Yes

Kate

Ever since I was in college, my professors and instructors used to tell me that I'd go a long way. I love the compliment, and it really boosted my confidence knowing that people see me as that, but I always wonder what makes them think that'll go a long way more than anyone else. Is it because of how I talk to people? Is it because of how composed I am, or is it because of the way I look at people, not just in their eyes but through their souls? The way they think highly of me sometimes puts me under pressure; what if I don't exceed their expectations, and what if I fail? A miserable failure that no living species in this world can forget?

I walk out of the COO's office with my mind twirling as Mr. Caddel's words still linger inside my ears: "Don't worry, I'm not going to fire you, Ms. Temples; I'm simply asking you to be my personal secretary."

Me? A secretary to the next owner of Des company, with no experience or background in such assisting someone important. Sure, I can make minutes, agendas, and whatnot, but handling someone with a loaded schedule all the time and knowing I'll be the one handling it is what makes me scared. I can even barely keep up with my life, and I'm going to keep up with the life of the COO as well?

Is this some kind of sick joke?

But my reply to him is what makes me want to kill myself instead. "Uh, I'm not sure if I'm capable of such a title, sir."

"What do you mean? Looking at your college background, you are very good at what you're doing." He said this as he kept looking at the screen.

I want to scream so bad and tell him that I'm only good at my studies because of my scholarship and that I have to maintain a good grade. I don't even think that the lessons I took in college are stuck in my brain. All of my subjects just flew out the window after I graduated. I can barely solve a square root of shit.

"But being your secretary, does that mean I have to be with you all the time, 24/7?" I asked.

"Of course not," he said simply. "You'll know your role after you accept my offer. Either you quit your job or simply accept my offer; that's the only deal I can give you, Ms. Temples."

"Okay."

Okay?

Am I out of my mind? OKAY?

I don't even know if I can hold such a position!

"Kate?" Sophia then approached me after I went back inside the office, worry plastered all over her face. "What happened? How did it go?"

Still breathing, I said. "This company is going to be the death of me."

Sophia's worried face turned into a frown. "You got fired, did you?" She asked and was about to give me a hug, but I said that I did not get fired. "What do you mean? Why are you not happy that you're not fired?"

"Sophia." I look straight into her eyes and say, "Mr. Caddel wants me to be his personal secretary."

Sophia's mouth hung open. "Shut. Up. No. Way."

"Yes, way." I said and walked back to my cubicle where all of my belongings were: "I swear to my life, Sophia, I know I am capable of things, but I did not know that I'd be capable of handling such big things. Sophia, you know me, I don't like social media; I don't like going out with people who are exposed to cameras all the time—not just cameras but microphones shoved into their faces—and as a secretary, there's no freaking way that I'm not going to speak something for him or to the media." I shoved my pens, notebooks, sticky notes, and whatever else my hands could grab onto my bag.

Sophia then grabbed my tense shoulder, making me look at her. "I know you are overwhelmed right now." She said and sat me down in my chair, "But let this opportunity sink in for a minute; maybe, just maybe, this is the next chapter of your life, and Kate, you're 26, you need a freaking job. I know you are a very introverted person; you hate dealing with other people, but that's how the world works, Kate; you simply can't live if you don't go out of your own shell."

I bit my bottom lip and calmed myself down. "He said he would wait for my answer tomorrow." I said, "I don't think he gave me enough time to think about it."

"Well, that's how it is with work; you will never feel comfortable all the time. Sometimes you have to take risks, but those risks sometimes give the best results. If you are going to accept your position as his personal secretary, then I'll be just one floor down if you have questions or anything. And besides, we will communicate more often; we're Team A, remember?"

Then I suddenly felt at ease, knowing that Sophia would never leave me on this so called journey of mine. I suddenly felt like a teenager once again when I just witnessed my first day of period and I was wearing white pants instead of black, and Kathy was there to help me on that day as well. It's good to know that there will always be one person willing to cross a broken bridge for you.

"Thank you, Sophia. That really helped me to think about it."

~

I went home after helping the office. I had nothing else to do after the team leader, Ricky, left, and Sophia has her own little world in her cubicle, so I did not dare disturb her work. But Ricky, he may not seem like a very occupied person, but he is a busy person. I wonder what kind of meetings he attends, and does he act differently when he's with his clients or important clients? Because I don't really picture him being serious.

I got home early by 5 p.m. and was ready to hit slumber, but I kept thinking of Mr. Caddel.

Getting out of your comfort zone is like jumping off a cliff without safety gear or ropes. I don't really call myself an introverted person but much rather an ambivert. I have my own on and off switch where I can be very socially active with people or just avoid people for months as my social battery recharges. I don't hate people, but I hate many people, and I think there is a lot of difference between those two.

After cleaning myself up and feeding Lily her meal, I went and opened my email and messaged Kathy. Due to the different time zone, I don't want to call her unexpectedly because she may be at work, and looking at her unhealthy condition of adjusting to her work, I'd rather not disturb her. She might be sleeping during the day and working at night; I just don't want to cause too much burden.

Kathy2@email.ceem

Subject: wazup

Hi, Kathy, I'm just checking in to see how you're doing. I do hope you are getting a lot of sleep, and please take good care of yourself. I told you it would have been better if you stayed here in London with me so we could have better jobs together. But I can't do much about it; it's been 7 years since you left London, but I can't wait to see you again soon. I'll wait for your response for 7 days; if there aren't any, I'm going to ring you up, whether you like it or not. PEACE! Loveyou!

Sincerely, the most beautiful cousin of yours,

Kate.

A meow of Lily from my behind made me look at her, saying, "I can't wait for you to meet Kathy once she gets back home." I said and grabbed Lily, "By the way, Lil, can you make a decision for me? And this decision is very, very important, and I don't know why I'm defending my decision over a cat like you, but ever since you came into my life, I've been sane, so that's a valid reason for me to trust you over this decision." Lily then didn't listen to me; she just sat on my lap with her sleepy eyes.

"I know you are listening anyway, so here it goes. Lily, if you are going to jump off of my lap, that means yes, but if you are going to stay on my lap for more than 10 seconds, it means no. My boss offered me a new position, Lily. Should I accept my position as his personal secretary or not?"

1

2

3

4

"Meow"

5

"Meow"

"Meow"

6

7

8

"Meow"

9

Then Lily jumped off of my lap, licking her lips, and looked me straight in the eye with those judgmental eyes of hers.

"Meow." It very much sounded like a yes to me.