Her Brand Promise
She saw past my low points and delivered what I needed in this age-gap tale
Pammy was her preferred name even though her internship application read "Pamela."
Her smile filled the office and she worked diligently. During a mid-morning break, her eyes followed me after I stepped out of my door and strolled to the coffee bar.
The way she crossed her legs and played with her hair infused life in me that I didn't know I still had after my wife left me. Said she had been bored and alone.
Dating was out of the question given my schedule. We were scrambling to get a client ready for a major trade show and I was the CEO of a boutique marketing firm and wasn’t about to fool around with anyone in the office.
Plus, the age difference could make me the target of unwanted jokes.
"Devin," she said on my return to the office, "I have a question for you."
"Yes?"
"Do you enjoy talking? Chatting?"
The question caught me and I chuckled. "I would if I had the time.”
I winked and she winked in return, twirling hair around her fingers and by the time I sat behind my desk I was breathing deeply, studying the financial data and wishing beyond wishes that I could sit and talk quietly to ... Pammy.
She was more bubbly than a geyser and I felt so drained I never thought I could bubble again. Client demands were real life and everyone’s salary seemed to depend on me.
Nights usually meant my being the last one to leave, shutting the door, and turning off the lights unless the cleaning crew was moving through. My routine was driving to a quiet home or stopping off for a drink and once a week I played softball in a city league.
Pammy was incredibly cute and I tried to ignore how my insides roiled and flipped if she sat near me at lunch. I wasn’t the only one she spoke to or treated with care. There were others around the office and she had a way of moving past desks like a motor boat churning across a lake.
But instead of unsettled ripples of water, she left a current of smiles and hope.
The innocence of youth?
And while I longed to sit and soak up her vibe and discover more of who she really was that was impossible. She was an intern and I was the head of the company.
So I reveled in our eye contact, her smiles, and small talk like, “How are your studies?”
I asked her when the office was quiet and a few team members were at a conference.
“My studies are fine. Thank you for asking.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And how are you?”
She caught me off guard and sounded like she truly cared. Her tone was soft but not flirtatious. I sensed a depth of concern and curiosity and for a second I was going to let down my guard and tell her how awfully lonely I was but I gave the safe answer. “I’m fine.”
