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I laugh. “I haven’t even worked here an entire week, and I’ve already shown up to work late and without shoes. If anything, you saying that makes me question your judgment.”
Jack shrugs. “Most fun I’ve had at work in a long time, though.”
“I’m not sure fun is the objective.”
Jack picks up the pen again and twirls it between his fingers before tucking it behind his ear. “So you were a few minutes late and forgot your boots. This isn’t a time-sensitive job. You live upstairs and can grab your boots. No harm done. You’re sort of working independently anyway, so if these hours don’t work for you, we’ll figure out something better. We should probably discuss workplace accommodations while we’re on the topic.”
“Accommodations?”
“If there’s anything I can do to make sure you have the best chance of succeeding here, I want to do it.”
I shake my head. “I don’t need special treatment. I’ll do better, I promise.”
Jack stares thoughtfully at the pen in his hand. “If you don’t need any, that’s fine. But it wouldn’t be special treatment. If I didn’t own the place, I’d have to ask for them too.”
“You would?”
He laughs. “Oh, yeah. You’re not the only one who shows up late to places. Making a cat tent sounds a lot more fun than getting stuck flicking light switches.Sorry I’m late, Mr. So-and-so, I had to flick this light switch over and over until it felt right while only holding good thoughts in my head so my cat won’t accidentally catch the place on fire while I’m gone.”
I try not to laugh, but a giggle escapes me, and I widen my eyes. “I’m not laughing at you,” I say.
Jack shrugs. “I know you’re not laughing at me. I made a joke. OCD isn’t funny, but I’m okay with laughing at some of the weird shite my brain tells me to do.”
“Noted.”
“The point is, it isn’t a burden.” He leans forward on his desk. “So, what’s helped you to succeed at other jobs?”
It’s as if I’ve forgotten every work experience I’ve ever had. “I... don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it. I was only diagnosed with ADHD three years ago, and I was in school the whole time, so it’s all pretty new to me.”
“Three years ago?”
“I know it’s hard to believe—”
“That’s not what I mean,” Jack says. “It’s just...” He laughs. “I didn’t know I had OCD until three years ago.”
“Really?”
He swivels this way and that in his chair, and it’s so obvious to me now the ways we are alike. I should’ve realized it when we clicked right away.
“I always knew the things I worried about weren’t normal,” he says. “But I never thought it was OCD because I’m not a neat freak.” He gestures to his desk, which has papers spilling out of folders andPost-its stuck in random places. “I don’t usually have contamination themes, and hand-washing was pretty much all I knew about OCD. I never saw or heard anyone talk about...” He lets the words trail off, but then he clears his throat and continues. “I never saw anything about OCD that looked likeme. But I finally had a friend who put two and two together.”
“I’m glad you have such good friends,” I say.
“Me too.”
There’s a beat of silence. “About accommodations... While I really appreciate the offer, I don’t think I’ll need any. It’s just been a while since I’ve had a routine. I actually did pretty great in school, until med school, anyway. Then I got lazy and left everything until the last minute and didn’t study enough. But I can get my act together. I’m just adjusting.”
Jack looks as if there’s more he wants to say, but then he sighs and drums his fingers against the desk. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know. There’s no expiration date.” He tucks the pen behind his ear. “Why don’t we move on to something more fun? What do you think?”
“Yes, please. I can only take so much serious conversation at a time.”
“That makes two of us,” he says.
“One beetle recognizes another,” I say.
“Now you’ve got it.” He looks down at his desk and flicks at a sticky note. “So, what are you planning to work on first? More cat tents? Maybe we could rebrand as one of those cat cafés.”
“You want to turn this place into a pussy pub?” I say, and at the look Jack gives me add, “I didn’t mean it like that.”
