That's it!

Camilla woke up with a checklist on her mind.

Go to work

Pick up groceries

Make cupcakes for Mom’s birthday

Wrap gift

Sleep

Simple enough. She had a hop in her step as she got ready for the day. She was out of the house with ten minutes to spare. Just enough time to get coffee before going in to work.

That was her first mistake. She bumped into the man in front of her. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry - head in the clouds."

He looked her up and down. "I can tell." He turned away gruffly, his coffee now on the floor.

"Please let me buy you a new one." She spoke softly but confidently.

The man sighed. "I suppose that would be nice."

Camilla quickly paid for the new coffee and her caramel latte and rushed out of the shop. She would still be on time for work if she didn't get stopped by...

A train. Of course.

Well, at least she had her coffee. She took the time to enjoy the drink while she waited. Once she could move again, she was officially 20 minutes late. She raced to work, parked in the worst spot in the parking lot and flung open her door. Unfortunately, she spilled what was left of her coffee all over the inside of her car.

"Well, no one can accuse me of being late for a cup of coffee." Camilla forced a smile and hoped the mess won't be too bad eight hours from now. Opening the office doors fully out of breath she called out, "I'm here, sorry there was a train."

Her boss looked displeased. "Stay a few minutes late to make up for it. Understood?"

'Yes sir." She nodded and quickly made it to her desk. And opened up the files she needed to edit. Only all the files were corrupted. She sighed and called tech support over to her desk

"Please tell me I don't have to call the client..." She really disliked this client; he was a pain and nothing was ever his fault.

Her tech guy gave her a sad look. "I'll send you an email you can forward to him and maybe it will help."

"Thanks." She sighed and picked up the phone. Four hours later, she got off the phone with him. She was exhausted. And was grateful for her lunch break. She went and sat at one of the benches outside, hoping to have a moment of peace before going back to work.

"Camilla, is that you?" Camilla’s stomach dropped; it was Christopher. He was from marketing and he was just…a lot.

"Maybe." She tried to keep her voice light.

"It is! How is ya doing, pretty lady?"

"Just fine Chris. Just trying to enjoy a moment's peace before my crazy day continues.” She hoped he'd get the hint. He didn't. Instead, he sat with her and talked all through her lunch hour.

After that, she got lectured by her boss again. According to him, what happened with the files was her fault…somehow.

She ended up staying well after closing, just to make up for lost time. When she made it to her car, everything was still sticky from her spilled drink this morning. "I don't have time for this.”

She found a blanket in her trunk, laid it over the seat, and headed to the store. The store was out of a few key favourites, but she could find a couple of alternatives for the cupcakes she was planning to make.

The cashier was clearly having just as bad a day as she was, so Camilla tried to be friendly and kind.

"Reusable bags, ma'am?" The cashier spoke shortly.

"Oh shoot, I left them at home. I'll buy two paper bags."

The cashier rolled her eyes and handed her two bags. Camilla paid and quickly packed up her groceries. She dashed to her car. She was behind schedule but she could catch up. Traffic was painfully slow but she was almost home.

Once she got home she climbed the stars back up to her apartment. She struggled to get her keys out of her pocket and then she heard it - ri-i-i-ip - and several objects tumbled down. She looked down and there was flour, sprinkles, icing sugar and milk everywhere.

The property manager was gonna flip... She quickly dashed inside, grabbed paper towels and tried to clean up the milk before it made everything else sticky.

As she mopped, tears pricked at her eyes. She squeezed them tight. But she couldn't stop then. She cried out the stress of the day.

She looked up and saw a little boy looking at her. If Camilla remembered correctly, he was her neighbour in the apartment across the hall. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not…" she said through tears.

"One second!" The boy dashed inside his apartment and dashed back out. "Here! Candy always makes me feel better!"

He handed her a wrapped candy. She was about to say thank you when…

"Jonny! You can't just take candy and run out... Oh my." Jonny's mom rushed to her side. "Are you okay?"

Camilla laughed and looked around. "It's been a day."

"Let us help you clean up. Jonny, go get the vacuum." The little boy ran back to his apartment again.

The woman helped Camilla pick up the groceries and placed them on the counter. Camilla found a broom and together they cleaned the hall.

Once the mess was cleaned up, Camilla put the groceries where they belonged. She sent in an online order to the bakery her mom loved and simply went to bed. She was so done with today. Maybe when she was at the bakery tomorrow she would pick up some treats for the family next door as a thank you. She bet the little boy would like their chocolate chip cookies… But tomorrow would be a new day.