So I sit in my cubicle and cut off my split ends with some scissors I found in the filing cabinet. I have a restless energy. My email is strangely empty and without an onslaught of work I must resort to sitting with my feelings. Never. I put in my earbuds and listen to indie bands with odd names and open new tabs on my desktop.
The others in the office are busy, they speak with endless streams of clients on the phone and peck away at their keyboards. In this industry as I imagine in many others, busyness is next to godliness. I could reach out and grab the arm of my coworker as she shuttles her and a cup of hot coffee to the boardroom. How could I convince her to sit and talk awhile?
My thought is broken as I hear a door close at the end of the hall and muffled voices greet her. I open a new tab and type in LinkedIn slowly, letter by letter. I review my profile and wince at my title. I shouldn’t be sitting here idle, it was luck that I landed this job at all.
I close the tab and head to the breakroom to fix myself a coffee. I pull the mug from the shelf and listen to the coffee machine gurgle and spit the brown liquid into the small pool of creamer at the bottom. A quick swirl and a careful sip reassures me that this cup is as off putting as cups past. No matter, it’s just for the energy anyway.
I plan out some future projects for several hours before pushing away the mouse. Should I take my lunch? I check the clock on the corner of my monitor before the screen of my phone catches my eye. A new message. I tilt the phone up and a childish smile erupts across my face. He text me.
Somewhere he was staring at his phone and, if but for a moment, thinking of me. What a thought! I wait until exactly a minute has passed, checking the iPhone clock repeatedly before opening the message.
I type out a text back, rereading it half a dozen times before hitting send. I jot down ‘Out to Lunch’ on a sticky note and paste it to my monitor, unable to shuck the giddy smile. If only he knew the power he had.
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