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“You really are a lifesaver,” I said, handing her the spare key. “Harper, come say bye to me!”
“Coming,” she yelled, her little feet slapping the ground as she ran right up to me and wrapped herself around my legs.
I bent down and smiled, tugging on her mermaid t-shirt. It was almost too small, but it was her favorite. “Okay, be good for Ms. Josie. Mommy’s gonna go to work. I’m not sure if it’s a full day or what, but I’ll definitely be home for dinner. We’ll pick something fun from the carry out menus the rental company left us.”
Harper wrapped her arms around my neck and I closed my eyes, feeling the squeeze. “Love you, mommy. Good luck.”
I smiled, kissing her cheek and then standing up, giving Josie a nod. She handed me my purse and car key. “You’ll do great. See you soon. Call my cell anytime to check in. I have it on high so I’ll hear it.” She walked me to the door. “And its okay if you get busy and don’t call too, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
I shook my head. “I get a nanny and a therapist. Thank you.”
I headed out of the house and to the car, waving at Harper before heading off. Luckily, especially since I was terrible with directions, the office wasn’t hard to get to from where I lived. I went to the end of the block, turned left, turned left down the main boulevard, and headed toward the bridge. I was leaving thirty minutes earlier than needed because I had no idea what the traffic would hold, and I was glad I did. The main traffic in the thoroughfare of IB Blvd was thick, and the traffic over the bridge was heavy. But once I realized that it was only three blocks to the building’s parking garage, I began to relax.
I hadn’t gotten any of my passes yet, but they would validate my parking until I did, or at least that’s what they told me. I hadn’t gotten a ton of info yet, but I was a worrier, and my anxiety always got the best of me. The high rise building was crazy to me, especially coming from a small office in a family owned business in Ohio. The company owned the whole thing, from the 30th floor to the basement. I was to report to the 5th floor first, and then they would take me up to the 25th where I would meet my boss.
When I entered, I checked in at the desk, with a nice older man with a kind smile. “Hi, I’m here for intake with…” I ruffled through my purse and pulled out the paper. “Shelly.”
“Well, welcome to the team,” he said with a smile, handing me a visitor badge. “You’ll get your permanent badge in a bit. Just keep this on you for now. You’ll go through the checkpoint, up the elevator, and to the 5th floor. The Human Resources door will be to your right when you walk off the elevator.”
“Thank you so much,” I replied, thankful that people were nice so far.
I felt like a country mouse in the big city.
I headed up the elevator with four other people, and got off alone on the fifth. As soon as I walked in, a red headed, middle aged woman looked up from her large front desk. “Hi there! You must be Sicily.”
I chuckled. “Is it that obvious?”
She laughed. “Bernard called up from the front desk.”
She stood up from her chair and motioned to someone across the room. “Gotta take Sicily up to the 25th. I’ll be back in a few.”
I smiled as she headed toward me, pointing toward the door. “You filled out all your paperwork already, and the badge office isn’t open this morning so we’ll get all that taken care of before you leave. Let’s get you upstairs to meet with Clint. I think you met him during interviews.”
Nodding, I followed after her. She moved quickly, and I had to skip step to keep up. “Yes. He’ll be my direct boss, right?”
We stepped into the elevator and she put a key in, pressing the 25th floor button. “Mhmm. Sure will, honey. How was your trip to California?”
I sighed. “Long, but we got in yesterday afternoon.”
She gasped, her southern drawl more noticeable than over the phone. “You just got in yesterday? You poor thing. You must be exhausted. Well, I’m not sure what Clint has in store for you, but I’m sure it will be a light day.”
She continued talking, explaining each floor as we passed. I tried to remember everything she said, but I knew it was useless. I had a map of the building and I would just have to stumble around until I got used to it. When the elevator dinged, nerves rose up in my chest and I let out a shaky breath.
“Here we are,” Shelly said with a bubbly tone.
I followed her through the hallways, remembering the office a bit from the interview. One thing I never had noticed was that everyone had their own offices. I had assumed there would be a pit or something similar for all the tech project testers. Then again, the building had more than enough room.
At the end of the long hall was an open doorway. We walked into a small room with a receptionist and a couple of chairs, two small tables, and incredible art hanging on the walls. Shelly waved happily at the receptionist. “Ally, you’re back! I’m so glad. I thought for sure you’d take your whole maternity leave.”
Ally puffed her cheeks and smiled. “You know Clint, he can’t function without a scheduler. Besides, my husband took his leave and is doing duty for a while, until we feel comfortable with the nanny full time. How can I help you?”
“This is Sicily, she is starting today as the Project Manager Lead for the Software testing division.”
Ally grinned and put out her hand, shaking mine. “Welcome! We sure are glad to have you. We’ve needed you for a while. If you’ll have a seat, Mr. Bromwell will be with you in just a second.”
I nodded and smiled at Shelly. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome. I’ll call up to Clint when the badge office opens up. He’ll direct you to the right place. Other than that, if you need anything at all, you can call down to me, or stop by my office anytime.”
