An early morning in the Office
Today is going to be an exciting day. I feel it in my stomach. It is why I put on my favorite jeans this morning and paired it with my softest brown sweater that accidentally matches my eyes too. Did I say accidentally? I meant casually on purpose. It is also why I arrive way too early at a job I don't even like.
There is a special feeling I get when I am the first to arrive at the office. A peaceful and ironically unending kind of calm and excitement. Ironic because you know the peace will be gone as soon as the second person arrives. It is a short window in time where the clock stops ticking. Everything is suspended. It is a moment to savor. Kind of like that first cup of coffee of the day, but not quite. Nothing beats coffee.
My hand touches the security pad on the left of the big glass doors and the green light of the scanner moves across it as it always does. For a heartbeat a familiar fear engulfs me. I imagine the pad flashing red, followed by a piercing alarm. It’s the same fear that makes me flinch in my car or on my bike whenever a police van passes me. Of course nothing of the sort happens. As always the five-storey structure approves my handprint and lets me in.
Opening the doors sets off a chain reaction. One by one the bulbs light up. I hear the heating system come to life. My feet carry me over the plush carpet, past the deserted front desk in the lobby to the fancy lift in the back. It opens automatically when I approach. Up to the third floor. Ping. My home for the next 10 hours is still shrouded in darkness. A flip of the switch on my right and the spacious open plan office reveals itself. I walk to my desk on autopilot and start unpacking.
Charger in the charging station. Laptop next to the big screen that is always waiting there for me. In goes the cable that connects them. The keyboard goes in the middle while the mouse loyally guards its right.I check the settings of my chair. Has someone changed the height of its arms during the night? Probably Tom again. He always does this when he thinks no-one is looking. Curse him. Just to be sure I adjust the chair back slightly. I wake up Pawny from his deep sleep. Pawny is my personal hard disk, containing all the sensitive data that management doesn’t want on the Cloud. Great name, I know. I put a lot of thought into it. Everybody here has an extra disk, all with different pieces of the big data puzzle,... Not everyone names theirs though. Idiots.
My brain screams for coffee. But first I need to get my desk into a less tidy state so it is obvious to my fellow early birds I was here working first. I quickly open a couple of serious looking tabs on my screen and start some scans. Maybe I put down a paper with some words on it - any words - and a pen next to it. Maybe. Just in case. Once my desk looks casually used I stroll to the kitchen. Usually a place of bustling activity, full of gossiping people doing anything to avoid going back to work. Right now though, it is a quiet island. There is a familiar and homey feel to it. A welcome reprieve from the open, detached office landscape.
I check the water reservoir in the Coffeenator 4000, only three years old and already a relic from the past. Half-full of water. Perfect.The cupboard above the machine conveniently holds the mugs. Since I am first my favorite is still available. Big, colorful and with a comfortable handle. Still clean and unused. I carefully position it under the two taps of the coffee maker. Why anyone would brew only one small cup at a time is beyond me. In go the beans. The only thing left now is a quick push on the right button. Never the left, that's for the non-addicted decaf drinkers.The machine purrs as the first fumes reach me. Ah, this must be what heaven smells like.
Waiting for that much needed caffeine shot I have nothing to do but think about today. Today is the day they will announce the new Movers. Sounds like a big deal? Well, it isn't. Except... It is to me. The thought fills me with a funny feeling in my stomach,. like when I got the call to tell me I had got this job. The only difference being that back then I still thought this would be a great place to work whereas I now know better. So why I do I still care? No answer comes to mind.
On my way back to my desk I notice a sound. The lift. Quickly now. Turns out walking very fast while carrying a hot beverage is not easy. Some coffee is lost on the way. With a last not-so-elegant half jump I slide into my chair. The mug goes to the lefts of the keyboard. Earbuds in. Hand on mouse. Concentrated look on my face. I hear a ping just as I press play on my 'Deep Focus' playlist. The workday has officially begun.