"I will try Niki. This job opportunity means a lot. I don't want to put everyone down again."
"You are amazing, sweety. You can never put anyone down. Just stop being too hard on yourself. Now get out there and have a great day."
"Yes. I will call you later to fill you in on details. You have a great day too." I hung up, as her words echoed in my ear.
I had been difficult on myself, true, and I was determined to change that now.
Niki was my best friend and Nate's twin sister. Three of us had been childhood friends, and there would not even be a single memory of my younger days, that didn't remind me of my happy times together with these two.
Niki was also the cupid that tried to strike the chord between her best friend and brother; and not that I had any regrets because everything happened for a reason, my heart winced to think of how badly it ended. He was my first and only love. Nate and I were quite solid together, as we lasted more than four years, or so I thought.
As time flies, things change, and so do people.
***
The noisy streets snapped me out of my thoughts again. Zoning out had become my thing. I had reached my workplace. I quickly paid and stepped out of the cab, adjusting my dress for the last time, I headed to the reception in my brand-new office.
My new workplace was impressive, spacious and had a modern feel to it. A young and charming female was sitting at the reception desk. On getting closer, I could read her name as Britney Sanders.
"Hello, Good Morning! How can I help you?" She eyed me from head toe, after giving me a soft smile.
"Hi, Good Morning. I am Emma, I was supposed to join Atty. Benjamin's office today." I handed her my appointment letter.
"Right. Welcome aboard, Emma. That won't be required", she pointed at the piece of paper in my hand. "Atty. Benjamin is expecting you in his office. Walk down the corridor on your right, and it shall be the third door from the left". She sounded very warm and welcoming.
"Thank you, Britney. You have a good day too." I responded before heading straight to his office.
Atty. Benjamin was in his early forties, and he had won several accolades in the field of Corporate Governance, which was also my area of specialization. He was highly respected in the industry, and I felt fortunate enough to have gotten a chance to work in his team.
I lightly knocked at his office door and heard a loud "Come in".
I made my way in and greeted him with my best smile. He was on a call, and he waved his hand, indicating me to sit.
While he was busy, I took a minute to observe his office interiors. The cabin was well lit and had light green walls, and there was a huge window at the back of his chair overseeing the busy streets of downtown Manhattan.
There were fresh lilies in a vase neatly placed on a stand on the right of his table, along with a picture frame which had a female along with two little girls roughly five-six years of age, most likely his wife and daughters. Near the door, there was a neatly placed workstation with a desktop and office chair arranged right at the corner.
"Good Morning Emma. My name is Benjamin Behan, and you would be joining my team here at S&M. I am glad to meet you in person today. I have heard great things about you from the HR team."
"Absolutely, Sir. I am so excited to work in your team, and this truly is a dream come true for me. I will ensure to never disappoint you".
He nodded and gave me a file that had details about the organization, and it's several departments.
He continued to explain further, "you wouldn't get to any direct client work until the next six months, that is your probation period. During this time, you will be mostly operating from my office here, assisting me in my current work on as need basis."
I nodded as I listened to him attentively.
"Let me tell you, this is a very busy office and a lot of work may pile up on your small workstation there". He pointed to the far corner of the room.
I felt happy looking at my first workstation, even though it was small and nothing fancy, I adored it already.
"Alright? Any questions?"
"No questions, sir, I am looking forward to starting my day".
"Call me Benjamin, and let's start with a hot cup of coffee. I prefer it strong and less sugar. The break-out area is towards the right at the end of this corridor. Hurry as we have a lot to cover".
"Sure Benjamin. I will be right at it". I swiftly got up from my seat, placed my bag at my workstation and headed out to get him the hot cup of coffee he asked for.
The entire day went by taking down instructions from Benjamin and receiving calls in his absence when he went out on meetings.
I was exhausted when I reached home; it looked like a tough week ahead. I took a mental note, once I survived this week, I got to find an apartment for myself, something near my office.
I changed my clothes, had dinner with my family and went to bed early. I looked at my phone and was scrolling through my notifications. I had three missed calls and four messages from Niki.
"Hi, Girl! Best of luck for your first day today! loads of love xoxo."
"How's it going, Emma? Get back to me when you see this"
"You won't believe what happened at the gallery today, I
