Sparks Fly

grimly.
    In her line of business, there were times to be gentle and times for tough love.
    This was tough love all the way.
    She gestured to the papers and boxes stuffed and scattered throughout the large room. “It must be hard to work well surrounded by so much clutter.”
    He slumped into a leather chair. “Even my executive assistant refused to come help clean it up.”
    “I don’t blame her,” Angelina said, surprised to see the powerful executive suddenly look so lost and forlorn. “Let’s talk about clutter.”
    Will grimaced. “Haven’t we already gone over that? My office is a dump.”
    Angelina leaned in closer, as if she was about to divulge an important secret. Will found that he was leaning towards her in anticipation.

    “In Feng Shui there is no place to hide. You can’t clear one area of your life by stuffing everything into another area.”
    “You’re losing me.”
    “Pretend you took all of this stuff and moved it into your garage.”
    “Why didn’t I think of that?”
    Angelina gave Will a mock frown. “All that does is move the congestion to your garage. It blocks the flow of your energy in your life no matter where it is.”
    “But I need everything in here.”
    Angelina nodded. “Maybe. But then, maybe not. Tell me, when was the last time you went through every single book and paper and file and asked yourself, ‘Do I really need this?’”
    “You can’t be serious.”
    Angelina stared at him, unblinking. “I am. When was the last time?”
    “Never. Who has the time for that?”
    “Actually, it can be kind of fun.”
    Will laughed out loud at that.
    Angelina protested, “I’m serious!” but a smile was stealing across her face. “Well, maybe fun is overstating it, but there can be amazing benefits to putting the work in.”
    “Name one.”
    “Easy. Once you get rid of everything you don’t need or love, you will have finally made room for all of the good things you do want.”
    He looked around the room contemplatively. Now that she had pointed it out, he couldn’t escape the heavy sense of chaos that pervaded his office. “Hmm. What you’re saying is actually making sense.”
    Angelina grinned. “I’m so glad to hear you say that.” She tried to move one of his boxes with her foot, but it was so heavy it hardly budged. “What have you got in here? Your rock collection?”
    “Open it up.”
    Cautiously, Angelina peeled back the top of the box and grabbed a heavy rectangular green slab of metal, chock full of silver wires. “What’s this?”
    “It’s a test interface board. I used to design them.” He walked over and picked one up. “I haven’t seen one up close in a long time.” Years fell away as Will reverently ran his fingers over the board.
    At twenty-one he had dutifully plunged into engineering, giving up his far-fetched dream of being a painter. Designing circuitry was never as powerful a satisfaction as creating art, but at least he made good money.
    “I can’t believe you even know what one of these things does, let alone designed it. I do have one question for you, though.”
    “Ask away.” Will hoped that he could impress her again.
    “Do you really need so many of them?” Angelina peered into the box. “There are probably twenty in here.”
    So much for impressing her with his profound knowledge of circuitry.
    “In any case, before I go, I should tell you that your cluttered office sits smack dab in your Reputation area. It’s probably affecting your relationships with your staff and customers.”
    “How the heck do you know about the problems I’ve been having with my company? Did Susan tell you?”
    Angelina looked surprised by his outburst. “No, we didn’t speak about your work at all.”
    “Are you psychic or something?”
    “Trust me, I’m not the least bit psychic.” He could see her scanning the room for a semi-clear pathway so she could escape. “So, how about you give me a call in about a month and I’ll come back to see how things are going?”

    “A month?” He couldn’t go a whole month without seeing her. “I don’t think a month will work.”
    “I could give you two if that would be easier to fit into your schedule.” Angelina pulled her organizer out of her briefcase to write down the appointment.
    “What I’m trying to say is that I’d like to take you out. On a date.”
    “A date?” She looked horrified.
    “Yes, Angelina. A date.”
    “No, thank you.”
    The words were barely out of