"Okay Mrs. Watson, just steady yourself and tell me what's the problem." John calmly stated to his current client at his IT job. "Okay, so I've been having issues with my Internet lately and I don't know what's going on. I'm expecting a video call from a friend of mine soon and I need to have this fixed."
"Have you tried turning things off and on again?" John suggested. "A rather simplistic and stereotypical solution, but it can get things done." he added.
"All right, I'll try that one. Thank you Mr. Coleman!" Mrs. Watson cheerfully said and she hung up. John then reclined in his office chair & idly looked around his cubicle, finding ways to keep himself distracted from the events of this morning.
"I still can't believe some nudist chick just waltzed into my house without my knowledge and made me breakfast." he muttered to himself. "And still she seems so familiar somehow!"
"What are you talking about Johnny?" another coworker by the name of Clark Diaz wondered.
"Oh it's nothing Clark. Hey, did you see the news last night?!" John nervously asked trying to hide his new roommate from everyone else. "Yeah, still searching for that nomad chick." Clark replied. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know anything about her since you brought it up right?"
"What, no I don't!" John sheepishly answered trying his best to make it not look like he was lying. "Never mind. By the way, boss wants to talk with you." Clark said before he walked away. John groaned at the thought of having to see his boss again. He wasn't mean at all but he still seemed rather cold and distant from his employees.
"Mr. Coleman?" his boss Mr. Otto Barker stoically greeted John with his back to him when he finally entered his office.
"Why hello there Mr. Barker. What led you to call me here?" John tried to greet him as politely as possible, but he knew he was going to regret this.
"A very good afternoon to you too Coleman." Barker said turning to his employee with piercing green eyes. Despite his emotionless exterior, he still emitted confidence from those emerald orbs, his brown hair and sharp tie. "Anyway, you stand here today because I want to discuss certain matters with you."
John began fearing the worst, hoping that he wouldn't get fired or his pay cut when suddenly Otto put on a small smile. "I brought you here today because you are getting a raise."
"Wait, seriously?!" John exclaimed, shocked at his boss's sudden kindness. "This is so unlike you sir, I just don't know what to say!"
"Other than 'How much?', Mr. Coleman." Otto finished for him, his smile turning into a more neutral expression. "I shall be raising your paycheck by approximately thirty dollars. A rather decently sized amount I must say. I am doing this because I feel you have been doing exceptionally well lately Mr. Coleman, though the solutions you give to your clients are a bit too simplistic."
"Yeah, my most recent one before you called me here was me just saying to turn it off & on again." John admitted. "Oh stuff and nonsense Mr. Coleman, other employees of mine have given that before, but they didn't get a raise unlike you."
Suddenly the bell rang for lunch break. "Now off you go my good sir. Buy yourself something nice with that new extra money you have." Otto sent him off sitting back in his chair overlooking the street below.
John walked out of his boss's office with a smile on his face, a smile unlike anyone in the large building had seen him wear before. "Yo, what happened in there Johnny? You happy to get fired?" Michael asked walking beside him.
"No, I simply got a raise." John answered with a smirk. "Whoa, seriously man?! You must be doing awesome here!" Michael exclaimed. "That's almost exactly what Mr. Barker said when he called me to his office, and he also told me to buy something nice with that extra money I have."
"Well think you could do me a solid and use that extra cash to buy me some lunch? I woke up a bit late today and was in a hurry that I couldn't pack my own." Micheal asked. "Sure, what do you prefer again?"
"Just get me a hot dog with relish." his coworker answered with a wink. "Y'know, you've changed a lot since yesterday. You feeling alright?" he asked. "Did anybody happen to stop by your place and magically make you less of a loner overnight?"
"No, what would make you say that?!" John asked trying once again not to make it look like he was telling the truth. "Well Diaz thinks you might be hiding something from us when you two chatted earlier. Maybe it could be connected to our favorite traveling babe?"
"Let's just cut the chitchat and go to lunch already! I'm starving!" John tried to change the subject to continue keeping Nina a secret from his coworkers.
"Yeah, you're kinda right Johnny. Those hot dogs ain't gonna eat themselves!" Michael proclaimed joining the herd of office workers headed to the building's cafeteria. John let out a sigh of relief knowing that no one was the wiser of Nina. Speaking of which, he should check in with her later.
-
"And then the pigeon just shat all over my neighbor's car! You should've seen how desperate he was to keep it spotless!" Sally Hudson finished telling a funny story to her lunch table, which included Mike, who was laughing with the others and John, who was too busy looking at his phone contemplating whether he should call Nina. "I'm sorry guys, what was this about a pigeon again?"
"Oh Jesus dying on the cross Johnny, were you even paying attention?!" Steven James exclaimed in frustration. "Sally's neighbor was trying to keep his car clean all day and yet this one goddamn pigeon made it all go to shit, literally!"
"Oh yeah, ha ha ha." John laughed nervously before looking back at his phone. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom guys." he stated before racing off with phone in hand toward the men's room.
