"What do you want?" - I asked hesitantly.
The boy looked at me with his piercing blue eyes and he just shook his head.
"From you, I want nothing!" - he answered without a beat.
"But you were the one who asked for help!" - answered him, making sur...
"This is your last chance" - I stared at myself in the mirror. If I blow it, I can go back to slave in the nursing home as a nurse's aide. Please, don't get me wrong, I loved my previous job as a carer for the elderly but I wanted to climb up on that ladder. I wanted to achieve something here, to show everybody what I am capable of. Now I was scared to death to face the people in my new workplace.
"How many people I am going to work with? "- asked the human resources lady on the interview day. She informed me, that it always depends on how busy the office, they hired more temps or temporary admins if they were shorthanded. Generally I would be charge of 14 people. All more experienced than me I presumed but I'd rather bite my tongue than admit it.
I checked my watch, it's two minutes to 8.30 am, I need to get moving, so head held high I opened the washroom door and entered into the foyer. I walked to the receptionist and I greeted her.
"Good morning, my name is Marian Madsen, I came to see Miss Leighton Lloyd. I am the new office manager." - I said to the girl behind the fabulous mahogany desk that still amazed me.
"Good morning, Miss Madsen." - the girl answered cheerfully - Miss Lloyd is waiting for you in the Blue meeting room. You go through this door, and the third door on the left."- she motioned towards the dark double door in the end of the foyer.
"Thank you. "- I answered quickly and turned towards the direction she motioned before. I took a deep breath and headed towards the door. It took enormous effort to keep myself composed, like I said before, I wasn't sure that I was able to manage a big office like this. I still thought this place and job was way out of my league.
I gave myself a mental shrug and walked through the door with confidence in my steps. I was about to reach for the door handle when someone in a suit hurried past by me, nearly knocked me over. I regained my balance but the little scenario knocked my confidence down a bit. Seriously, what's wrong with people nowadays? He didn't even say sorry. I mentally shook my fists at him, the rude guy, who nearly made me land on my bottom. I composed myself and opened the door, then quickly find the third door and knocked on the hardwood.
"Come on in!" - I heard Miss Lloyd voice from the meeting room. I entered and suddenly I found myself in front of at least 15 men and women. "Great, I'm gonna get the boot very quickly." - thought as I greeted them, I will be out of this job in a blink. I thought Miss Lloyd is waiting for me alone. She stood up and showed me an empty chair to sit between two gentlemen.
"May I have your attention, please!"- she called out as it wasn't really quiet among them.
"I'd like to introduce our new office manager, the second hand of me and also the personal assistant to Mr London. This is Ms Marian Madsen." - she added, sounding very professional.
People all stared at me and I felt suddenly really uncomfortable in my skin. She didn't say junior assistant, no she definitely said office manager, nothing about junior or assisting.
I felt my skin goes hot in a nanosecond as everybody greeted me with lame waves or muttering good mornings underneath their noses.
"Oh, sweet mother of Earth, I am going to die in the first moment when they realize I am totally unable to run their office." - I thought as I made my way to the empty chair on my right.
I took a deep breath again and I smiled. I remembered, when I took my state exam becoming a teacher, and the head examiner asked me something and I had no clue of the answer, I just thought smiling would be the best answer. I hoped this time will work too. So I relaxed my muscles a bit and I gave everything into the smile and sit down gracefully onto the offered chair. At least I thought I managed to sit gracefully. I realized that my pencil skirt didn't give me much room to move around, so I had to sit with my thighs closely pressed together.
"Fantastic- I groaned inwardly - is this day get any better?"
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I still don't remember how I survived the first meeting in the morning. My head was spinning, all the information that I supposed to absorb were making it hurt. Finally I got through the morning, and I got permission to leave and get some lunch. I popped out for a short break to the nearby noodles bar, just one street away from the office. Across the noodles bar there was a florist, a distinguished bookshop and a small coffee shop with chairs and a small round table on the street. After I got my yaki-soba noodles I settled beside the window, on the high chair. First I thought I made a mistake to sit on the high chair because it was quite difficult to climb on it but after I settled I actually enjoyed sitting up high and staring the pedestrians on the pavement. Of course I had to squeeze my thighs together, my stupid skirt was too tight on my thick thighs.
I looked at the people, going about their businesses, the postman hurrying up with his letter case, mothers strolling their babies and a couple just sat down to have coffee across the street at the coffee shop.
Then somebody caught my eyes, a tall, dark haired guy walked up briskly on the other side of the street and went straight into the florist. I was wondering why he looked so familiar to me, I was certain that I've seen him before, I just couldn't place him. He wore a fabulous dark grey suit, aviator sunglasses and he generally oozed sex appeal. I smiled and I thought I will work such a good mannered place, everybody in suits and pretty office work clothes. It was hard to believe that I got this job, out of nowhere, more than 4 month I submitted my application, Ms Lloyd called me for an interview and from then I was assured that I am the only one considered for the position.
It was a fantastic feeling, being unemployed for so long. I was longing to belong to somewhere, to a company, where friendships were in the making. Somewhere deep inside me, I knew that my colleagues will like me and my attitude for work. One of the girls offered me to clear out the clutter from my office until I have my lunch. The previous girl on the position must have left in such a haste that forgot to pick up her stuff.
I had a brief look at the office when Ms Lloyd showed me around the building. I will spend a lot of time in that room, I thought, and tried to settle for the thoughts of worries that hit me in waves. I still wasn't sure whether I am able to carry out my job properly or not. It sounded so easy but everything looked very complex and complicated.
I was lost deep in my thoughts, when I suddenly saw the guy stepping out of the florist with a decent size of bouquet, made of white lilies and some soft pink flowers I couldn't recognize from the distance. He quickly left the direction of the office and I thought for a split seconds that the guy works for the same company as me. I could remember such a good looking guy if I got introduced to him but I don't recall that I have met him face to face. It was really mysterious for me.
The feeling when you know you had met someone, but you can't really recall where, when and who is the person.
It was an unsettling feeling and I had to set it aside because time has flown and I had to go back to organize an entire office.
