"I'm Just So Tired"

I made my way out of my apartment fully dressed for work, chewing sandwich on a sandwich, I took out my phone, 7:35 AM displaying on the screen.

I settled into my car, starting the engine while enjoying a sip of coffee from a paper cup, then smoothly maneuvered out of my driveway.

The commute to work proved surprisingly swift; I had triumphed over the Monday morning traffic.

I got to work at precisely 8:04 AM. Exiting the car, i held onto my coffee cup as I headed directly to the intern's office. Arriving at the intern's department, it was evident that I had successful sidestepped any early morning errands from the various departments i had stealthily traversed.

Chidi, stepping out of the office, greeted me with a respectful "Good morning, sir."

"Morning, Chidi. Did you sleep well?" I responded.

"Mr. Daniel, good morning sir," Ben voice broke through our conversation from inside the office. Benedict was the newest technical intern in the agency and was on a three-month contract.

"Good morning. What's up?" I replied.

"The time, it's past 8 AM." He pointed up at the wall clock. "All interns should be in the office before 8 AM," he pointed out rather strictly than jokingly.

"I know, Ben. I ran into a little traffic on my way, thus the delay," I replied, settling in at my desk.

Ben walked up to the front of my desk, possibly to delve into his follow-up questions.

Just then, Chidi hurriedly walked into the intern's office. He looked over to me, silently signaling behind him.

Deciphering his signal quickly, I discreetly ducked under my desk as Chidi swiftly moved towards the restroom. Just as he opened the restroom door, the admin stormed into the intern's office,

"Hey you, Ben right? Come with me" mr Thomson's voice reverberating across the office.

"Ok sir" Ben skipped excitedly out of the office following behind Mr Thomson.

Ben had only been at the agency since last week Wednesday so he had still been getting newbie treatments.

The thing is he had a nerdy personality, which made me realize that it might be challenging to teach him the "ins and outs" of the agency. Especially concerning errands.

It seemed like he would have to learn on his own during his short stay with us.

"Close call," Chidi sighed, stepping out of his hiding spot. "I really don't feel like typing anything this early morning."

"You have no idea," I replied, sitting up from my earlier hiding spot, sipping on my cup of coffee.

"We better head to the meeting room. I have a feeling Ben would be more than eager to snitch on our location," Chidi remarked.

"True that," I chimed in, standing up from my desk, stepping out the office, we made our way to the conference room.

As we entered the conference room, the staff gathered at their designated meeting spots.

The morning meeting commenced promptly at 8:30 AM, initiated by the Area Inspecting Engineer who meticulously outlined the agenda, specifying the topics to be discussed.

While the interns didn't actively contribute much, my role as the network data monitor required constant attentiveness.

Despite the absence of signals needing my immediate attention, it suggested I'd done a commendable job in preparing the data.

The technical team members proceeded to share updates on their ongoing projects, discussing accomplishments and hurdles they were facing.

As discussions on challenges unfolded and strategies were proposed, Mr. Thomson, taking charge as the speaker, directed the conversation towards upcoming events, setting the goals for the week.

Glancing around the room, I noticed Ben seated beside Mr. Thomson, his attention fixed on the laptop.

Fatigue seemed to subtly invade his usually enthusiastic expression.

Familiar with the situation, I recognized his task: outlining plans for the upcoming days or weeks, assigning tasks, and shouldering responsibilities of the administrative department—a role I had previously undertaken myself.

As questions emerged and the meeting transitioned into an open discussion, team members had the opportunity to seek clarification or discuss any relevant matters. The atmosphere buzzed with engagement and exchange of ideas.

At 9 AM, marking the conclusion of the meeting, the table collectively summarized key points, action items, and the responsibilities assigned throughout our discussion.

The comprehensive recap ensured everyone was aligned with the tasks at hand.

With that, the meeting adjourned until the next morning. Each team member dispersed, armed with a clear understanding of their objectives for the day, ready to tackle the week's challenges with renewed focus and clarity.

****

Ben wearily entered the intern's office, clearly exhausted.

The unexpected pressure of typing for the admin had taken a toll on him, a burden he hadn't anticipated. I couldn't help but empathize with his situation.

"I'm just so tired," he lightly complained as he made his way to his desk to retrieve his bag.

"Are you heading to the admin's office?" I inquired.

"Yes, Mr. Thomson said I'll be there for the day."

"What are you working on?" I chimed in.

"I don't know yet. I had just finished the task he assigned to me, and then he sent me to get my bag from the intern's office."

"Oh, okay," I responded.

"But I'm not an administrative intern; I'm technical," Ben voiced his clear dissatisfaction. Chidi struggled to stifle a laugh, his eyes turning red from the effort.

"Yeah, it's part of the experience. You'll get used to it in no time," I reassured him.

Ben only nodded, his movements sluggish as he walked out of the office, clearly bearing the weight of an unexpected and incongruent task.

I finally had the chance to view the text I had got from Siri.

Vibly** 3:52 AM.

I clicked on the message.

"I'm like 5'1 lol Almost two ft shorter than you"

"Yea and I'm gonna go there for the whole year"

"So I try to spend as much time with them"

Yes that definitely almost two feet shorter. But then again, I wasn't really someone who cared much about those sorts of things, as long as the vibe checks passed.

Plus, I feel Asians just have more shorter women naturally.

I opened my keyboard to reply to her message.

"It's monday again busy day"

"How was your day"

PING**

Surprisingly i got an immediate reply,

"Pretty normal"

"It's a school break right now so nothing much going on"

"How's yours going?"

"Are you still at the training right now?"

"Yea I'm at work, not in the field though"

"I'm at the office"

"So when is your trip due"

"I mean when are you leaving for France?"

"I'm leaving from Thailand 22th of next month."

"Cuz the semester starts around then"

"How did the house opening go anyway"