“You can call me Alexander. Or Lex, since everyone else takes that liberty.”
I nod, even though I refuse to be on a nickname basis with him. “Alexander” is the best I can do, and even that’s too much.
Satisfied with his work here, he gives me a dry nod and makes his way toward the exit. He turns around just before he leaves to say, “Steven, you still owe me ten bucks.”
Before my bearded colleague can contest the statement, our boss is off, leaving us alone. I stare at the door, wondering what the hell is his deal.
I’m quickly distracted by the guys who gather around me.
“Girl, you ate!” Mason cheers.
“I did?”
“Absolutely,” Oliver insists. “You did amazing.”
Brian nods and adds, “When I started here, Lex took three weeks to welcome me into the team.”
“You did it in an hour,” Steven says, impressed.
“So, he’s always this… intense?” I ask, signing for Joseph.
They all nod.
“He has a crazy IQ that apparently comes with a no-nonsense brain,” Oliver explains. “He’s always five steps ahead and doesn’t care about conventions. That’s why he barely ever says hello, thanks, please, goodbye… It’s like a waste of time to him.”
“It’s not that he’s a dick, though,” Mason points out. “It’s just that his brain ain’t working like ours.”
“Don’t worry,” Oliver says. “You’ll get used to it. Did Dakota give you a tour of the place?”
“Just some quick notes as we walked here.”
“Okay, I think we can take ten minutes so I can show you around.” He gallantly moves to the side and gestures toward the door, encouraging me to lead.
As he leads me through the floor, I quickly realize that the company is bigger than I thought. Over seventy people work on our level, and there’s a little under sixty upstairs. According to the estimates, those numbers should double within a year. To my delight, everyone is warm and welcoming.
“Half of this floor is the dev team,” he explains as we cross the open space. “We’re in the top-dog team, meaning project leaders. The rest of the developers basically work under us. Once you’re settled in, Lex might assign you a few of them to help you with whatever you need.”
“Wow… I didn’t realize I’d be high on the food chain.”
“Yeah, we’re all senior developers. Well, I guess you’re a junior, but your skills got you an instant spot with us.”
Eventually, he leads me to a massive break room with tables, lounge chairs, couches, and a TV. It also has a ping-pong table, foosball, an old arcade game, vending machines… This is heaven compared to the pitiful excuse of a break room I had before—a chair and a microwave in a revamped broom closet.
“This is the leisure room and the breakroom,” Oliver explains. “Or at least, that’s what they call it. To us, it’s the Arena of Doom. This is where you settle a beef with one of the nerds. Darts, foosball, ping-pong… you name it.” He comes closer, as if he wants to confide a secret. “Ping-pong would be Steven and Joseph’s weakness. For Brian, it’s foosball, and Mason is laughably bad at darts.”
I let out a silent giggle, amused by his playfulness. “And what’syourweakness, Oliver?”
“Call me Oli. And I don’t have any weakness, silly woman. I’m the final boss.”
This time, I chuckle, shaking my head. “I’ve always been great at destroying those. So be careful who you call silly, you imprudent man.”
He smiles broadly, causing dimples to appear in his cheeks.
A woman comes our way, holding a cup of fresh coffee. She has a beautiful Afro, and her gleaming skin is a light shade of brown. She’s pretty in a cute way and gives off a very kind, very gentle vibe. Oli waves for her to join us, so she does with curiosity.
“This is Tamika,” Oliver introduces while signing fluently. “She works upstairs with R&D. Tami, this is Andy. She’s with the dream team.” Tami smiles at me, revealing a perfect set of pearly teeth.
We both extend our hands at the same time. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tami,” I say while signing the words.
