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Eventually, Father Time moved past the point of no return and noon struck again. Bringing lunchtime with it. A sweet, universal, relief known to executives and grade schoolers alike.
The office crew acted much like the latter, gathering their coats and heading for the nearest exit to make the most of their newfound liberation. As with all estimations, there was an exception. In this case, it was Linus, who would stay working at his ration if an earthquake hit. But now I was also an exception, not even really having the money for a fast food lunch.
The brown bag crinkled like crisp autumn leaves as I got it out of the drawer in my desk. My mom was a master with PB and J, a skill which she passed down to me. It was like a party in my mouth and only I was invited.
It was also all worth it to have at least three months’ worth of money in the bank, just in case things decided to go pear-shaped again. I had learned through long, hard experience to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. That phrase would likely be engraved on my tombstone, at this rate.
Just as I was getting used to being alone, aside from the persistent tinkering of Linus in the back, that is, the main office door opened, and Tucker once again reminded me of his existence.
“Are you okay?” he asked, as I nearly jumped out of my skin for the second time that morning.
“Yeah, you just startled me is all.”
“Nearly out of your chair,” he observed.
“I just wasn’t expecting you. I thought it was just Linus and me here at lunch.”
“Let me guess, he is working.”
“He is probably eating too. If there is one thing that he knows how to do, it’s multitasking.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“You know him, Sir? I mean Tucker.”
“Likely.”
He didn’t even bring up that I’d called him sir. He was really cool for a boss and I couldn’t help but wonder if we could be something more. It might have just been conceited of me, but I suspected he might have felt the same way.
“I’ve got good news,” he said, smiling.
“What’s that?”
“You’ve been selected for the trip.”
“What trip?”
“The New Year’s Eve trip. We’ve had it planned for a while. Kind of a reward for our hard workers. But now that the pandemic has struck, I had to considerably lower the number of people coming. It’s in New Zealand, so no big trouble with Covid-19 regulations.”
“Are we able to travel? I thought lockdown was coming and that would mean we would have to work from home.”
“Indeed, there is, but I have a private jet and an in with the kiwi government. Basically, if we can bring doctors’ notes, signed of course, saying that we’re clear, we shouldn’t have too much of a problem getting in.”
“I can’t afford a doctor, I-”
“Oh, no, I’ll cover all that. It’s a vacation; there should be no out-of-pocket expense on your end. Besides which, you’ll still be getting paid.”
“Oh, cool,” I said, brightening up considerably.
“The doctor will be coming by later today. I hope it’s okay, but she’s going to do a house call at your place.”
“No, that’s fine, except I didn’t know doctors even did house calls anymore.”
“Oh, they don’t. Deena is just a wonderful friend of mine.”
“Must be nice.”
“Certainly makes life easier,” he agreed. “I already have my note ready to go.”
“When does the flight leave?”
“The day before New Year’s. I’m told they’ll be announcing the lockdown here officially on New Year’s Day, so that should give us lots of time.”
I was overwhelmed to say the least. My mind spun as I tried to process what had suddenly happened in a few seconds.
Was I really going to skip lockdown to get a back door into a safe country for a vacation with my lovely boss?
And how many people were going, exactly?
Just him and me?
I could only hope that was true!
It was all just too crazy, and wonderful, to be really true, though. At least that’s what my inner pessimist was shouting at me.
But he’d already got a doctor to make a house call, which was a sign of commitment if nothing else. As my nerves settled, I started to get really excited.
“You can go home after lunch and get ready. Have a shower and all that. She’s going to give you the once over as well as the virus test, just to make sure you are healthy to travel,” Tucker told me, coming back to my desk. “And then you can have the next couple days off until the 30th, so that you can be nice and rested for the trip.”
“Okay.”
My enthusiasm was getting even stronger. I wasn’t sure what the doc was planning to do to me but at least she was going to be a woman, so it would be less awkward if things got really personal.
