what a man brings to work

Hi. Got ur #... Ü Tnx.

This man didn't advertise his number. He gave it to her only because she did it first.

Over instant messenger...at work...while he chatted with Leila. And she, if you must know this early, belongs to the same department as Leila.

He need not know that she and Leila sat so close to each other that she would actually know when he was online to chat about work.

He need not be aware that she would actually find the reason (and time) to go down to his area to check on how they are doing, and then talk to him briefly about work.

He need not realize that in all their IM chats, she would always be the initiator. Anyway, the conversation's nothing personal.

On the other hand, she need not learn that she has been a mild cause of his distraction at work. And he's avoided getting close to her since the first time they were introduced.

She need not see that he would make glances, all stolen, at her from his seat. And for some strange reason, he felt that she knew everytime he looked her way because she would suddenly smile a lot, or talk a little bit louder. But then, he also thought that all of these were imagined.

She need not tell him personal stuff about her because, although he could be extremely curious about her life outside work, he really didn't want to because he wasn't ready for it.

Yes, ready.

But she would, or perhaps it was fate, little by little tell a lil bit about her life.

For one, she has a lil gurl. Eight years old.

For another, she isn't taken.

So, anyway, when she gave him her number, he wasn't ready for that. He didn't think it was necessary to have her contact info. But, so as not to show the tiny shock he felt, he told her that he'd call her up just so she could save her number, which she did.

And then, she texted him right away.

He texted back.

And then it became a series of exchanges unrelated to work. Pace was still slow, which was good.

You're still at work? she asked.

He answered yes and added that he was on his way out, unlike her who was already spending quality time with her daughter.

And then she tells him a bit of her schedule, her whereabouts the next day, without him asking.

Again, he wasn't ready for that.

This time, he didn't know what to reply. He wanted to tell her though that she's screwing his head. Incredible, incredible moves to make him forget about work.

Yea, he likes it.

A lot.

* * *

kids should know that...

The idea of adding text messaging to the services of mobile users was latent in many communities of mobile communication services at the beginning of the 1980s. Experts from several of those communities contributed in the discussions on which should be the GSM services. Most thought of SMS as providing a means to alert the individual mobile user, for example, of a deposited voice mail, whereas others had more sophisticated applications in their minds, such as telemetry. However, few believed that SMS would be used as a means for sending text messages from one mobile user to another. (wikipedia)