I work in an office of approximately 75 people. It’s still fairly quiet as the space is really large with 2 huge file room right smack in the centre of it all. I get 2 breaks of 15 minutes a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, I use them to read and relax and escape the whining. In warm temperature, it’s easy, I make my way outside and can read anywhere but in colder or wet weather, I need someplace quiet indoors.

I won’t read at my desk as it won’t stop people from bothering me or certainly won’t stop the phone from ringing. I tried the lunch room but on my second visit there, one employee was using the phone and was having this really nasty fight (#37) with either her father or her boyfriend, couldn’t tell… apparently she never heard of a cell phone and a private place to have these discussions. One other time, I was reading and someone came in and kept talking about the book she was reading but had forgotten at home and had nothing to read at the moment so as she ate her toasted bagel and yapped, I didn’t get one page in. So the hunt for the perfect place to read was now on.

I tried one of the file room but that was just creepy when two people came in not knowing some idiot was reading in the back and started dressing down their supervisor. Ackward… I tried this nice space by the 2nd floor elevator with a window and it worked until one time I got there and someone I don’t particularly like was standing, looking out the window and eating a large smelly sausage out of tin foil wrapper.

One day on my way out, I was taking the stairs down, and realized I was alone there… everyone else takes the elevator… hummm… it’s well-lit, it’s quiet, it’s clean… So the morning after, I tried it, I took my book and my celery snack and made my way to the stairwell, climbed to the floor above and sat on the edge of the steps and I had suddenly found my reading place. 15 minutes, undisturbed.

So of course, I continued going there. Once in awhile, someone, probably lost, walks by, might give me a look, but moves on quickly. After a few weeks, I noticed that one man in particular took the stairs regularly and after looking up at him as he passed me, he ventured: “I used to think you were lost, but I guess you come here on purpose”, I said: “yeah, it’s the only quiet place I know around”. He replied: “you must work with a lot of women”.

I think he’s a divorcee.

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