I was excited. I got accepted to work in one of the most lucrative graphic design places in New York. Since high school, I was determined to be a designer; the best-known firms were in New York City.
I grew up in Miami and completed my MGD at North Carolina State University. After finishing, I returned home and got two offers from firms in Miami, but the Big Apple attracted me more.
My parents tried to convince me to stay in town - 'Miami is beautiful, the weather is much better here, and we have the right connections.' I appreciated their love and wanting me to be around. However, I wished to do it on my own.
Monday morning, I flew to New York and experienced for the first time the traffic jams, the curses, and the lack of respect for pedestrians. Well, there was much to learn.
I took a taxi to my new workplace and met a short, chubby, young guy by the door. I introduced myself, "Hi, I am the new hire, Juan. Do you know who I need to talk to?"
He smiled, "Nice to meet you, Juan. My name is John. I heard you were arriving today. Unfortunately, several people are out. You, Chuck, who is sick today, and I will work on specific projects as a team. I want you to meet Tess, who serves as a secretary, an assistant, and a communicator with the higher-ups on the food chain."
Next, I met a lovely young girl. I introduced myself, and she whistled. I laughed, "Is this the New York way of welcoming a new guy?"
She blushed, "Well... Not always."
John broke the silence, "Let me show you the room where we do most of our designs."
It was a medium-sized area with four desks, comfortable swivel chairs, pencils, colored pens, and top-of-the-line laptop computers with sophisticated software, some of which I never heard about before. The walls were covered with works that made this place famous - Logotypes, toy covers, food wraps, beer cans... I was impressed.
John let me explore the working area for ten minutes, then grabbed my arm, "Hey, buddy, today you are here to get a first impression. Now tell me, do you have a place to live?"
"I paid three months in advance for a room I saw only virtually. I planned to go there after I was done and introduce myself. My stuff will arrive in two days."
John smiled, "You are new here. Let's go together and check your room. Here in town, people 'forget' to mention what is wrong with the room and the extra expenses you'll be asked to pay for services."
"John, you are very nice, but I am sure you have better things to do than waste your time accompanying me."
"Juan, if we are a team, that's like the Musketeers in France; 'All for one and one for all.' If you start working with us and your landlord will make your life miserable, the team's work will suffer. Let's go."
The room was in a nice area of Brooklyn - In the west part of Williamsburg. The house was newly renovated. The landlord lived in the adjacent building. He was around 50 years old and a smooth talker. The room was one of three in the same apartment.
John asked, "Sir, what are the expenses my friend here has to pay?"
"Not much, really. His share of the weekly work by the gardener, security of the building, storage fee, city taxes, and then the usual - Electricity, water - You know..."
John looked at me. I said nothing. He turned to the landlord, "Sir, if I understood correctly, he paid three months in advance. Some of the fees you mentioned pertain to people renting for a shorter time. Juan, let me show you a better room two blocks from here."
The guy jumped, "OK, you look like a nice person. I'll cut the extra expenses by half, but I do not want to see violence or drugs around here."
I smiled, "Of course not."
We left the landlord and entered my room. John asked if I had everything I needed until my luggage arrived. The room had a flat-screen TV, a queen-sized bed, new sheets, a blanket, a pillow, and two towels. "John, I'll go to the nearest supermarket and buy something to eat and drink, otherwise I am fine. Thank you very much for your help today."
He chuckled, "Oh, shut up. I'll see you tomorrow around 8:30 am."
...
The following morning, I woke up early. I ate cereal and drank coffee. Despite the crowded subway, the ride was OK, and more importantly, it took less time than I thought.
When I entered, Tess grinned, "Juan, it's your first official day. I brought donuts. Do you want coffee? Tea? Anything more personal?..."
I laughed, "Tess, you are very nice, but not now."
I saw John with another guy at one of the desks. He introduced me to Chuck, "This is Juan, he is an illegal alien, but don't tell anybody... And this is Chuck. He is a total jerk that I must tolerate too many hours daily!"
I stared at Chuck, "Is John ever serious?"
He sighed, "Unfortunately not. Since he was appointed the team captain, 15 minutes ago by Tess, he thinks he is a genius."
In the next 10 minutes, the two buddies roasted each other nonstop. I liked them. Neither one took himself too seriously. And Tess, too. She was busier at her desk, answering the phones and typing documents, but when she was free, she joined us.
I asked, "I see we have time to chat and laugh. What about work?"
John turned to Chuck, "Look at the workaholic we hired..." Then he chortled, "Last week, we finished a large, successful project, so we got three days to enjoy. We have two additional projects that are in the planning mode. I'll tell you about them in the afternoon. Take your time, and enjoy a donut with coffee. Once the enslaver returned from vacation, you can forget about free time."
I wasn't sure what John was talking about, but I trusted him to explain once the time was right.
Chuck showed me the new projects. The first was requested by a fast food restaurant for their newly created sandwiches. The other was intended for a car shop to promote their recent sale. He led me to a drawer, where several draft designs were done with a pencil.
I gazed at him, "I think you have good ideas. I am surprised you are not doing it on your computer."
He answered embarrassingly, "I should. I studied in a small place in Kenya, and they started using computers for our profession later. So I got used to starting with pencil and put it on the computer in the more advanced stages."
The whole day, we discussed Miami, why I should hate New York City, and Tess's new blue lipstick... It was fun, and I bonded quickly with all three of them. Early afternoon, I got a text that my luggage would arrive later today.
I was back home at 5 pm. My stuff came an hour later. It took me half an hour to arrange my clothes, extra sheets, and towels. I was grateful to Mom. She suggested sending only a little - If anything else was needed, she could send other stuff later, or I could buy them here.
On Wednesday, we began thinking about the two new assignments. At first, each one worked separately. We wanted to come up with different ideas and later focus on the more appealing ones. In the afternoon, we convened together. The best designs were John's.
Chuck smiled, "Juan, it proves a point; Even a moron can rarely come up with great suggestions!"
John grinned, "Chuck, admit it. I am a genius, and your real job here was supposed to be shining my shoes..."
We all laughed. Later, we copied John's designs, and each one tried to improve them with different backgrounds, letter placement, and minor adjustments.