For the Love of 'Old Money'

Chapter 4- INTERESTING?

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I pick up my permanent security badge, featuring the hideous picture of me from yesterday. Fabulous! We are off to a great start. Sarcasm included.

The building is much livelier this time of day, with people in hurry-mode. I look down to examine my attire. Navy high waist skirt, check. White patterned top, check. Green slingbacks, check. My brown hair is in a cute half-up sleek bun. Not too shabby, for a country girl.

This time, I share the elevator with at least eight other people. No one is touching me, but for some reason I feel like I'm on a New Delhi train. My social discomfort glows bright in these sort of situations, as I tightly grip the folder in my hands. I wonder if anyone in here has a sixth sense which enables them to identify my special brand of awkward? Hopefully not.

By the time I reach the 23 floor, I'm the only one still in the elevator. The doors slide open to a glowing Lizzy waving at me from the front desk.

She's dressed like the president of a Lilly Pulitzer fan club, blanketed in bright pastel. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave her a free glass of lemonade with that dress. It looks just like her, sweet and bubbly. She would be the perfect person to open some sort of high class Cracker Barrel.

"Good mornin' sunshine! Look at you! Hi, pretty as a picture. And you're fifteen minutes early," Lizzy praised. "You've even beat scary boss man here."

I awkwardly shrugged, "Didn't want to be late for my first day on the job. Oh, and here's my paperwork stuff." I handed her the folder, walked around to the other side of the desk, and set down my bag.

Lizzy already had a second chair set up so I could sit with her behind the long, tall desk. She gestured for me to sit and showed me how to 'clock in' on the computer. My username was easy, EmelineAdkins, and she let me reset the password to my choosing. (Iluvkittens4life!) Don't make fun, I guarantee your passwords are equally as dumb. And come on, kittens are adorable! Too bad, I'm deathly allergic.
*sad sigh*

"Oh my, Little Brennan is kickin' up a storm this morning," Lizzy announces, grabbing her adorable baby bump.

"That's a cute name," I tell her.

"Thanks!" she says, and then asks, "Would you like to feel?"

Before I can agree or deny, Lizzy has my hand pushed against the side of her belly. She obviously does not share my issues with personal space. I imagine her openly welcoming hospital interns into the birthing room 'to witness the miracle that is child birth'. I envy that level of comfort. Must be nice...

Oh weird, something definitely just poked my hand. "Weird, something definitely just poked my hand," I say, repeating my internal monologue. "I'm not used to high-fiving someone while they're in utero. It's actually pretty neat."

"Yep, it's one of my favorite parts about being pregnant. That is, until little Brennan decides to kick me in the ribs."

Lizzy and I small talk while she shows me around. There are only two offices on this floor, one being Mr. Branault's, and the other belongs to an internet security guy.(I'm guessing he's elevator guy #3 from yesterday) She also shows me a tiny break room, and a unisex bathroom. The rest of the floor houses an air-conditioned computer server room with state-of-the-art noise canceling.

Lizzy goes over some of the daily tasks I'll be doing. Writing emails. Answering phones, but almost always taking a message. Apparently, anyone important has Mr. Branault's personal number. There is an interconnected office instant message system that everyone uses to communicate. It's pretty much just texting using your computer and we connect it to my phone too. Lizzy says that my new boss will mostly use that to communicate with me, which makes me feel better, because (a) talking to new people, no thank you. And (b) talking to attractive, male, new boss people, double no thank you.