11:30 a.m.
I’m at work right now and I can’t concentrate, which, in all honesty, is nothing new. But this time, I have a good excuse: it’s currently snowing the absolutely largest snowflakes I have ever seen in my life. This is how it’s supposed to look on Christmas and yet, 12 days before Christmas as I sit in my dusty cubicle staring outside the nearby window, I fear I’ll never see snow as gorgeous as the snow falling right now.
12:25 p.m.
I just returned from my daily walk with CP. Some highlights:
1. As of the completion of this walk, CP and I remain tied in the competition for the BSA title (Best Snowball Aim). In the first throw, she nailed the tree dead on while I missed wide left. In the second throw, I lofted a beautifully-made, lightweight, super-gripper snowball into a narrow tree 75 feet away and CP followed off with a nervously-thrown snowball that fell well short of the target. Her performance adds fuel to the critics’ speculation that she can’t handle the pressure. We’ll see how well she handles herself in the second round.
2. A few minutes later, CP took out her BSA frustrations by “accidentally” nailing me in the crotch with a snowball.
3. We whistled, hummed, and clapped our way through Sleigh Ride. Much fun was had by all.
4. I tried to no avail to describe my favorite holiday commercial: the Old Navy Christmas carolers and, specifically, the cute “By the way (point point), your mom says hi (wave, wave, wave)!” girl. CP wasn’t impressed.
1:45 p.m.
I just returned from a quick conversation with Sarah the L at her desk. Here’s how the conversation played out:
Mr. Benchly – Should I call the Enterprise woman? Or has too much time passed?
Sarah the L – I don’t know. Has too much time passed? You could always say, “I tried calling you Friday but you weren’t in the office.”
Mr. Benchly – I could. But has the moment passed? (And then, quoting a song from the Broadway play Into the Woods…) “This was just a moment in the woods…may I rent your car?”
That last joke will only be funny to those who realize that the original quote was “This was just a moment in the woods…may I kiss you?”
What we were discussing was the woman from whom I rented a car following Inga’s accident. I sensed a vibe there and then later in the day, she called me for a “Courtesy Customer Check Up.” I’ve rented cars 5 or 6 times in my life and never once have they called to check up on me. Maybe this is a Vermont thing (most likely) but MAYBE the woman really was giving me a vibe and she wanted to talk to me again. Taking a risk, I called her back to ask her out but she had left for the day. And now that I’ve had the weekend to psych myself out, I’m hesitant to call her again. Why am I so afraid? What’s the big deal about potential rejection anyway?
2:10 p.m.
The workplace is filled with electricity right now at the realization that the Parking Lot Extramarital Affair Couple has returned to action after a month-long absence. I can hardly control myself at the sight of these two lovebirds. For the greater part of the summer, their semi-daily encounters in our parking lot were my entertainment. And then, as quickly as they appeared, they were gone. Did they break things off? Did they go on vacations with their respective families and spouses? Did one of their spouses find out and commit a crime of passion? We’ll never know. But now, at least, they’ve returned for our viewing pleasure and all is right in the world again.
3:38 p.m.
Fighting off the temptation to not call the Enterprise Woman thanks to a newfound courage, I sat in my car and dialed the number, waited impatiently as the phone rang and said “Can I speak to Enterprise Woman?” when Enterprise Man said “This is Enterprise Man, how may I help you?” The following is the conversation that, um, followed:
Enterprise Man – She’s not in the office. Is there anything I can do for you?
Me (thinking “Yes! Tell me if she’s interested in me!!!!!!”) – Can I leave a message for her?
Enterprise Man (shuffling some papers) – Yes. Go ahead…
Me (thinking “I think I love her, so what am I so afraid of?”) – Can you please tell her Mr. Benchly called? My number is blah blah blah – blah blah blah blah.
Enterprise Man (obviously annoyed) – Sure thing. I’ll pass that on.
Me – Thanks.
3:43 p.m.
After notifying Sarah the L of my brave attempt at courting, I returned to my desk to find my phone blinking the “1 Missed Phone Call” message!!!! I don’t recognize the number and can only assume that Enterprise Woman was given the message and returned the phone call. Now I sit here waiting impatiently for her to call back.
4:51 p.m.
Taking fate by the ears one last time, I called Enterprise Woman and miraculously, she answered. I said everything I rehearsed for the last 3 days and sank to a new low emotional level beneath the ground but just above hell when Enterprise Woman said, “I can’t believe you called. I’m so flattered! But I have to decline because I have a boyfriend.” And so my depressing day ends with me making her day. So it goes.
Benchly'sword 
in a “rare” time-thieving moment, i decided to click on “extra-marital affair parking lot couple” to find out what that was all about, and came upon the story you were just telling me about this weekend. and so it goes.