get a lunch break, because even when my boss left for the airport, he kept calling every 10 minutes before his flight departed to give me a few more things to do, as he thought of them while waiting. And, making my day seem all the more worthwhile, in one phone call he thanked me sincerely for being so helpful, which is really the best thing any boss can do to ensure that their employees continue to work hard. We just want a little appreciation!

Finally, as the sun set and the Jewish new year began, an airplane at JFK prepared to take off, the phones quieted down, and there were a few moments of peace and quiet at work, enabling me to finish up a few last things and write a lengthy to-do list for Monday. When it was finally time to go, I headed out into the dusky city, serene in the satisfaction that comes from knowing I worked hard, did a good job, and accomplished much. Then I forgot about work altogether as I entered the MoMA and lost myself for the next two hours in the contemplation of Art.