Not what I expected

"Good morning, parents!" Julie announced when she entered the kitchen that morning. Mr. Harper was taking out the sweet potato pie from the oven, and Mrs. Harper flipped the pancake when Julie greeted them. "Are you going somewhere?" Harriett said, seeing how dressed her daughter seems.

Julie had on a fashionable tight black dress, a purple blazer, a black bag, and purple heels. Her hair got fixed into a Large Puff and Swirling Braid. "Yes, mom. I am sorry. Because of yesterday's incident, I could not tell you guys that I got the job." Julie replied.

Louis looked at his daughter's pensive expression and took a deep breath. "Congratulations, baby. Don't worry, we will soon finish up here, and we can celebrate over breakfast." He said, taking the pie out of the baking pan and putting it on a serving plate.

"I can't eat breakfast with you today. I will buy something to eat from the office cafeteria when I get there." Julie said and walked out. Mr. Harper lost his smile when he saw his daughter stepping out of the kitchen. "But breakfast is our thing." He mumbles like a sad kid.

"Honey, she will not be under our wing forever. We have to let her fly on her own." Harriett advised her husband. She felt the same pain as her partner. But one of them had to be stable, and Mr. Harper had chosen the vulnerable side, so she had no choice. "I don't want her to fly yet. First, college activities took my baby away from me and now her new job. What next? A man?" Mr. Harper said in horror.

Mrs. Harper felt confused, she remembered, just weeks ago when her husband complained to Jackson about their daughter being too involved with books and not a suitor. Now he had changed his words and turned into a sobber. "Honey, you are your baby rock. If she saw you this way, her heart would get broken. You don't want to break your princess's heart, right?" Harriett replied. Louis nodded his head and wiped his eyes that had no tears in it. In the end, Mrs. Harper managed to calm her husband's gloom, and things went back to normal.

Julie reached the office, and she still had time in her favorite before active work started. When Julie got into the cafeteria, she bought a hot cup of Espresso, a slice of shortbread, and sat at the table in the back. Julie took a bit of her bread when Kate walked in. She watched Kate purchase her food and turned to survey the room to find herself a seat. Kate spotted Julie as she bent her head down. Julie did not want to make it awkward for Kate and make her feel compelled to sit near her.

"Hey, Julie! Is the seat next to you taking?" She said when she reached the table at the back. Julie lifts her head to see Kate smiling down at her. "Hello, Kate. You want to sit by me?" Julie asked. "Yes, silly. Now scoot over." Kate said with a laugh. It shocked Julie as her colleague put her tray down and sat down near her. In high school, nobody wanted to sit next to Julie at lunch. She was the weird girl with braces and Afro hair. So, Julie got used to eating alone except with her parents, and that behavior has become a habit.

"How are you doing this morning?" Kate asked, hoping to start up a brief conversation that would erase the tension between them. "I am okay, I guess," Julie replied. She did not want to lie, yet she also did not want to open up to a stranger. Their conversation developed from there, and a few minutes later, they were laughing and chatting.

The cafeteria was peaceful, with just the two of them and the Cafeteria Attendants. Suddenly, there was a tremendous noise at the door. Kate and Julie lift their heads to see a group of male associates strolling inside and chattering at a loud volume. The guys ordered their food and took the middle table opposite Julie and Kate. They kept laughing roughly and did not notice the gals until Melvin turned his head towards the back.

"Hello, ladies!" He said, and all his friends' eyes followed his direction. Julie felt nervous, but Kate did not show any emotion. She was used to this kind of situation. "Don't give them your attention and never allow them to know that you feel intimidated by their presence. It will just boost their ego." Kate said to Julie. For some reason, Julie found comfort in Kate's words and became bold. The girls did not give the guy any recognition, and that made Melvin mad. "Let's skip them." He said and swirled his head.

The others did the same, except for Daniel. He kept staring at Julie, won't take his eyes off her. "Daniel, do you want to make your eyes drop out of your head by staring at someone that is not showing any interest in you?" Steven said as he approached them. Julie was puzzled as to where Steven appeared from to make such an entrance and statement.

They got so occupied in their discussion that none of them noticed their boss walking into the room. Steven entered the building shortly that morning because he remembered it was Julie's first day at work, and he wanted to surprise her with a plant for her office desk and a gift basket. Everybody kept quiet, and Daniel immediately swirled his head around.

"Julie, please follow me!" Steven told her and walked out. She got up to leave, feeling embarrassed that he called her out after making such a remark. "See, I told you guys she slept with our boss to get this Job. Now, do you believe me?" Melvin whispered, but he said it loud enough for Julie to hear his statement. Julie sighs and continues walking. Kate took one of her muffins and threw it at Melvin.

"What's wrong with you?" He screamed. She got up, approached him with her glass of juice, and dumped it on Melvin's head. "This is what you get for being a jerk!" Kate replied. "Oooooh..." His friend started making noise. Melvin got mad and tried to hit Kate, but Daniel held his hand. "You don't want to assault a woman. Stuff like this gets ugly fast." He said. Melvin took his seat with an angry eye and did not say a word again. But the other guys started discussing football.

Kate hurried toward Julie and tapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about them. Guys are idiots." She said, trying to make Julie light up. "Thanks," Julie said with a smile and stepped out the door. "Morning, sir!" She said when she met Steven in the lobby.

"Good morning, Julie. I don't think you need to call me sir when it's only us. You can just call me Steven." He said. Julie paced around a bit. She knew that her next statement would hurt him. "That is not necessary, sir. Can I talk to you in your office?" She replied. Steven felt pathetic. He took a deep breath and replied, "Sure."