I checked the time. It was still early. Of course I was early. I leaned against the wall and tried to observe instead of control my situation. I couldn’t really do anything until Lydia was here anyways and she didn’t strike me as the sort of person to be on time.
A cat knocked over a toy mouse that squeaked obnoxiously.
A volunteer popped her head in. “You can talk to them. It helps.”
“Talk,” I repeated.
She smiled sympathetically. “They respond to calm voices.”
That I supposed could do.
I cleared my throat and tried a few words under my breath, testing the sound of them. They sounded stiff, formal, and entirely wrong.
I was not going to be good at this. My boss was going to be unhappy. I had never failed at an assignment before. I took a deep breath, trying to ground myself.
The door opened behind me.
“Okay,” Lydia said, her voice easy and unhurried. “Rule number one is that you are not allowed to look like you are being audited.”
I turned towards Lydia with relief.
She stood in the doorway, hair pulled back casually, purse slung over her shoulder. She looked comfortable in a baggy sweater and leggings.
“I look like I’m being audited?” I almost smiled at the words.
“You look like you are about to give a press conference,” she replied. “Which isn’t what we are here to do.”
“I am trying to be prepared.”
“I know. That’s the problem,” she said gently, going over to one of the cats and poking a finger in their cage. “Hi kitty cat.”
I exhaled, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. “I don’t know how you do this.”
She stepped into the room, greeting the cats softly as she passed. “You mean social media videos?”
“I mean coming into a situation that is totally new and being relaxed about it,” I clarified.
“I panic later,” she mentionedwith a grin. “But that’s only if it doesn’t go well.”
She set her bag down and glanced at my phone setup. “This is fine. But you are thinking too much.”
“That is also not new,” I murmured.
She smiled and adjusted the angle with a practiced hand. “We start small. No introductions, no speeches, just some footage.”
“Footage of what?” I wondered
“Of you,” she said. “Being normal.”
I stared at her.
Lydia laughed. “I know. It’s terrifying, but trust me people want to see the real you, not some polished version.”
“I’m not polished.”
“You are polished adjacent,” she said. “We will sand that down.”
I watched as Lydia opened a cage door.
