I was glad to get the job at Company Y, but less glad to sit through the new employee orientation - it lasted all day. It was still an hour before the lunch break and the session leader plowed on to the next topic. She was a well-dressed woman with her sleek black hair cut in a stylish bob.
"Now, remember," she started in, "when conversing with clients take care not to come off as either standoffish or too chatty. Moderation is key."
"As if she knew anything about moderation," muttered a voice to my left.
I turn my head slightly and examine the speaker out of the corner of my eye. Her hair was pin-straight and hung just past her shoulders. She seemed a bit older that I, perhaps she has worked at other companies before this one. We'd exchanged pleasantries when we sat down but I didn't know much about her beyond that.
I let out a small snort of laughter. Our eyes met, and I returned her smile.
The training session ended and chairs scraped across the floor as employees got up and headed to the company cafeteria. I had packed a bento, so I was at a loss where to sit to eat.
"I brought a lunch as well" said the woman sitting to my left. She seemed very polite and relaxed, with no sign of the snarkiness from earlier. "Would you like to eat together?"
That evening I was having dinner at a barbeque restaurant with my boyfriend. As we cooked the meat on a grill in the center of the table I told him about my first day on the job.
"Most of the policies were what you would expect any business to have. So most of the information was not a surprise." I pause to take a sip of tea. "But I did meet an interesting coworker. She's new, like me."
"That's good!" he replied, placing his hand over mine. "You're cute and have a great personality, so it's no surprise that you'd have no trouble making friends."
"I think we'll turn out to be good friends," I smiled back. "After all I get the feeling that we're a lot alike."