WHEN YOU LOVE

007

Lee stopped pushing the shopping cart and watched Sana hurry to the aisle to grab her feminine hygiene supplies. The man didn't understand how Sana could still be shy at her age when buying pads or condoms.

Lee advanced to her position, "don't tell me your red army is already there."

"No, but they'll be landing soon. I'll probably be on my period on the second day of the workshops."

"Oh," Lee replied.

He had nothing against periods, but it was a great deal for Sana, who refrained from having any sexual activities when on them. Not because she didn't want to but because the logistic it implied was too much. Unlike Camille, who was the don't-talk-to-me-unless-you-have-a-death-wish type during her periods, Sana was the show-me-some-TLC woman. Lee felt useful and relieved not to be rejected during those times. He hated comparing the two, but the conclusion was always the same. They were night and day, and he preferred to enjoy the sunlight Sana gave.

Sana threw the packets in the cart. Keela swore by menstrual panties since they came out, but Sana preferred the old-school way.

How Sana wished to be with Lee during the next few days, she remembered how she almost cried when the man bought her a hot water bottle for the first time. Winston used to massage and prepare infused tea for her. Sana didn't think she would find a man that cared as much. Again Lee surprised her. He chased her crankiness with his hugs and jokes.

"Are you going to take all that with you?" Lee said when Sana added another packet.

"I can't speak Spanish. I don't want to seem a fool if I run out."

"You know, google traduction exists for this kind of thing."

"Yeah, but with my luck, it would translate my sentence into something like Can I have paper for my ketchup?"

Lee chuckled to the point his eye released a tear, "Tell me about it. I hope it's a little more accurate for your sake."

The couple continued their purchase. Things were getting back to normal. Lee appreciated their serenity-in-the-making phase and was sad to see Sana leave for three days of what he still considered as intellectual masturbation, where everyone jerked off with their knowledge and felt galvanized by the pep talks that were carbon copies of Ted talks.

Lee wondered which orator the company would hire to play gurus. It usually sought a consulting company specializing in coaching and other extravaganzas such as soft skills.

When did intuition and respect for others become a skill?

Did the new generation of employees lack that much ABC learning? It would definitely explain the back-to-basic piece.

Lee always thought such qualities didn't need mentioning because they were tacit societal requirements. Okay, listening and adaptability skills were essential, but again any person has or can acquire them. The man saw all the mechanisms like powder puff thrown at one's face to cover up one intent: profitability. One could come with any skill, diploma, human quality, or experience. All a company cared about was profit, as they should. What pissed Lee off was the way most companies pretended to play samaritans.

He wished they could say we're trying to make this hell hole a better place so that you don't sod off elsewhere or sue us because we mistreated you by adding workload and pressure that will probably have you paying to shrink thousands for the next decade, but guess what we thought of that too with our health care policy because we know we'll screw you dry.

"Sana."

"Yes," she replied, placing a milk bottle on the fridge door.

"Have you ever thought of leaving the company?"

Sana closed the fridge and turned to face him," why do you ask?"

Lee shrugged, "I don't know. Isn't there something you've ever wanted to do for yourself?"

Sana reflected for a few seconds. The answer was a head knocker as she realized she had never thought of it. Sana entered the company because she needed to work, the pay was good, and her best friend was there. The woman struggled for recognition and was grateful to have met Lee when she did. Even though their beginnings were twisted, his advice and expertise helped her gain visibility. Her last year in retail was the best she had ever experienced results-wise. It helped her obtain a new position, but was it something she wanted?

"I don't know. I've never really thought about it," Sana replied.

"You should, you know. Having a job is good, but one should always have a backup plan," Lee said as he placed the fruit in their basket. "I was devasted when they fired me. I felt betrayed. I sacrificed everything for it, and they let me go without twitching an eyelid," Lee paused as the images surfaced. He remembered how proud he was to see his region at the top and how he lived for the compliments on the Teams chat group. Yep, back in those days, those little pats on the back meant everything. He had the impression of being someone, and it took him time to see how empty he was and how temporarily fulfilling work was.

"Give it some thought, will you? It's important. Life is too short; save energy. Remember, you're just a registration number. Any defiance on your behalf will have your number passed on to the next. Look at 007; even James Bond got swapped."

Sana realized how naive and almost juvenile she was when her man spoke like this. She knew that all Lee desired was to warn her, and he did well as she spent most of her life in a daydream.

"007, I don't know how you conjure these things," Sana said as she approached.

Lee wrapped her in his arms, "I just don't want those suckers to feed off your talent."

"How do you know I have one?"

Lee opened a gap between them and said, "Look at what you did with me. You changed me, Sana, and trust me; if no one has told you already, I'm telling you it's a miracle."