@theanswerisno:
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Working with Mr. Carden was challenging, but learning about bridge design was even harder. After a week of assisting one of the other engineers, I was glad to be back with Roads.
Even though Mr. Carden was too busy to assist me.
Today, he rushed around and was pulled in a million directions. From where I sat, it was clear that any question from me would be the straw that broke the camel’s back—a well-defined back that I sometimes looked at a little too long when he leaned over a drawing and studied it.
Toward the end of the day, he burst into our office. With panicked eyes, he took in my packed bag. “Are you on your way out? What time is it?”
I glanced at my phone. “It’s six forty-five.”
“Already?” His shoulders slumped.
My fingers found the zipper on my bag. “I assumed you wouldn’t have time to review anything today, but I can stay.”
“No. Don’t. Apologies. I know I’ve ignored you all day. I’ve been dealing with crisis after crisis.” He blew out a long breath.
This was the most he’d said to me all week. A winning streak. Could I get it to continue? “Is there anything I could do to help?”
“No. But I’m glad I caught you.” He flipped through his notebook and tore out three sheets of paper. “I scribbled down some notes during one of my many mind-numbing meetings. You can read through them in the morning.” He placed them on my desk without looking at me and then walked over to his side of the office. “I need to reply to this email, and I’d like to leave in the next ten minutes, so I really have to…”
“Focus.” I slid the notes into my bag.
He nodded.
Behind his stern expression were lines of exhaustion. And I wasn’t making his life any easier.
“Got it. See you tomorrow, Mr. Carden,” I said as I walked out the door and closed it behind me. Maybe if the door was shut, everyone would give him a second to breathe.
By the time I got home, all I wanted was to fall into someone’s arms and forget about work. But instead, I heated up a bowl of ramen and pulled out Mr. Carden’s notes.
I dropped my head on my desk and groaned. More problems.More corrections. Mr. Carden detailed why everything was wrong.How were there even more errors than before? Wasn’t I supposed to be getting better at this?
I wondered what Mr. Carden would say about me in his evaluation of my progress. He’s given me a chance with some incredible projects, but I wasn’t very good. He didn’t seem like the type to pull punches.
Admittedly, my first impression of him was way off. Lincoln Carden was always gentle and kind, even though speaking to me seemed to scare the life out of him.
I scanned through the rest of his notes. After the listed errors and explanations, he offered solutions and a handful of tips and tricks for the software. I read them again, committing them to memory. His handwriting was not easy to read, but it was absolutely gorgeous… much like he was.
Do not think about how handsome your boss is.
Tucking the paper into my drawer, I pulled out my laptop and felt an inkling of relief at the mere thought of playing a game with Link. Being the most reliable person in the world, he was already there waiting for me in the lobby—along with a few other people we sometimes gamed with. Joining the engineering gaming server was a stroke of genius and a desperate attempt to connect to people without having to tell anyone who I was, who my stepdad was… There were thousands of members, both current and ex-students across all the various engineering disciplines, plus a few non-engineers who’d slipped through the cracks. And I loved the anonymity and chaos that came along with it.
I never expected to find someone like Link. I especially didn’t expect him to stick around with the scraps of information I shared. Granted, I was being fed scraps in return. It was highly unlikely that the account with aLegend of Zeldaavatar was truly run by someonenamed Link. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Link was there whenever I needed him and expected nothing in return except a gaming partner.
@theanswerisno:
Good week so far?
@pancakesareelite:
Dreadful. You?
@theanswerisno:
Nightmarish.
