2. Getting Comfortable
Chapter two
Getting Comfortable
Over the next few weeks, Miko and Meca settled into an easy routine without either of them realizing it. Every morning started the same way.
"Morning, Meca."
"Morning, Miko."
It wasn't anything special. Just two coworkers acknowledging each other before the workday began. Neither woman thought much about it. They were simply becoming familiar faces in each other's day.
As the weeks passed, they found themselves assigned to the same work areas more often.
At first, the conversations stayed professional.
They talked about assignments, paperwork, deadlines, and helping one another get through busy days.
Before long, those conversations naturally drifted into everyday life.
One morning, while sorting through files that someone had left completely out of order, Miko let out a frustrated sigh.
"Now who in the world did this?"
Meca looked down at the stack before calmly replying, "Somebody that mentally clocked out before they physically left."
Miko stopped what she was doing and looked at her.
For a second, Meca kept a straight face.
Then the corner of her mouth lifted into a smile.
Miko burst out laughing.
"You got jokes."
"I got patience," Meca replied. "That's different."
From that day forward, talking became easier.
They joked while they worked. They teased each other over little things. If one of them had a difficult assignment, the other quietly stepped in to help without making it a big deal. There was no competition between them, no office drama, and no unnecessary gossip.
Miko appreciated that.
She had learned a long time ago that work could be exhausting when personalities became bigger than the job itself. Meca wasn't like that. She came in, did her work, treated people with respect, and went home.
Around lunchtime one afternoon, Miko noticed Meca sitting quietly at her desk instead of heading toward the break room.
"You ain't eating?"
Meca looked up and smiled.
"I forgot my lunch."
"You serious?"
"I'll be alright."
Miko shook her head as she reached into her lunch bag.
"My grandma would've fussed at me if I sat here eating while somebody next to me was hungry."
She handed Meca half of her sandwich and a bag of chips.
"Here."
Meca hesitated.
"You don't have to do that."
"I know I don't."
After a brief pause, Meca accepted the food.
"Thank you."
"It ain't nothing."
The two women spent the rest of lunch talking about everything except work.
Favorite restaurants.
Music.
Childhood memories.
Family traditions.
Television shows.
Funny stories that made absolutely no sense to anybody else.
For the first time since starting the job, Meca felt like she had found someone she genuinely enjoyed talking to.
As they walked back toward their department, Jemika watched them from across the hallway with folded arms and a grin that usually meant she had already created a story in her head.
"There go y'all again."
Miko looked over.
"There go who?"
"You and your new little friend."
Miko laughed.
"Girl, that's my coworker."
"I'm just saying...every time I turn around, y'all together."
"We work together."
"Mmm-hmm."
Miko rolled her eyes.
"You need a hobby."
Jemika laughed.
"My hobby is paying attention."
"You pay attention to everybody else's business."
"Exactly."
Miko shook her head and kept walking while Meca quietly laughed beside her.
By the end of the afternoon, they had finished everything on their assignment list. Before leaving, Miko grabbed her purse and looked over toward Meca.
"Alright...I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Miko."
It was such an ordinary exchange that neither woman gave it another thought.
Outside, Miko unlocked her car and sat behind the steering wheel for a moment before starting the engine.
Her phone lit up.
Jayson Calling.
She answered with a smile.
"Hey."
"What's up?" he asked.
"Just getting off work."
"I'll call you back later."
"Okay."
The call ended almost as quickly as it started.
Miko stared at the phone for a few seconds before placing it on the passenger seat.
She wasn't surprised.
That was Jayson.
Always in a hurry.
Always promising to call back.
Sometimes he did.
Sometimes he didn't.
She started her car and pulled away from the parking lot, never realizing that the most consistent part of her day wasn't Jayson anymore.
It was hearing one simple voice every morning.
"Morning, Miko."
And somehow...
She had started looking forward to hearing it.