She awoke to that normal blaring sound. There had to be something else out there that could interrupt her REM sleep. She’d find it one day, she swore to it. She got up, showered, and was then rudely reminded that her cat’s feeding came first and the routine was happening out of order. She fixed that issue to stop the incessant meowing and went to her closet. She stared at her normal dress slacks and button up shirts and wasn’t pleased. She had to go shopping for other clothes and soon. For once, she cared about looking “pretty” for someone.

She had always told herself that she would change for no one. “This isn’t a personality change per se. I just care a little more about how to present myself. That’s not the same.” She grabbed her favorite black and white polka dot shirt with little silver buttons down the front, a mid-length skirt, and her black pumps. She dressed and then went rummaging in her bathroom drawers for makeup, but she stopped herself within a few seconds. “No..no..I haven’t gotten that crazy yet.” She grabbed her “breakfast” and left for work.

Before she left her orientation the day before, she was given homework, to write a piece giving advice to young girls fitting in at school. Olivia wasn’t sure if he was trying to hint at something or it was just a topic he needed covered. Either way, she wrote all these great ideas on how to overcome the obstacles of high school into college, even though she never practiced them herself back when.

She arrived again at the gorgeous building and was lead to her desk for the first time by a middle aged, charismatic, work mom it seemed, named Kathy. “Here is your desk, Miss Olivia. It’s not much to see, but many a writer sat in this chair and wrote amazing articles that skyrocketed their career before they moved on. My hope is you shall do the same. Use this job as a stepping stone, not a permanent solution. Bridget is the desk to your right, and Johnny is to your left. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I think this spot is great! I love the finish on the oak desk, and the little lamp! It feels nice and cozy.”

“I’m glad you like it. I’ll leave you to it. Mr. Jack will be by in an hour or so after his meeting to check in with you.”

“Ok, thank you.” When she walked away, she inhaled, held it a couple seconds, then exhaled. Thankfully that helped her first day nerves fade away. During the next hour, she set up her work email, calendar, weekly planner, picked her wallpaper for her computer, and set up her phone voicemail to a more professional message. She took out her laptop, sent her written column to her work email, and opened it on her desktop. She read over it again, tweaking It here and there, awaiting Jack’s meeting to be over.

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Jack sat at the end of the table rocking back and forth in his chair, holding his hands together under his chin, acting like he was listening to his team discuss the ratings of last year versus this year so far. He was ready for this meeting to be over, so he could go visit his new employee, Olivia. He needed to see how her first day was going. He hoped she found her first assignment entertaining. He made sure to put in his two cents about what subject was to be written, hoping to read about how much she’d learned from the past and how to handle difficult situations.

Thankfully, he wrote down bullet points so he could close the meeting after his team finally wrapped up after about 20 minutes. He left the conference room and walked down the hall towards the editing offices.

Olivia looked up from her computer and saw Jack on his way to her. Her breath caught in her throat, but she managed to wave and say, “Hi boss.” He reached her desk in more strides, but he still heard her from that distance. “You don’t have to call me boss. Call me Jack.”

“Ok…Jack…”

“I hope you found everything o.k. It’s great to have you on board. I look forward to seeing your work and what you can bring to the team. Speaking of, did you finish your first assignment?”

“Yes sir..Jack..It’s right here. I hope it’s what you were expecting. Diving backwards into the wonder years to get the answers was a feat.”

Taking the papers from her, he skimmed over it. “I’m sure it will be great. I’ll read it over and send you my comments via email, one I’m sure you’ve set up already?

“Yes, I think I got everything..email, voicemail, organized files, and the rest.”

“Very good, I’ll leave you to it. You heard about our next column idea: 10 frugal dates to keep the spark”?

“I did, and I’ll have that on your desk Wednesday if that’s ok?

“That’s quicker than I expected, so that’s great. I look forward to seeing your work. I’ve got to get going now, column to run. I’ll talk to you soon.”

He turned and walked towards the doors. Bridget then left her desk and arrived at Olivia moments later. “Hi there, I’m Bridget.”

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Olivia.”

“Johnny and I are going out to Jimmy’s Corner tonight after work to wind down. Oh!, You should come! It’s only a block away from here.”

“Alright, that sounds fun. I can be there at 7.”

“Great! They have the best drinks, and it’s a casual bar for everyone. See you there!”

Olivia finished her work, shut down her computer, and headed out of the office building. She had some time before meeting with Bridget and Johnny, so she decided to find dinner, choosing Joes Pizza. She heard some good reviews and wanted to check it out.