Hello. Goodbye - Chapter One
A simple greeting in the morning can really make a difference.
Chapter One.
They would almost never skip a day when they wouldn't cross each others paths. Today would be no different.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed she wore her hair differently today.
Head bowed, she noted he wore his favorite pair of sneakers. She only assumed they were his favorite pair because they had been his daily walking shoes; that is since she started at this company last year.
She scrounged up the courage just as they passed each other, to look up.
"Hi, Lily," he greeted just as she looked up.
"Hello, Jamie," she replied aloof.
When she heard the office doors closing behind her, she rushed to the ladies' room to squeal in delight.
Greeting anyone else on the path to his desk, he prepared himself mentally for the strenuous work ahead.
Yes, this was their routine.
And yes, it had been like this for over six months.
"Please come into my office, Lily," her boss invited, breaking the focus she had on the report she needed to complete before the end of the day.
"Yes?" She took a seat across from her boss.
"I just wanted to be the first to say that I'm so proud of the hard work you've been showing this past year. Which is why you're being moved to the executive pool."
Her face, as usual was aloof. Her heart's pace however was beating a million beats per second. Trying to form a sentence was beyond her ability.
She looked into her boss' eyes with disbelief.
"Believe it, Lil!"
"But it's only been a year."
"You don't want it?"
"It's not that. It's just unbelievable. But thank you so much!"
She shook his proffered hand.
"You start the new position next week. You have the option to stay in your office or move to an available office closer to your teammates."
"Thanks, Boss!"
She sat back into the chair, shaking her head, not knowing where everything began to go right.
He took this opportunity to call someone in via intercom.
Lily was too lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear who come in.
Jamie found a seat beside Lily.
"Lil," her boss called out from the doorway.
"You can go back to your desk now."
She blushed an apologized then caught Jamie's gaze.
"Hi Jamie," she greeted, her pink cheeks reddened as she walked out after he nodded in acknowledgment.
The next day began just like the last. Lily walked out into the office corridor. This time however, there was no "Hi, Lily" to greet her.
Serves me right, she thought, I've been too spoiled with this ridiculous routine.
When she got back to her desk, the receptionist was waiting with a scowl.
"What's the matter, Martina?"
"Didn't you hear? Oh, of course not, you don't talk to anyone around here," she replied flippantly and continued.
"Jamie the exec- you know him, right? Tall, good-looking, VERY polite- anyway, they let him go yesterday."
Lily, as usual, had no reaction to the news.
"Hmm... I guess you never met him then."
"No, I have met him," she answered, not in any mood to share her thoughts, she turned towards her computer monitor and began to work simultaneously dismissing Martina and her depression over the company's sudden decrease in 'eye candy'.
During lunch, Lily decided the weather was perfect for a walk and picnic lunch at the park near her office. Reflecting on a bench facing the passersby she thought about the coincidence between her promotion and Jamie's dismissal.
"It couldn't be," she exclaimed her denial to her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"What couldn't be?" A very haggard old man asked as he stared at her sandwich.
"Nothing," she answered cautiously. "Did you want a sandwich?"
"If you're not going to have it..."
She insisted she had no appetite, gave the man her homemade lunch and walked back to work.
Not wanting to be melodramatic, she pushed away the thought that the day was different without the morning salutation from Jamie.
Meanwhile, the object of her thoughts padded his tiny apartment trying to figure out the best course of action. Five o'clock shadow and bed head, he opted to veg on his sofa and catch up on all the sports scores. Only for today, he told himself.
They would almost never skip a day when they wouldn't cross each others paths. Today would be no different.
Out of the corner of his eye he noticed she wore her hair differently today.
Head bowed, she noted he wore his favorite pair of sneakers. She only assumed they were his favorite pair because they had been his daily walking shoes; that is since she started at this company last year.
She scrounged up the courage just as they passed each other, to look up.
"Hi, Lily," he greeted just as she looked up.
"Hello, Jamie," she replied aloof.
When she heard the office doors closing behind her, she rushed to the ladies' room to squeal in delight.
Greeting anyone else on the path to his desk, he prepared himself mentally for the strenuous work ahead.
Yes, this was their routine.
And yes, it had been like this for over six months.
"Please come into my office, Lily," her boss invited, breaking the focus she had on the report she needed to complete before the end of the day.
"Yes?" She took a seat across from her boss.
"I just wanted to be the first to say that I'm so proud of the hard work you've been showing this past year. Which is why you're being moved to the executive pool."
Her face, as usual was aloof. Her heart's pace however was beating a million beats per second. Trying to form a sentence was beyond her ability.
She looked into her boss' eyes with disbelief.
"Believe it, Lil!"
"But it's only been a year."
"You don't want it?"
"It's not that. It's just unbelievable. But thank you so much!"
She shook his proffered hand.
"You start the new position next week. You have the option to stay in your office or move to an available office closer to your teammates."
"Thanks, Boss!"
She sat back into the chair, shaking her head, not knowing where everything began to go right.
He took this opportunity to call someone in via intercom.
Lily was too lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear who come in.
Jamie found a seat beside Lily.
"Lil," her boss called out from the doorway.
"You can go back to your desk now."
She blushed an apologized then caught Jamie's gaze.
"Hi Jamie," she greeted, her pink cheeks reddened as she walked out after he nodded in acknowledgment.
The next day began just like the last. Lily walked out into the office corridor. This time however, there was no "Hi, Lily" to greet her.
Serves me right, she thought, I've been too spoiled with this ridiculous routine.
When she got back to her desk, the receptionist was waiting with a scowl.
"What's the matter, Martina?"
"Didn't you hear? Oh, of course not, you don't talk to anyone around here," she replied flippantly and continued.
"Jamie the exec- you know him, right? Tall, good-looking, VERY polite- anyway, they let him go yesterday."
Lily, as usual, had no reaction to the news.
"Hmm... I guess you never met him then."
"No, I have met him," she answered, not in any mood to share her thoughts, she turned towards her computer monitor and began to work simultaneously dismissing Martina and her depression over the company's sudden decrease in 'eye candy'.
During lunch, Lily decided the weather was perfect for a walk and picnic lunch at the park near her office. Reflecting on a bench facing the passersby she thought about the coincidence between her promotion and Jamie's dismissal.
"It couldn't be," she exclaimed her denial to her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"What couldn't be?" A very haggard old man asked as he stared at her sandwich.
"Nothing," she answered cautiously. "Did you want a sandwich?"
"If you're not going to have it..."
She insisted she had no appetite, gave the man her homemade lunch and walked back to work.
Not wanting to be melodramatic, she pushed away the thought that the day was different without the morning salutation from Jamie.
Meanwhile, the object of her thoughts padded his tiny apartment trying to figure out the best course of action. Five o'clock shadow and bed head, he opted to veg on his sofa and catch up on all the sports scores. Only for today, he told himself.
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