Steps

Step 3: A Small Conversation

The office was loud and chaotic today. It bothered her. Apparently, the CEO was coming to visit the Central City office. Why he would want to come here, she had no idea. What she did know however was that her boss, Jim, was making rounds in the office, making sure everyone was informed on exactly what to do when Mr. Palmer arrived. Everything must be perfect, of course. Can't slip up when the CEO is around.

The Central City office was new, so maybe that's why Mr. Palmer was coming to visit. Check up on things. Make sure the building hadn't exploded or anything. She had heard that had been a problem in the past.

After Queen Consolidated had become Palmer Technologies, they had opened a new office in Central City. Something about branching out. Many of the people here were new hires. She was one of the few employees relocated from Starling City. And it was oblivious why she had been transferred now. These people were idiots when it came to technology! And they worked at a technology company! She would never be able to understand that.

She heard a soft knock at her door. Jim stood slightly outside. She looked up to acknowledge his presence, and then went back to what she was doing.

"Leah, if you could work from home today, that would be great."

Wait, what? She was already here, already dressed, already working. Why did she have to leave? It didn't make sense. She looked at him.

"What? Jim, I don't... understand."

"As you know, Mr. Palmer is coming today. He needed a place to spend the day, so we offered him your office."

"Why would you offer him my office?" She stopped typing and pushed herself away from her desk, allowing her a better look at Jim. He could not be serious. Her brow furrowed slightly.

"Well, he requested an office with a door, and yours just so happened to be the cleanest." He smiled.

This was not happening. She was being kicked out of her own office. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"What exactly did you need me to do today?"

"Well, if you could work on that Internet safety poster we talked about, that would be great." More smiles. Of course.

"You have got to be kidding me..." She kept that comment slightly under her breath.

"What was that Leah?"

"Oh, sorry nothing. I was just mentioning that I should water Genesis, my plant. " She motioned to the plant on her desk. "Wouldn't want Mr. Palmer to come in and see a droopy plant... right?" She laughed nervously.

"Good thinking. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Jim offered a small salute before abruptly turning on his heels and walking back towards his office. He was weird. Although, she really didn't have any right to talk.

She sighed. Kicked out of her own office. Wow. Where in the world would she do her work today? Home was out of the question. Home was full of distractions. But she did need somewhere quiet to go. She had a feeling it was going to take her a while to sort out all her words in a way that her technologically illiterate coworkers could understand. This was going be yet another long day.

She eventually decided that Jitters would probably be the best place to go. It was quiet, there was a semi-secluded area on the second level, and they had reliable Wi-Fi. It fit the bill nicely. Plus, it wasn't all too far from the office. She had a strong feeling something would break later in the day and Jim would call her back. Apparently, no one in the office had even the most basic of troubleshooting skills. Oh well, more job security for her.

She quietly packed her bag and left the office.

She had to admit, she had a pretty nice setup going on at the tiny table in Jitters. She had her company issued laptop pulled out and set in front of her, while her personal tablet sat to the right. And to top it all off, noise canceling headphones. Nothing was going to interrupt her today. She had chosen a table on the second floor, as far away from anything else as possible. So far, everyone had gotten the clue and left her alone.