Wednesday, April 15, 2009

A D.C. Morning

Umbrellas everywhere available in various colors; there were pink, hot pink, black, blue, green, light green, sky blue, and the most eye-catching of all - a multi-colored striped umbrella twirled by a tall, slim, blonde, wearing a 4 inch Stilleto. She probably works in one of the high-rise buildings in the area. With a hint of embarassment, I looked at my flat, Naturalizer shoes. I shrugged off the shame, and whispered, "At least, I'm comfortable." The rain drenched everything from the glass windows to the pavements. In front of an Anglican church, a homeless woman covers her pushcart with a blanket. Then she cowers under a leafless tree to escape the rain. It was no use. On 13th street, a homeless man slumbers underneath a pile of cardboard makeshift his shoes were exposed - a pair of white Nike shoes and probably a size 9. I could smell the putrid smell of wasted food and urine. Where else would he go? There are no restrooms around.

The crosswalk at 14th was crowded. Someone's umbrella pushed mine and raindrops dripped on my coat. I stepped back, while a short-haired woman puffed her cigarette like there's no tomorrow. The disgusting smell of city streets and cigarette smoke is the worse combination of all especially on mornings I haven't had my breakfast yet. The crosswalk sign was taking too long. The lady puffed her cigarette and decided to jaywalk; she almost got hit by a cab. She looked at the cab driver sternly and continued walking; she owned 14th Street. The "walk" sign came through, and the pedestrians followed. I followed.

As I crossed another street to get to my office, I saw a glimpse of the White House on my left. I smelled the heavenly scent of coffee. If I'm not mistaken, it could be "Breakfast Blend." Across the street, the line for Starbucks was long. I went straight to the elevator, pushed 11, and relieved to be away from the rain and the busy streets of D.C. But then, it's time to put my game face on, because at 11th floor there lives office politics peppered with a cocky receptionist. Let the games begin!

19 comments:

  1. wow, you managed to observe all this while you you were on your way to work? it almost like you're describing things while you carrying a videocam :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Let the games begin! Yeah, right, glad you are okey, we're having some rains here too...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Let the games begin sounded like 'Welcome to the jungle'. =)

    4-inch stiletto? Aaarg. I love Naturalizer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. the lady in stilettos must be wishing that she wore flats, instead. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. you have a talent of description! i feel like i was seeing and feeling what you saw and felt this morning. i got a good glimpse to live in such a city, more like a jungle really.

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh no sorry to hear about the rainy weather... i like your narration though of the things you were seeing, smelling on your way.. it's like one of those french movies :) where it just goes about a typical day and the story revolves around it..
    hope office politics wouldn't be too wild ..

    ReplyDelete
  7. i love walking in the rain but my rain coat is now full with holes.. so can't do. T__T i used to do so when i was back in college.

    RYC: thank u for the encouragement and thank u for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  8. onyxx, i think if you see it everyday, it becomes easier to describe it.

    sheng, it's the rainy season here too. i hope you're staying dry =).

    wits, i am a naturalizer fan too. they're so comfortable.

    angeli, thanks for pointing out that other view. i didn't see it that way.

    mordsith, thank you.

    toni, there are times my office gets so wild; it is impossible to tame.

    renaye, you're very welcome. i, too, love the rain. i hope you're now much better.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your posts about the rain are so descriptive and vivid, I feel like I'm sharing in the experience.... Ugghh for office politics ;) ... Hugs, xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. there was a time (college years) that my breakfast was coffee and a couple of cigarettes. i haven't smoked for a long time now, praise GOD for that, and even have taken on a disgust for cigarette smoke - got this from my wife.

    office politics? hmmm. that's a heavy one. enjoy the rest of the week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. For some reason, I like rain. It makes things move slowly, thus relaxing me. Of course it's different when it's terribly cold.
    Thank goodness there's very little office politics here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm a big, big naturalizer fan too. My sister bought me a pair when she visited L.A. four months ago. I use it all the time sobrang comfy kasi... ^^

    ReplyDelete
  13. wow! it was like reading a short story! :)

    kaynie, it's funny coz you there are trying to escape the rain while most of us here in the Philippines are wishing for rain because of the super hot weather! ha! the next time it rains, i'll play in the rain! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. lailaa, thanks. uggh on office politics. i learn to ignore it, but it gets to me.

    sagada, i'm glad to hear you gave up smoking. i'm happy for you. have a great weekend.

    rico, you're lucky you don't get to deal with much office politics...sigh.

    emma, YES to naturalizer. they're so comfy.

    kg, i'd usually just play in the rain, but i was on my way to work so i have to keep dry...lol.

    ReplyDelete
  15. family is a complicated unit and this is where we learn to be humans.

    ReplyDelete
  16. josiet, thank you.

    renaye, i agree. it is from the family we learn our values as we go out into the bigger world.

    ReplyDelete
  17. it's like I'm reading a book here, well described each scenario. :)

    As I read each word, I imagine that that the lady wearing a 4" stiletto has a long blond hair and is wearing a black suit (maybe armani). As she stride the streets, she's a bit cautious because the streets are a bit slippery.

    ah.....I love this post!

    Happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  18. so, you see the whitehouse everyday?! wow. i mean, sorry for being an old-school kiddo, but the whitehouse is still, for me, the only symbol of world power -- even with the nose-dive in US' economy.

    anyway, i admire how you were able to describe in great detail everything you saw. (i mean, i do pass by EDSA everyday, but i doubt if i can describe it the way that you made your description here. :-))

    politics ba kamo? bring. it. on.

    ReplyDelete