Luckily, TJ Maxx is across the street. If I strike out here, I’ll hit a department store—they’re always running a sale on suitcases.
I walk around the pile of drab black, grey, and beige. Any of them will work, I guess. They’re suitably professional, practical.
But then I see it, tucked back in the corner—a burst of florals in pink, cream, and sage green. Not quite tropical, closer to grandma’s curtains. And it’sgigantic.
It’s perfect. I don’t pack light.
I brace myself, hoping it’s not ridiculously expensive…
The tag is bright orange. It’s been marked downthree times. Eighty percent off!
It’s like a nudge from the universe.
I’ve always had a thing for flowers. I’ve got a whole tattoo sleeve of them, all medicinal plants. Botany was my first love. Not that you need to love botany to love floral prints—they’re just pretty.
I can see myself pulling this bag through a beautiful European airport, scarf over my sweater, running to catch my next flight. It’s exciting. Adventurous.
Am I really going to turn down a chance to rub elbows with a CEO? Someone who can really launch my career? An old tingle of ambition returns, one that I’ve been trying to ignore for the past couple of years. I may be an omega, but I don’t actually hate public speaking when it’s about something I care about. I’ve given a talk at a conference before, albeit a small one, but…
There’s actually not much I care about more than there being a safe place for omegas in the world. I have a chance to do something, however small, to get life-changing medication into the hands of thousands more people—people who can’t afford it now.
So, I make my decision.
I’m doing this.
#
After my talk with my manager, I received a formal invitation tothe campaign with more details. On Monday night, I reply with my confirmation, and by Tuesday morning there’s already a hold on my calendar for ‘PR Coaching’ with one other attendee—a woman named Jayda.
As I tentatively venture into the meeting room on the calendar invite, I’m greeted by a flurry of motherly warmth.
Jayda is older, plump, mid-brown skin, button nose, with a dated haircut. She’s a sweetheart, and I easily get her talking about herself, which is my preferred way to test the waters with new people. She gushes about her grandkids and mentions she’s Puerto Rican.
“Alright, let’s get to business,” she finally says.
I nod, already feeling more at ease.
“The format Morgan has in mind for this campaign is what we like to call a ‘fireside chat.’ The idea is that it’s like an interview, but very informal—we want the audience to feel like they’re eavesdropping on a warm, intimate conversation. So, you don’t need to have anything specific prepared, but we want to make sure you feel comfortable with each of the questions. How does that sound so far?”
“That’s all making sense. I’m glad I don’t have to memorize anything.”
Jayda offers a warm smile. “Yes, none of that!” She opens a binder on the conference table behind us and hands me a printout. “This is the first draft of the questions. We can tweak them, cut any out that make you uncomfortable. To start, let’s just go through them and have a conversation, one-on-one.”
I’m a little nervous to start, but it’s easy to talk to Jayda. It helps that none of these things are small talk—they’re things I actually care about. A bit personal, but… when I stumble, Jayda assures me I’m doing great. She tells me that she’scertainother omegas have felt the same way, that it will mean a lot to hear it from me. She’s a beta, but given her lived experience in otherareas, I believe her.
We wrap up for the day, and she says we’re right on track. “Did you see there’s an omega support group? There should be at least one meeting before you head out. It’s not an official ERG—employee resource group,” she clarifies, seeing the question in my eyes. “But I’ve heard good things.”
“I didn’t, actually. I don’t think it was on the wiki.”
“Must be out of date,” she says with a good-natured shake of her head. “I’ll take care of it and ask someone in the group to give you an invite.”
#
I meet with Jayda again on Wednesday, but this one’s only a half-day session, leaving my afternoon free for the omega support group call.
I follow instructions on the wiki to book a ‘hybrid meeting room.’ All I have to do is add the room to the calendar invite, and the TV on the wall automatically pulls up my call, previewing the video feed from the camera pointed at me. I push a button to join.
This is some high-tech shit. When I finished my PhD program, my university department could hardly figure out conference calls.
