On the verge of the door Harry stopped and looked back.
The book he started was lying motionless at the top of other books. What else would have happened to it? Maybe Harry should put it in a briefcase?
Harry kept a small briefcase in a drawer. This thing proved useful every now and then in unplanned travels for talks. Harry could put a tablet there and make himself more solid at the same time. Harry wasn’t averse to use this helpful trick on any occasion.
The book would also easily fit into the case and no one would notice a strange object Harry was carrying. Meanwhile, Harry was surprised to let himself think about it as at first he wasn’t even going to touch the books.
His feet moved instinctively towards the desk. Harry came back, looked around, took the briefcase out of the drawer and put the book in it. Just one book. The rest were left on the table. Tomorrow, when Bob comes to work, he might not notice that one book is missing, because the stack still looks ponderous.
Harry fastened the briefcase and headed for the exit again. This time he left the room and closed the door.
The sun was about to sink below the horizon when Harry walked out into the street.
This year warm weather wasn’t long in coming. Air had warmed up and the trees had dressed up in their bright green robes. Fresh leaves pleased the eyes and made everybody completely forget about recent cold.
In such weather it was better to walk in fresh air with family and friends than sit in the office, so Harry promised himself to go out for a picnic with Mona next weekend. Good weather must not be missed in order not to be offended and spoiled.
A stair of three dozen steps led to the entrance of the building, where Harry worked. Every five years each worker in the building was interviewed about the necessity to install an escalator. Most people didn’t need an escalator. There was an elevator to transport bulky items on the other side of the building and going up the stairs before a start of the working day pleasantly invigorated a lot of workers.
Harry went down one step and stopped. He took out his phone and dictated a message for his wife. The message said that he had already finished work and would soon be home. He just needed to send it, but Harry didn’t command. Instead he froze with a phone in hand and stared down.
Harry’s attention was drawn to a young woman perching on the railing down the stairs. She was sitting with her head slightly bent and her legs were dangling. Her large green eyes were fixed on Harry. After she realized he had noticed her, the young woman smiled and gladly waved at him.
«Ivy?» Harry was surprised. He put the phone into his pocket, quickly went down and approached the girl.
It was his sister.
Since Harry had chained himself for life with Mona, he and Ivy saw each other not very often and he kept reproaching himself for that. Being older than his sister, Harry felt obliged to take care of Ivy, but taking care of two women at once was difficult for him, especially if these women were completely different. And Mona and Ivy were so different that at times it seemed as if they were born on different planets.
«Hello!» Ivy deftly jumped off the railing and approached her brother. «I haven’t seen you for so long.»
A breeze was blowing through her long blond hair and flowing flower dress. This girl could be the spring ambassador and look at people from huge electronic billboards hanged all over the city. By looking at her a lot of women would notice a new perfume or lip gloss that would make their lips even more attractive. However, Ivy never dreamed of anything like this.
«Hello,» Harry came to his sister. «We really haven’t seen each other for a long time. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.»
«First I wanted to drop in,» continued Ivy ignoring the apology. She was smiling. «But then I decided I could meet you after work. And here I am. Let’s have a walk?»
Harry smiled back, nodded, and they silently walked towards a nearby park.
This small green oasis helped Harry and his colleagues many times to take a break from surrounding bustle. Sometimes, especially on dog days, they got take-out lunches and enjoyed them in the open air Why not? Most desperate office workers were sitting on the grass trying to spice up their routine on boring chairs.
«So you were standing and waiting for me from the very end of the working day?» Harry asked on their way to the park. It took him some time to understand it and now he felt guilty. «Why didn’t you call? I would have come down earlier.»
«You’ve been busy,» Ivy shrugged her shoulders without a shadow of resentment. «I didn’t want to bother you. You are working late because you have a lot to do and not just because of boredom. How is Mona?»
Ivy knew about Mona’s pregnancy, of course. Harry shared the news with his sister as soon as he found it out. Harry was so happy about he and Mona would have a baby that he was ready to tell everything not only to friends and relatives, but also to anyone who was just asking him about something new. Only Mona’s desire to share their happiness merely with closest people limited his readiness.
Harry replied Mona was fine, the pregnancy was going well, doctors said the fetus was developing the way it should. Then he shared his plans for the nursery repair. Despite there were a lot of things to prepare for the birth, Harry was excited about all these things. Though it was boring and ordinary such a necessity didn’t upset the future father at all.
When Ivy asked about the work, Harry described today’s hard day and the latest working news in the whole. It was easy to talk about the business proposal now because it was ready. Harry found it hard to believe he had faced so many difficulties at work today.
He didn’t mention a book. Harry couldn’t imagine how Ivy would react to her brother’s new experience. Ivy distinguished with impressionability and unpredictability and therefore it was unknown how she could respond to the books. The fact that Harry couldn’t discuss something with his sister made him sad. It was easy and pleasant to talk to Ivy. She was good at listening as well as Mona and it was unnecessary to ask her for encouragement. Ivy came to help as fast as possible.
In addition, Ivy often gave Harry interesting ideas without even realizing it. These ideas Harry modified a little later and used in his professional activity. His sister had «fresh eyes» on life and this abundant skill sometimes was very useful. Harry appreciated it.
Harry, in turn, was helping his sister in solving other problems, most often of a domestic nature. He was helping with the move, assumed the equipment maintenance and was always checking the air purifiers every time he came to visit her. Ivy insisted that she could handle such things on her own, but Harry was only smiling in reply and saying he enjoyed helping.
«How are you?» Harry asked soon. He asked this question more often by phone, and now and then Ivy answered that it was more pleasant to have a conversation face to face. And Harry completely agreed with her.
Someday virtual communication seriously surpassed the real one, but those times had already passed and mankind was reluctant to return to it. Psychologists recommended to communicate live as often as possible and to use telephone talks and messages only to exchange information. Society obediently followed this advice.
«Everything is okay,» Ivy replied with her inherent simplicity. «Exams are soon. I’m scared, but this is just usual case
