Zuckerfrei

Could be due to my unprecedented length of absence, but work was particularly rewarding today.

Today was also the first time I dressed appropriately in over half a year.

I arrived at work 10 minutes early. A couple was waiting to go in. Crawling out of bed on a Saturday morning to visit the pharmacy. The enthusiasm.

The morning passed easily. Mirjana sent me out of the pharmacy to run several important tasks, such as collecting a gift voucher, and browsing food courts for lunch ideas.

Slight influx of customers at midday, but Saturday customers are much more relaxed and patient, so I helped a woman pick out lipstick; discussed ingrown hairs with a girl who was unfortunate in the Brazilian department; and recommended Becoderm to a kid with awful eczema on her cheeks.

Eric came in for what I assumed to be his usual Saturday visit before going to the fish markets for lunch. He was a little too pleasantly surprised about finding me at work, and Mirjana shooed him away.

The afternoon was quiet, so I curled up behind the register with an issue of AJP and read about new dosage regimens of Cialis.

Eric returned later with perfume samples for Mirjana from the boutique in which I think he now works. I asked why I didn't receive any. He leaves and comes back five minutes later with Miss Dior Cherie and Gucci, the former smelling peculiarly like Kenneth Cole.

I met Jez after his last exam. I sulked nearly the entire time due to inconveniences caused by another of Jez's famous last-minute-changes-of-plan.

Jez seemed to have taken my complaints to heart, and I suppose on my behalf I should learn to let grudges go. Granted, we didn't do what I would've liked to do, but the boy made an effort and took me out to dinner, which was expensive and contained awful salad (my bad, sorry).

We decided to part ways after dinner. Grumbling, I headed to the station and learnt that there was 20 minute wait. I called Jez to say thanks for dinner and learnt that he was at Starbucks. Partly out of irrationality and partly out of wanting to delay going home, I followed and wondered whether he would do exactly what I predicted.

I walked into the cafe to find him sitting by the wall with a mocha and his nose in the DS. He saw me but pretended he didn't. I approached the counter and bought some tea, certain that when I turned around he would be gone. Except he was still there enthusiastically erasing noise. The Starbucks girl handed me my tea and I turned around, thinking maybe he hadn't noticed me after all. And with impeccable timing he left the cafe early enough to prevent me sitting down at the same table, but not early enough for me to miss his exaggerated exit. Despite myself I laughed.

The tea was hot so I stayed inside and studied. My options were poor. I didn't want to join Jenny and Bao until I had covered the content at least once alone. I didn't want to grab a quick snack with Mike because that boy has very different interpretations to mine of "quick" and "snack". I didn't want to go to a club with Nicole because that isn't even worth mentioning.

So I bought some stationery and caught a bus.

I came home to a new bed and bedside table. Except for some unknown reason I've grown addicted to sleeping on the bed in the tiny room adjacent to the study. Possibly because I had never slept there before. Sleep is delicious there, believe me.