Bored in Baltimore

Disclaimer- I own nothing…not even the title which my best girl thought of for me!

Annie Reed pushed the button for the Observation deck and mentally ushered the doors to close faster than they actually were. She had to get up to the deck. The Empire State building was set to close and as the guard had told her, they were doing no more runs tonight, it was her last chance. Annie fished around in her Mulberry hand bag for her mirror, she knew this was superfluous because the minute she stepped out onto the observation deck her blonde tresses would be blown to smithereens, leaving her plait wind battered and the stray tendrils stuck in her lipstick. She glanced at the buttons for the floors and watched the little circles light up as the elevator climbed the floors ascending upwards; it was almost pinnacle Annie thought… as well as just a huge leap of fate on her part. Would he be there when she eventually stepped out of the climbing wood panelled, mirrored box?

Her hopeful expression had caught the notice of the elevator attendant who gave Annie an expression of confusion, surely this woman couldn't be that excited to see New York at night? It wouldn't be anything she would not have seen on every canvas, or poster, printed across the world. The sound of the elevator reaching its destination brought both Annie and the attendant back to reality with the slight jolt that comes with every elevator ride. Annie bobbed up and down on her toes nervously and almost knocked the attendant over as she rushed out of the doors as they opened, seemingly more slowly than they had when she got in. Hurrying forward she pushed open the glass doors and the threatening blast of wind hit her knocking her slightly off guard. Annie paused as she righted herself with the aid of an assisting hand which had come from the ether.

"Are you ok?" asked the voice which her haunted her since overhearing it's tones on the Dr Marcia Fieldstone radio talk show that Christmas eve night, the voice belonging to the man the radio had so fondly dubbed 'Sleepless in Seattle'. Annie looked up to give assurance to the voice that she was indeed ok and here to see him, to meet him, find that voice, that male, the man who once she had locked eyes with across the road she had not been able to pull away from, when the only words uttered between them had been hello.

"Annie, Annie," Sleepless in Seattle breathed.

'He knows my name, he knows it's me' Annie's brain prattled. The wind rushed again and Annie felt her body being pulled away, 'surely the wind is not this strong' the voice felt closer yet the figure of the man was getting further away from her desperate grasp. Annie held out a hand again to regain the feeling she had just had, she felt the warmth of a reciprocating hand after a moment and smiled.

"Annie, it's time to get up."

Annie awoke with a start and looked into the eyes of her husband who was carefully waking her from her dream, 'My God it had been so real this time' Annie's mind sulked as she sat up in bed, the glaring winter light radiated into the marital bedroom.

"Good morning Hunny."

"Good morning Walter," Annie said hoping the dismayed feeling would go away quickly this morning. Annie sighed giving her husband a kiss before watching him bound off into the bathroom to take his allergy medications, and ready himself for his day selling insurance. Walter had changed his career path since marrying Annie, feeling that working together would damage their relationship in the long run. What Walter didn't know, Annie thought, was that their relationship was already broken. It was broken every night when she dreamt of a different man, it was broken everyday she day dreamed of a different life and it was broken every morning when the feeling of dismay at the sight of Walter washed over her. Annie dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her eyes, this feeling everyday was wrong she knew that, yet she had made this commitment and intended to see it through. Looking up through bleary pupils her focus landed on the framed glass movie poster of 'An Affair to Remember' and she felt anger, the movie that had once been her inspiration, now generated hatred. It took all of Annie's strength not to rip it off the wall on a daily basis and stamp all over it on the cream mohair carpet, damn the injuries that would result, she would feel better to rid some of her torment.

Annie sighed again and instead of destroying the poster, leading to Walter thinking she was doo-lally, she instead got dressed. Annie went through her morning routine of porridge, twisting her hair before catching a cab to the Baltimore Sun where she still worked as a writer.

"Morning sunshine," a female voice drawled as she walked into the grey office room, everything seemed grey to Annie except for the bright light of her dreams. Everything else was bland, colourless, boring and filled with regret.

"Morning Becky," Annie forced a smile and slammed her maroon briefcase onto the Formica desk slightly harder than she intended.

"Whoa, are you looking to create a trip to Macies?" Becky asked the discarded briefcase banged to the floor and ripped slightly as it caught on the table leg edge. Annie looked at the briefcase and shrugged.

"No just ready for another day in paradise," she responded despondently.

Becky raised an eyebrow and ran her hand through her hair, this was going to have to be confronted and dealt with, her happy, ditzy Annie had turned in a rain monster threatening to piss all over her laundry. Becky glanced at Annie's desk although it had never been an organised place often cluttered with the debris of an Evian bottle, little pot plant with flower and some paper work. It now resembled a hoarder's hovel. Old paper and to do lists cluttered the corners, old lip stains and empty tea cups sat begging to be washed, her computer had a thin layer of dust atop of it, suggesting she was not as passionate about the work as she once was.

"Ok come with me," Becky ordered forcibly grabbing Annie by the hand, by passing her own office which was decorated to the hilt with statues, baseball flags and a desk top jukebox Annie noted. Becky continued to pull Annie stomping in her own block heels, the sound of satin from her shirt as her arm continued to drag her best friend and subordinate. Becky swung Annie into the ladies room, Annie was visibly flustered but the whirlwind tour had awoken her from her sullen reverie.

"Becky! What are you doing?" She gasped as she propped herself up against the porcelain sink, inadvertently knocking over a jar of hand cream, she righted it as she steadied herself.

"What is going on Annie? I can stand so much silence as a friend but when this friend looks ready to throw herself off Niagara Falls, I decide I should step in," Becky chided, mirroring Annie on the sink next to her.

Annie looked at her best friend and could no longer hold back her feelings, they gushed from her like the aforementioned falls had burst their banks and suddenly she found herself crying with a resonation of anger.

"I've gone Becky. I don't even know myself anymore, this isn't me! I don't sob in the restrooms, throw my things around and not give a damn about my job. Nor do I fantasize about ripping posters off the wall and dancing the flamenco on it!"

"Flamenco?" Becky interjected before Annie continued.

"I've never told you what happened two years ago on Valentine's Day did I?" Annie said looking ashamed, knowing she had deliberately withheld the truth from her friend for two years out of pure embarrassment. Not only had it been Becky she had withheld the truth from, but also from a man she had married who she was certain now she was not in love with…not as she had been once.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" said Becky getting louder suddenly beginning to make some semblance of sense out of what Annie had just said. Her mind was suddenly flashing back to spending many nights listening to the Doctor Marcia Fieldstone radio show, listening for the same man her best friend had been listening for…a sort of friendly support exercise she had seen it as back then.

Annie looked Becky in the eyes and knew she had been rumbled, Becky wasn't her supervisor in this business because she had pretty curls.

"This is about the sleepless in Seattle man isn't?"

Annie went silent and looked at the floor, pushing her pump up and down and making lines on the tiles.

"Isn't it Annie?"

Annie nodded silently as the atmosphere went tense around the two women.