On the surface it felt like any other Wednesday as Kai entered the office where he worked. The same bored-looking receptionist barely managing a "Hello", the same crowded elevator ride to the fifth floor, the same twenty steps to his cubicle. The same scrolling through his work emails and preparing for the day of cold calls and following up on leads. However, Kai knew this day was different. In fact, the whole week was and would be different.
See, his supervisor, Naani, had announced her early retirement from the nonprofit where they worked earlier in the month, and this week would be her last. Though barely fifty years old, through hard work, smart investments, and financial help from her eight siblings, she had bought a two-family house in Connecticut and would be moving there to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. Her last day would be Friday, and everyone in the office would be gathering at a midtown lounge that evening to give her a proper send-off.
Because of the hours he worked in and out of the office, Kai rarely got to go out anymore, which is hell for a 26-year-old who loved to party and missed the days when he and his friends had, in his mind, legendary nights out on the town. It would even be worth being in the same building with David, who was already acting as if Naani's job was his, if he could just get out of the house for once. Not even David could ruin such a party, though not for lack of trying; the man was arrogant, obnoxious, and completely oblivious to the apathy he elicited from everyone around him. Kai liked everyone else in the office a lot, and he was actually sad and somewhat anxious to see Naani go - since she hired him fresh out of college four years before, she proved to be a fair and patient boss, teaching him the ropes of achieving the corporation's stated mission and having a passion for the work, which he found infectious. She was the consummate professional, from her hair to her form-fitting pantsuits down to her heels (or flats, if she expected to be out in the field). To go from working for her to a useless lump like David was making Kai seriously consider looking for work elsewhere.
Kai stepped off the elevator to see Naani and David walking away from each other, evidently having just finished a conversation. As David walked toward his cubicle, he glanced at Kai, barely hiding a sneer and checking his watch, as if he expected to find that Kai was late.
Which is stupid
, Kai thought to himself. As a rule, Kai always tried to arrive at 8:20 am, ten minutes early. He hated being late and prided himself on his punctuality. He grunted a greeting at David and gave Naani a considerably warmer "Good morning" before sitting down at his cubicle and starting the day.
After an hour, Kai looked up from his computer to see Naani walking towards him from her office. Today, her suit was navy blue with white pinstripes and her greying hair was braided into a crown. The frames of her glasses matched her black pumps. Naani's dark brown skin matched Kai's own, and her face was freckled with small moles, as if someone had sprinkled pepper on it. Kai straightened up in his chair, expecting her to ask him something important and work-related.
"Hey, Kai," she said in a low voice with a pronounced Trinidadian accent, "you know my retirement party is Friday, right?"
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Kai replied. Naani smiled.
"Good." She touched him on the arm, something she'd been doing with increasing frequency lately. "Hopefully I don't get too tired trying to keep up with you young people." Kai chuckled despite himself, and Naani laughed as well.
"I'll try to go easy on you. Promise," Kai said. At this, Naani's smile froze, her eyes flickering around the room, then she cleared her throat.
"Thanks. The reports look good. We'll discuss it more later," Naani said, turning on her heel and returning to her office.
Kai looked after her, wondering if it was just his imagination or his soon-to-be-retired boss really was putting an extra switch in her walk. He didn't normally go for older women, but it was clear that Naani was a real knockout when she was his age, and even now took care of herself; she had a slim build and her curves were well-proportioned. If not for the streaks of grey she proudly displayed in her hair, she could have passed for thirty-five. At times, he thought of her like an older sister, or even a mother or an aunt. Lately, though, he was increasingly seeing her as a woman, and a good-looking one at that. It was too bad; if she wasn't his boss, and they were closer in age, and she wasn't about to move away, who knows what might have happened between them?
After the end of his workday on Friday, Kai hurried home to shower and change before going to the lounge. Checking himself in the mirror - and admiring his outfit, a black slim fit suit with matching loafers and a powder blue shirt - Kai took an Uber to meet his coworkers and say goodbye to Naani. Entering the lounge and passing the bar, he was glad to see that the woman of the hour was not hard to find; she was sitting in the middle of the reserved booth in the rear area, the literal center of attention. She was chatting happily with well-wishers and mixing herself a drink from the bottle service. He had never seen her so relaxed, so happy, so... attractive. Naani was wearing a knee-length leopard print dress with spaghetti straps, black stiletto ankle boots, and had let her braid out into a loose afro. Gone were the glasses Kai knew so well; either she didn't need them that badly, or she was wearing contacts. Her makeup was flawless, the red lipstick complimenting her chocolate-brown complexion. Kai waved as he approached. She saw him and waved back, yelling "Hi!" over the loud music. She put down her drink and stood up, throwing her arms wide open for a hug and beaming at him. They had to lean towards each other to embrace over the table, and Kai couldn't help but inhale her perfume deeply. He'd never been this close to her before, never noticed how soft and warm her skin was, how toned her body was. A coworker fortunately chose this moment to relinquish her seat next to Naani to get up and dance. Kai immediately came around the table and slid in next to her. She leaned over until her lips were practically touching his ear. He barely managed to suppress a tingle at their closeness.
"So glad you could make it," she said.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Kai answered. As the night wore on and the two drank, talked, laughed, he began to see her in a new light. He could no longer see Naani as just his boss, but for what she also was: a beautiful, desirable woman. She was kind, funny, easy to talk to, and hardworking. He would definitely miss her. Why couldn't he see what she truly was before? Life was so unfair.
A loud, drunken greeting broke Kai out of his reverie. David had appeared in front of them, clutching what was clearly not his first bottle of beer of the night, given how unsteady he was on his feet. Naani stood and greeted him with a hug as well, though it was considerably shorter than the one she gave Kai. David was clearly engaging in a one-sided conversation, with Naani contributing little besides nods and polite smiles. Finally, he said something that caused her to playfully smack him on the arm and send him away with a laugh. She sat back down and returned her attention to Kai.