Startled, I stop joining the duct tape and the cardboard box into holy matrimony (“thou shall now forever stick together”) and squint at my boss.
A dark shadow figure in an open sunny doorway.
“Are you done already with the meeting?” I ask, confused. That was quick!
He replies, seemingly as startled as yours truly: “No, we’re… Kind of… Waiting for you. You know, because you also, sort of, are part of our team and all…?”
Earlier, me and my boss were wrapping up work clothes to send to our different stores, until our coworker came in to fetch what I thought was only my boss for a meeting.
And now, a whopping twenty minutes later, Boss has come back up again to fetch me. Because aren’t I part of the team, too? Didn’t I get that earlier? Why am I still here?
…Oops!
We stare at each other for a split second, both equally confused.
Him, for not understanding why I stayed up here.
Me, because it never even crossed my mind to join them.
Something inside me stirs as uneasiness makes a downpayment in my brain: I live here now.
All my life, I’ve never felt I belonged to any group, be it family, friends, work related or other. ANY group. I don’t fit in has been my life motto for over 35 years.
Until I learned what caused that sensation– and broke free from it.
Yet today, here I stand: it never even occurred to me for a second to think they meant me, too, when they said team meeting. Talk about being well-trained…
“You’re part of our team too, dummy!” my coworker laughs as I explain my more-than-fashionably-late entrance.
I smile back.
This is my team.
The uneasiness/behavioural training stirs again – yoohoo, I’m still here!
I take a deep breath… and inform my unwanted mental inhabitant the rent’s due.
Elle Vampa 