Could It Be You? |✓

(37) Departure

She drops the last of her files into the box and eventually, the sense of finality sinks in. Staring at her emptied desk, she feels an unnamed sadness knowing that she is really leaving all of this behind, even if it is just for a year. People always have an inertia towards change and she guesses she is no different.

She decides to pay Mr Palmer's office a visit to bid him a formal farewell. Passing by Matt's room, she hears coughs emanating from the inside. She stops briefly and glances at him through the tinted glass, but tells herself not to be nosy and to get back to work.

"Good morning, Emma," Mr Palmer greets as she enters. He lifts his chin by an inch and pushes down his glasses slightly to read the content on his computer.

"Morning Mr Palmer, I'm here to say goodbye."

"Oh! Oh yes, today is the day already!" he realises belatedly and pushes himself off the seat. "I hope you enjoy yourself and gain a lot over there!"

He wraps her in a farewell hug and smilingly wishes her the best.

"Thank you for the opportunity, I'll miss this office very much," Emma says, feeling her nose turn sour. She has slogged for seven years here, for good or for bad, and it feels like she's letting go a significant part of her.

"And we will always welcome you back." He grins.

They engage in a brief chatter, with him asking her about her accommodation plans, before she waves him goodbye and exits the office. She sees Matt walk down the hallway, presumably to go to the washroom.

She returns to her bench and digs into her boxes for a palette of cough medicine - those generic ones she keeps for herself whenever there's an office bug - and goes into Matt's office. She leaves it on his table, next to his glasses, along with a note that says, "get well soon." She feels obliged to care for him no matter what happened - he is still a colleague after all. When she shuts the door behind her, she sees Tess standing ahead, pouting at her.

"See you soon, Emma. I'll miss you," Tess says as she draws her into a big hug.

"Of course, Tess. Don't forget to invite me to your wedding! I'll definitely fly back for you."

Emma pulls her box towards the table edge and lugs it to her chest, making a few bounces to get hold of the balance. She bids a farewell to all the colleagues and heads off. The box is rather obstructive to her movements so she walks with difficulty, stumbling here and there, and Emma almost regrets not asking one of the guys to help her. She quickly shakes the thought away - she's going to handle it herself and be a truly independent woman. She is only a few steps outside when she runs into Matt who, after an awkward silence, spoke.

"Best of luck," he says, smiling.

"Thank you," Emma responds. To some extent, she is glad that this secondment is so timely and helps increase the distance between them so she doesn't have to deal with the awkward bump-ins at office.

"Do you need help with the box?"

As tempting as it is, she shakes her head. "Don't worry about it, I've already gotten an Uber. I just need to get it down - which I can manage."

He glances at her box with a ponderous expression, then rolls up his sleeves and takes her box away anyway, much to Emma's reluctance.

"Let me help you," he insists.

No matter what Emma says, he would not budge. He carries it down for her all the way to the pick-up point outside the building, where her Uber driver is waiting, and unloads it for her into the car boot.

"Um, thanks!" Emma says. She is truly speechless at his actions and she is a bundle of confused feelings because even though she is grateful, she isn't able to express it.