Attention Please! The Devil is Coming

Can you imagine how excited the whole office was when the Madam Devil came? When a phone rang announced that she was near, instantly turning the entire office into a messy one. It might be difficult for me to tell the whole situation. But if you've watched the movie called Devil Wears Prada, you'll remember the scene when Miranda, the Boss character played by Maryl Streep, came to her office. Yes, that's exactly how it is.

I have to admit, what's going on in the office isn't similar one hundred percent to Devil Wears Prada. The difference is..., we don't hide the shabby clothes or shoes we wear, of course, this is an architectural firm, not a fashion magazine office. Our hectics situation was more about fixing designs, drawings, and models which all ended when the Jaguar X2 arrived. Parked right at the drop-off area in front of the entrance and then..., the prima donna appears.

That middle-aged woman was extraordinarily elegant. Her clothes are simple and a little unique. Only with a white tank top and artistic batik vest with all accessories which looks perfect in its place. I just found out that the word 'asymmetry' in fashion is not only applied to certain colors or motifs that make difference between the left and right sides. Sorry, sorry, this sentence must make you a little confused, what I meant to tell you is..., the height of the vest on the right is much longer than the one on the left. And if you think that clothes are uniquely strange, then believe me, on Anna Gunadi's body, the navy blue batik vest looks so elegant and classy. I think the price of that piece of cloth of that vest cost more times than my salary in a month.

Anna Gunadi walked elegantly, showing the charm that the whole office feared. Although This isn't the first time I've seen that cool figure. As you know, one day, our father took us to go on vacation. We stay at one of the hotels she designed and luckily she happened to be in the hotel too. Since then, I admire her work. Please, imagine... in a corner of the room, there is a wall that is so high with vertical and horizontal line ornaments arranged very artistically with skylights and lighting that are very heartwarming. And the beautiful circular staircase is very charming. And the ceiling, yes the ceiling that is so pretty... Oh...sorry, sorry, my bad. I think I'm talking too much. Uhm... the point is because seeing her work, I want to become an architect like her.

That's why I was looking forward to this day. The Day I met my idol in person. However, during 3 months of working, this is the first time I have seen Mrs. Anna come to the office. You must be thinking, how reluctant Ma'am Anna is. Well, the truth is... she isn't staying in the office every day. I guess if I'm a famous person, then I have no obligation to be a slave who draws every single design by myself. Please, she needs to use her privileges as well as she can. Associating with successful and famous people to get strategic super-expensive projects, it's much a hundred times more important than drawing toilet sewer pipelines. Our architecture firm sells services, and the most important thing in the business of selling services is connection and trust.

And now..., I see my idol standing in front of my eyes. She has entered the office area, and I see Ma'am Hana and several other team leaders starting to bow and salute. To be honest, I don't feel comfortable seeing this panoramic of this modern slavery. According to my ideology, there's nobody needs to bow down in front of others only because of social status.

"Welcome, Ma'am," they said. Greetings that remind me of the elementary school children greeting their teacher. Anna Gunadi stopped her steps and opened her dark sunglasses. As she wants to return their greeting with a warm gesture, but it turned out that I was wrong. "Let's hope for the best," she says, and she walks into the meeting room without answering the greetings from all her servants. It seems the rumor is correct. At first, I couldn't believe it when I heard that Ma'am Anna was a horrible boss. However, seeing the situation with my own two eyes, it seems..., I have no hope of staying in this architectural firm any longer.

Ok, it's about time and the meeting begins. The first presentation was made by a member of team A. Ng... His name...? Ah, Dion… Yes, if I'm not mistaken his name is Dion. And not long after, Dion came out of the meeting room, returned to his room, and started packing his things. Oh, my… can you guess what happened? The first person to present today doesn't work here anymore or gets fired. Maybe my story sounds a little funny, but I'm not kidding, I think only a miracle will save me from the meeting room this afternoon.

"Okay, After this, it's your turn, Sandra. Get ready!" whispered Ma'am Hana.

"Ok, Ok, Sandra, you can do it. Yes, You can! Hee... hee ..hooooh..., hee..., hee... hooooo..." I whispered to myself.

"How many months pregnant?" asked a man who had been standing right behind me.

I turn around and see the man who had been watching my every move. Male in his late 20's, quite tall, if my imaginative ruler eye guessed correctly...maybe around 180 cm. Short neat black hair, neat clothes, of course... handsome face, so charming, even though his smile was so cold. Colder enough to make me chill desperately.

"Pregnant?" Why on earth, did this man think I was pregnant?

"You're practicing breathing, right? Hee... hee... hoo... ? As far as I know, that's a breathing exercise for pregnant women!"

I don't know what kind of answer I must tell him. Is it ok with the statement, "Sorry I'm not pregnant?" Is that enough? I don't know what makes it so complicated for answering that question, but my instinct said, this guy is not trying to make friends with me.

"By the way, if you're not pregnant, then you'd better get out the way," he says while squinting his eyes.

"Get out of the way?" I asked confused by the annoying request.

"You're standing in front of the door, I can't come in," he says while pointing to the meeting door.

"Oh, sorry," I walk to the side to let him in. I don't know who that man is. As far as I can remember, with my brain, in which... I know always hank, error, and always forgetting something. I never saw that man during work. Whoever he is, I'm so grateful I never knew him. From his overly annoying tone of voice, it seemed that I had no intention to know him better.

The previous presentation had ended, and Ma'am Hana had already given me the code for entering the room immediately. I took a deep breath, brought over the architectural model worked on last night, and stepped into the room.

This isn't the first time I enter this room. I've often entered the meeting room. Sometimes we use this room to discuss design issues with other divisions. But, today, why did the aura of this room become so different? Besides, what was Mr. Adi thinking when he prepared the meeting room this afternoon? AC at 17 degrees Celcius? Brrr…, Incredibly cold. But what bothered me was that this air-conditioned room was filled with cigarette smoke. I guess, starting today, I officially call Anna Gunadi the new nickname. Cruella Devil! Don't be mad at me when I give her that nickname. I don't mean to insult, it's just, the way she holds the cigarette, just like Cruella Devil even though he doesn't wear a dog coat.

"Good afternoon, my name is San..."

"Don't waste time our time. Please talk directly about your design!" interrupted the handsome man who had met me at the door.

Alright, I understand. Maybe for them, hearing my name is a 'waste of time'. But I'm trying to find another perspective here. Maybe our names don't even matter when you fired so many people just because you feel unsatisfied with their design presentation.

"This is a residential villa designed for the artist RR. The building will be built on a land area of 800 square meters, with a view toward the beach, which will be built in Nusa Dua Bali. He requests that the building looks grand, and luxurious, but still have a homie impression and be comfortable. Therefore, I designed the villa with a modern tropical model that fits perfectly with Balinese culture and..."

"No," said Anna, blowing smoke from her mouth. "It's old. Well, maybe you're one of Frank Lloyd Wright fans, Yes, he's a cool guy, but is just too... old."

For a moment I literally froze. I don't know what to say. Ma'am Anna didn't like my design, and I don't need to explain any further. It's not fair, for all the hard work I did to make it and ends just like that. And for several minutes, I remember the advice that Ms. Chien gave this afternoon. "Never answer right away. Think carefully about what the request is and answer it according to your ability."

"Ok, Ma'am. In your opinion, what kind of design is suitable for a request like this?" I ask to start a new conversation.

"Hmmm, actually... it's not my job. But, let me think," says Ma'am Anna. She looks at the model on the table. "You can make something iconic, which is not boring. Something that stands out, is iconic. So when people look from a far away, they know it's one of Anna Gunadi's masterpieces. On the left, you can replace it with something tall, a very catchy design. That when somebody looks from surroundings, they will recognize the house perfectly."

"But.. but ma'am, this building will be built in Bali," I objected.

"Then?" asked Anna Gunadi.

"The local regulations there don't allow us to build buildings that are high enough. The height of this design alone is almost..."

"I don't want to hear the words of nonsense like that," says Ma'am Anna annoyed. "You, out! Pack your things, you're fired!"

What I thought truly happening. I am fire! One thing that annoyed me was that I was fired before I could explain my design. Before I explain the results of my work that made me sleep in the office last night. I'm disappointed, I'm very disappointed. I packed all my things and prepared to leave the room. I'm angry, and I'm angry with my idol. But, suddenly... that thought come to my brain. Haven't I been fired by now? And whatever I do, it will never change my status. So I decided to do something a little crazy, something I wanted to say to a human-like Madam Devil.

"I know I'm a fresh graduate, I'm just a newbie. I also don't think my work is as extraordinary as yours. I know I'm nobody. But, at least, let me say something. I'm not a selfish loser who will cross local rules only because of my egocentric design. I respect Balinese culture, I can't make my work towering monumental iconic as you wish, and that doesn't make me a loser!"

"So you're saying, that I'm a selfish loser?" Ma'am Anna asked with a lower voice. Scary and threatening.

"Yes, without a doubt," I replied. "You're a selfish person who only cares about your ego. You're just lucky enough, you are famous and because of that... people will listen to what you say. But sorry, that wasn't me," I say as loudly as I can and walk away.

"Name?" says Anna Gunadi calmly. Even I heard an annoyed tone in her voice. The question that I heard right before I lowered the exit handle.

Oh, now she wants my name? All right, I'll say my name out loud with a lot of pride.

"Sandra!" I answered simply. "My name is Sandra Bayu Hutama."

"All right, little girl. I have to admit, no one would dare say such a thing like that. Especially to me."

I know I'm angry, annoyed. I know I got fired. And it looks like my anger will lead me to another drama, but I won't regret it. Whatever curse spell from Anna Gunadi's mouth, I will be prepared to accept it.

"Because of your impudence, I will ensure your career is destroyed very well. I think you are right, my fame will make people pay attention to what I say. Especially when it comes to people's recommendations. You can imagine, what if I told my fellow architects about the sassy newbie girl named Sandra Bayu Hutama? Do you think they will give you a job?" said Anna in such an intimidating tone of voice.

Oh, shit. I didn't realize how stupid I was just now. I just woke up a demon to destroy my life just because of my unstable emotion.

"But...," Anna continued when she noticed my paler face. "I'll give you another option. I don't like your design, but I like your confidence. I might be able to educate bad taste architects, but I can't teach someone to have that kind of confidence. You can still work here!"

What? Have my ears heard wrong? I was fired and rehired just in the minutes. The question in my heart is, will I be able to work again for this monster? Again? After all of this?

"Oh, maybe you need a little advice," Ma'am Anna says as she smokes her cigarette. "It would be unwise for you to think about refusing my request. I'll make sure your career is over if you leave my firm now. So, you have only one choice. Work, here again, that's all."

I almost went crazy when I heard those creepy words falling from her mouth. Her cold and threatening tone had pierced me to the deepest recesses of my heart. This woman seems to have been very offended by my words. And I don't think, if I go back to work in this office, she won't let my life be easier. The two choices that came out of her mouth would make me suffer. I admit I was stuck here. And... that's suck!