It was all getting a bit predictable. Every morning I'd open the wardrobe doors, grab a white shirt and declare myself ready for work. Of course I had pants on - that goes without saying. Or at least I hope it does. I hope you haven't, over the the course of these musings, got the impression that one can get away with a deficiency in the trouser department. I know New Zealand is relaxed. But it's not that relaxed. Sheesh. Anyway, it was getting monotonous so I decided to spice things up, and add a bit of colour, by wearing a tie. Something that I'd not done in a while. Long before I left the UK. Yes! That was the answer, a tie would brighten up my day and put a smile on my face. And I'd look cool to boot!
It didn't take long after leaving the house to realise my mistake. It was far too hot to wear a constricting item around my throat. By the time I'd got to the top of the street I was red in the face and the smile had turned into a grimace. A whole fifteen degrees from looking even remotely cool. Ah well, I'd started this so I was going to see it through, no matter what.
All the way to work I was getting curious looks and began to feel more and more like the hapless hero in the cop show sit com "Death In a paradise". A real Brit out of water. At least now I knew why ties are a rarity in the Kiwi working day.
But the odd looks didn't stop once I reached the air conditioned sanctuary of the office. Nope. In the relative comfort of the office 'the tie' took on a whole different meaning. Where previously it had been a instrument of torture, in the coolness of the office it symbolised something else. Whether it was professionalism, dynamism or just an unusual smartness I don't know. But I started getting unsolicited comments from my colleagues, some disappointingly predictable;
"Do you have an interview?"
"Who's died?"
"What time is your meeting with the client?"
"Oh, we didn't know we have top brass in the office today!"
So far, so predictable. There were others;
"Looking good!"
"Very smart"
And the direct;
"Why are you wearing a tie?"
Blimey. If I'd known I'd get such a reaction I'd have prepared more. Maybe some witty responses or an elaborate story as to why I'd decided to dress up. But I didn't. The fact was I fancied a change. Pure and simple. But now what? Tomorrow was another day but surely I couldn't back down. Back down from I don't know what but continuing with the tie-wearing, heat ignoring experiment seemed to be the right thing to do. And so it continued, through one of the hottest and most humid weeks. Day after day. Tie after tie.
Quite frankly I was ecstatic when Friday evening arrived and, like a giddy school kid on the way home at the end of term, as soon as I was out of view of the office the damn thing came off.
Unceremoniously stuffed into my bag. "That's quite enough of that!" I thought to myself, "Well at least until it cools down...."
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