Scent Stories: Attimo

You can hear her long before you see her, the office automatically transforms from a place of ordered chaos to a place of order. Plain order. The fast paced clack clack clack of her black leather Feragammo pumps remind everyone that she's a woman on a mission. A woman with a job to get done and get done excellently. I met her on the very first day of my internship at the bank, I walked right up to her feeling self-confident and assured. After all, I had heard that she herself had made the selection of the top 5 candidates and I was one of them, I wanted to formally introduce myself, to tell her how grateful I was for the amazing opportunity she had granted me. She didn't even notice me, she breezed straight past me clack clack clack, leaving a flurry of personal assistants and other subordinates in her wake, everyone wanting to say something or the other to prove themselves.

Disappointed as I was I was strangely elated. Surely being in the presence of such a great woman could only mean greatness for me. I was determined to follow her lead and emulate her in any and every way that I could. I even traded my flat black shoes for low-heeled pumps so I could also practice the clack clack clack that seemed to scream authority. I listened to her speak and saw the way she dealt with high end clients in a manner that was at once firm and feminine. I never knew such a compromise existed, all through business school I had been taught to be tough, to think and act like a man whenever possible yet here she was, the perfect blend of stern and sexy. 

During my three months at the bank, I got to see her a few times and physically be in her presence even less. She seemed to never be in the country, one day China the next Hong Kong and then sometimes America. On the last day I was giving a presentation to some management when she walked in to the meeting room. Apparently some half-wit had double booked the room. Instead of kicking us out though she decided she would quite like to listen to all the presentations her interns had to give and choose who should be offered the graduate role. My heart stopped beating for a moment and then fired up instantly. Here she was, in her Feragammo pumps and her Birkin bag wanting to listen to us, to me! I looked at her and instead of being met with the cold eyes I had come to expect, she smiled warmly and said "How would you like to go first Aisha?" The fact alone that she knew my name made me feel on top of the world and I was glad I was dressed appropriately and with minimal make-up unlike Selena who was now fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

After the presentation she called me outside saying "Attimo, prego". Then and there, I got the job!