Chapter 27: More Than Just Furniture and Meatballs, Part 1

Two days have passed since "the wanderer guy" infiltrated a company infamous for maltreating its employees.

True to his word, the man known only as Dokito the 17th makes his intentions known to everyone in Atlanta via his social media networks.

"That company, Its One 3D, Inc., is really biased. Its management is biased, too. Anyone who goes against them is tagged a troll and is banned from contact, whether online or offline.

"If you report the employees who simp for the management, and frequently flame those who dare oppose those employees, the management turns a blind eye on them.

"If those employees praise the management to the high heavens, a.k.a. brown-nosing them, it's OK.

"But if an employee reveals themselves to secretly oppose the management in secret, they will be made to shut up, plus they will be slapped with a warning that they're spreading agitation propaganda and fake news.

"Therefore, the prevailing logic of the people in the company: Someone who goes against my beliefs = Evil.

"And thus, they are so disconnected from reality and can't believe someone has the balls to oppose them. Ain't that obvious? Everything inside the company is 'sanitized' to suit the whims of the bosses.

"They frequently preach about freedom of speech; but if that speech is against their opinions, that will be disregarded and they will say to those to dare who oppose them 'paid minions of the competitors'.

"Those employee satisfaction surveys that say Its One 3D, Inc. is the worst company to work at? The survey is paid.

"The Better Business Bureau rates the company a flat F? The BBB is paid.

"There are employees who dare speak out against their maltreatment? They are paid by competitors to infiltrate the company and leak its trade secrets.

"Its One 3D, Inc. is nothing but an echo chamber, full stop. Might as well change the vision and mission into 'A company where only the most loyal of employees get rewarded, right or wrong; deny support to us and we label you a troll and a paid stooge!'"

The people who eagerly await for the wanderer guy's next update hope that an expose is in the works, and the so-called "black company" will be forced to close up shop for good.

***

As a man, it is inculcated in me by my parents that frugal male fashion is a must.

They don't care if what I wear is not brand new, a mere hand-me-down.

They fortunately realized the downsides of the modern garment industry, where many huge garment manufacturers pump out huge amounts of somewhat substandard products for maximum profit, and the consumers just wear those products once and then outright dumping them afterwards.

After all, those clothes can gain a second life… by becoming part of a brand-new garment or a recycled non-garment product.

Inheriting my parents' zero-waste mentality, I always keep my eyes peeled for used clothing that is being sold in thrift stores and online marketplaces.

And when I have the urge to buy something new, I just depend on discounts, and treat those new buys with the same amount of love and care I give to my used ones.

And before one asks, Leigh also adopts her own zero-waste clothing mentality after learning from me.

"Doesn't this just beat all?"

There goes Aurora's catchphrase again.

But then, she says it in a positive way, as she's currently enjoying the parfait we three have made with the Organic Strawberry Mk. 326 we have bought recently.

While she's chilling with the parfait, we can hear an audible knock on the door.

And the one knocking is none other than our next-door neighbor, Robinson Concepcion, who is a freelance programmer.

"Heya, Fred, Leigh, and… uh, yes, Aurora."

"Good day to you. We know you rarely come out of your unit because you're super-busy with your job."

"Yup. And there's the beauty of online grocery deliveries, so I can eat healthy if I want to. Now onto the matter. You'll have a new neighbor tomorrow, and she's from Canada."

"Wow. That's nice."

"But I hear she's quite… eccentric. Better get used to her quirks, then."

"How'd you hear about that?"

"Well, she's a friend of a former client of mine."

"I see, I see. OK, I won't delay your work any further."

"Actually, it's my rest time. Can't have my body overloaded with stress, you know."

"Alright, then. See ya."

"See ya."

It seems Aurora also catches wind of the news, as she gaily reacts…

"Wow! A new neighbor, eh? Can't wait to see her!"

Besides the fact that she's Canadian, and she has a quirk, there's not much other info about our new neighbor.

So we just wait for the day of the arrival.

And two days later, the day of the arrival comes.

As we three just breeze through some boring television, we can hear some rustling next to our unit.

Since we don't want to disturb her privacy, we just let her be and let her visit this unit voluntarily once she's done unpacking the essentials.

We can hear the door being knocked…

...and we can hear the distinct Canuck accent, with a slight hint of a Scandinavian one, coming from a young woman.

"Good afternoon, great neighbors! Hope I don't disturb your quality time or something!"

At least that accent doesn't make us Americans' skins crawl.

And once we three approach the door and gently open it…

We encounter a young woman with blonde semi-long hair, with delicate baby-lights on her straight lob; and aqua eyes.

Her outfit is a knitted sleeveless shirt over a white top, with a pleated skirt displaying a scarlet Scandinavian plaid pattern, plus black socks that complement the skirt well.

From her face alone, it's evident that she is a bundle of sunshine, with the glow on her eyes and the cat-like smile.

"OK, new neighbors! I should introduce myself, as per universal customs. I am Lavian Bergman, a Canadian of Swedish ancestry! Pleased to meet your company!"