Things To Say Before I Go

Chapter 6: Nate

I felt like I was on top of the world after last night. So much so that I didn't even care about the fact that I was going to my job that would bore me to tears. Jess was amazing. Now, I know what you're thinking: it was only the first date! But I just felt like we hit it off so well. Mark could tell something was bettering my mood, but he didn't know what. I hadn't even told him that I was going on a date last night. 

"And what has got you all happy to be alive all of a sudden?" he asked suspiciously that morning.

I drained the rest of the milk out of my cereal bowl and said, "Can't help if my optimism is making you look bad, dude." I slapped him on the back, grabbed my jacket and made my way downstairs.

I was feeling good! Despite the never-ending rush of people on the sidewalk this early in the morning, I just entered the current of humans and, pun intended, went with the flow. I people watched as I walked. There was a gentleman to my left in an expensive suit, who was talking on a Bluetooth earpiece. 

"Yes, I know they are due in a week, but I want them on my desk in an hour because I am reviewing them at least twice before they go out," he barked, sounding incredibly annoyed. "Don't make me say it again." 

There were two women in workout clothes, gossiping and each of them pushing a stroller with a chubby little baby inside. 

"So apparently Jack is cheating on Maureen, but she doesn't know it yet," one said.

"How do you know this?" the other would gasp in reply.

"Because my husband works with Jack and saw the mistress go into his office around lunch yesterday," the first one explained. 

She gasped and they sped up into a run. I walked past a street musician and tossed a couple of bucks into his guitar case as he sat there, strumming and singing a song I didn't recognize. 

"Thanks, man," he said as I walked away.

As I neared my building, I took a quick scan of the surrounding crowd to see if I could spot Jess, but there was too much of a crowd. I figured I'd see her through the window anyway. I fought my way through the lobby and took the elevator upstairs. Thankfully, the elevator wasn't crowded. There were only two other people in there besides me, a man and a woman that were talking in hushed tones. Yes, because I'm really interested in what you have to say, people. There's no need to whisper. I impatiently waited through their barely audible whispers and a horrible elevator music rendition of "Come Sail Away" to get to the tenth floor. It just couldn't come quickly enough.

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"There," I said, feeling satisfied that I had finally finished the remaining cases my coworkers had decided to saddle me with. 

At that moment, Jack (no, not the Jack from this morning) arrived with the cases he was nice enough to take. 

"Here you go, rookie," he said, handing me the files. 

I took them and added them to the stack on my desk. "You know , my name is Nate by the way." 

He smiled and said, "Yeah, but 'rookie' is much more fun to say. Welcome aboard, dude." 

He walked away and I turned back to my computer sitting on my desk. I opened my email and found three more case files I had to print out and go through. Just when I thought that I was done. 

I leaned back in my chair to take a break. I looked over at the other building and saw Jess setting her bag and coat down at her desk. She was talking to a light brown haired girl sitting at one of the neighboring desks. I watched them talk for a little bit and then get up and go somewhere out of my field of view. She was so naturally pretty, it almost hurt. I hoped she was talking about me. I hoped that she was talking about how wonderful of a time she had had last night, how she was getting over her ex boyfriend and that she had found someone that shared her thoughts on their respective dead end jobs. I hoped. 

My hopeful dream ended however when Mr. McDonald's secretary, Mrs. Williams, came over and told me that he wanted to see me in his office. I couldn't possibly be fired in my first week. I hadn't even done anything wrong yet! 

I followed her to his office, feeling like I was doing some sort of walk of shame. It felt like everyone's eyes were on me and I had the sudden urge to hide my face. She opened two very large, dark wood doors for me and I entered into one of the biggest offices I had ever seen. It had a high ceiling with about six different leather armchairs scattered throughout the place. On the walls were various pictures McDonald with his family and some paintings of New York City. At the very end of the room, sitting at a huge desk the same color as the doors was Mr. McDonald, looking abnormally small in such a large room. 

"Ah, Mr. King, come on in," he said, beckoning me to sit in one of the armchairs that was placed in front of his desk. 

I thought I heard his voice echo throughout the room as i nervously took sat down in the chair. 

"You're probably wondering why you're here," he said looking up from the paper he had just finished filling out. 

From where I was sitting, I couldn't see what it was, but it wasn't pink, so I wasn't entirely sure if I was getting fired or not. 

Realizing that I hadn't answered his question and we were just sitting in awkward silence, I quickly responded, "Yes, sir." 

"Well," he said, removing his glasses, "I called you in here to congratulate on a job well done on those cases you filed. I know the vets out there like to stick it to the rookies, I always know when the rookies do it right that they can take the workload here. Good work, King. I hope to see more of it." 

Sweating like a pig, I got up out of the chair and said, "Thank you, sir." 

He stuck his hand out to shake. Cautiously, I shook it. Once I let go of his hand, he immediately went back to filling out whatever paper he had been working on prior to me walking in. I made my way past Mrs. Williams' desk, heart thumping out of chest, and to the break room where I got a cup of water from the water machine. 

I gulped down three cups before returning to my desk. I went back into my email and sent the two files I had to print to the printer. I was about to get up to go get them when I took another look out the window. Jess was sitting at her desk, daydreaming and playing with a loose strand of hair. I could stay here and watch her all day if that didn't sound at all creepy. Unfortunately, it sounded entirely creepy so I left to retrieve my files from the printer.