She's Late

"The product launch presentation will be delayed for thirty minutes to allow for people stuck in the traffic."

The announcement caused an outburst of groans of disappointment and sighs of relief throughout the auditorium. Some were relieved that their colleagues and friends would make it on time; some were disappointed they'd have to wait even longer than they already had.

Roland looked up from his script nervously to see Barov walking toward him.

He urgently asked Barov, "Have you managed to find her yet? It's 9 a.m. already; there's no way she would be this late. Something must have happened."

Although they hadn't worked closely together for long, both Barov and Roland knew that Anna was a diligent worker; it was incredibly unlike her to be late, especially to this degree.

"I've tried her cell phone and landline, but to no avail. I've checked at the office, but no ones seen her. There is currently someone from security heading over to her apartment to check there."

Although Barov wasn't always Anna's biggest fan, one might say he was prone to bouts of jealousy, he obviously didn't want anything to have happened to her.

"Well, keep looking. Oh, and make sure to have people checking around the venue; she might've gotten lost. As soon as she arrives, I want to be the first to know," Roland said authoritatively.

"Yes, of course!" Barov replied.

He immediately dashed off again to issue more orders to their security staff. As he was doing so, he couldn't help but wonder, 'If I went missing for an hour, would Roland react with such urgency?'

Of course, even without asking the question, he already knew the answer…

…

Back behind the stage, Roland was back to nervously pacing. He was looking at the script and reading the words, but nothing was going in.

'What could have happened to her?

'She was fine yesterday, no signs of illness or anything like that.

'I don't think she has any problems at home that are of concern.

'The traffic was bad earlier, but she should've set off early. Even if she didn't, most people who were caught in the traffic have arrived by now.

'I cannot think of any reason for her to be late, except that something bad has happened to her…'

Roland leaned against some boxes to the side and stared blankly at the wall.

Yes, he liked Anna, but more importantly, he counted all of his close staff as dear friends. He wouldn't want anything to happen to any of them.

'No, I can't think like that. I'm sure she's fine. Perhaps she's lost, or maybe the traffic is worse in other areas of town and she's still stuck waiting.

'Barov will find her soon enough; there's nothing else I can do.

'I just need to soldier on and get through this presentation.'

He got back to reading through his script and rehearsing his lines with a little more success than before. However, there was still an ominous, nagging feeling in his heart that he couldn't shake.