Work Vignette

It’s going to be a long day, I think as I rush to get into my office. I always seem to be a few minutes late; no matter how determined I am to get up right when my alarm goes off. It’s already hot outside, so I’m thankful that it’s dark and cool inside. Not surprised that I’m the only one here, I start flipping on lights and unlocking doors. As much as I don’t like to be here alone, I don’t mind having some time in the morning to wake up a little bit and get settled into my routine before I start talking to people.

I can’t seem to help myself from looking at the clock every five minutes. Knowing that other people are doing carefree things like sitting at coffee shops or waiting in line to buy popcorn at the movie theater makes it hard to concentrate on boring routine. I think maybe today I should take a long lunch to get some rejuvenation before the afternoon. I text my friend Kali, and lucky for me, she’s free for lunch. I get my things together and thankfully head out the door, ready for a break.

I have a hard time finding the hole-in-the-wall Mexican place that Kali suggests, but eventually I slip through the door and find Kali sitting at a small table in the back. I feel rather out of place; everyone in the room has their eyes glued to the World Cup game on the TV in the corner, and not one other person is white. I glance at the score – South Africa is not going to win this – and shuffle my way to Kali’s table. She’s ordered a delicious fruit drink for us to share; and between that and good conversation with a dear friend, I feel ready to head back to work by the time we get our check.

As soon as I get back the meetings begin; I sit down with my boss and go over this week, what I can do better, what I need from him; we do this every week. As soon as we’re done, I speed-walk down the hallway to my office. We’re in the process of getting a new phone system, and I have no idea what this meeting entails, but I think it’s important, so I patiently sit staring at the phone when Thomas comes in. I asked him to be part of the meeting, since he’s the only one in the office who can answer technical questions.

We spend most of the meeting making faces at each other and snickering over the man on the other end of the phone verbally processing to himself. This meeting could have taken 15 minutes, but instead it took 45. At least it was lighthearted. Since this meeting has run late, I try to slip into the last one of the day quietly. I successfully stay awake for the next hour, and am relieved when everyone finally stands, signally the end of the meeting, and the day. As I shake hands, I’m thinking about the book I will curl up with when I get home.