Mascara and the Corporate Jet

Today I had an important work meeting with an external party, from New York, no less.  She was to be accompanied by her colleague from London.  Being Friday it's dress down day in my office which presented me with a problem.  After fretting overnight I chose black trousers and a grey tunic. This tunic turned out to be a dress.  Not a good look on me.  I whipped those items off hurriedly and pulled on indigo jeans and navy jersey tunic in smart. On went pearls. Off came pearls, too much. On went little understated necklace. Too little.  A quick swish of a navy and white satin scarf and I declared myself perfect.  Little did I know! 

It was a muggy day but wet. I debated coat, no coat, yes coat, which coat?  I debated footwear. I chose.  I was now in the zone.  I could make decisions today.  Not necessarily good ones it would turn out.  I was hot by the time I got to the station.  Leather coat and ankle boots were too much for 18 degrees.  

Then disaster of disasters, dear reader,  I'd forgotten my mascara!  In my mirror I could see my eyelashes coated with powdery eye shadow residue, in cream.  I had very few  no options and none of them involved acquiring mascara.  I was due to meet important people at 9 am in Cafe Rouge, ironic when it was mascara I was missing and not blusher.  I pondered as to whether, in the interest of full disclosure,  I should go in  declaring it was dress-down lashes day.  Should I  face this cream elephant in Café Rouge head on?  Difficult decision.

I decided instead to be flagrant in my use of sunglasses and power lips. I wouldn't be able to see important New York personage who flew to UK to see me but did that matter.  Her seeing me was what mattered, clearly.  

I donned my sunglasses and slouched warily to the bistro cafe hoping I could pull this off.  I was glad to see them sitting outside, which meant  my plan was a go. I could keep on said sunnies. 

We chatted for a while on things of import and I introduced esteemed personage  to a 'flat white' coffee. I asked if she was flying out from Gatwick or Heathrow that afternoon.  Her London colleague at this point said 'she flew in on the corporate jet so neither. '

'Corporate jet, ' I spluttered, whipping off my glasses,  'to see me!' Silently my brain added,  'and I don't even have ruddy mascara on.'  Quickly and  as a  distraction from my now revealed lashes  I pointed out that my outfit came from New York, being a Renee original. This was lost on the corporate breeze as she pulled out her phone.  We drooled as one over her pictures of the' corporate jet' in the hangar. I did not show her pictures of my tube of mascara. 

PS if at this point you are concerned about corporate decadence do not worry. The jet was heading to the UK so her firm cancelled airline bookings for any staff doing the same journey so to save money rather than send the jet empty. It was her once in a lifetime opportunity.