I Work in the Graveyard

I think my life will be horrible when I work with him. But..., It's turned out these past two weeks haven't been so bad. All good things happened because Madam Devil went on vacation overseas. Yes, when she's not here, everything feels peaceful. I walked into the office as normal as a usual day. I did all the tasks that Steven gave me. Sometimes we meet at his SOHO to discuss the design or meet with the whole group to evaluate everybody's work. SOHO? Ah, I forget to explain that word. SOHO is a cool abbreviation for Small Office Home Office, Is a house that not functions as a living space but also as an office. And I have to admit, I enjoyed being at Steven's SOHO. I really like being there, so nice so relaxing. But, Pssst..., please don't say anything to him, ok? Steven's head would grow big, and his nose would fly away like a butterfly if he knew I was happy to be in his place.

Oh, I almost forgot. I have a new roommate in the office. Now, I have known all the members of Team A. And it turns out they are not as bad as I thought before. They are not so scary like what people said. After I know them better, I don't think Team A is that bad. They are just a bunch of ambitious people doing their best work. Which I don't think is wrong, they don't cheat or stab everybody's back. But, I have to admit, they are very competitive and competent to get what they want. It's hard to discuss something in this team, without not ending up with the debate. But at the end of the day, these people just want to make a beautiful design.

Ok, I will introduce all my team members. The one who sits on the left, with the most panoramic cubicle. I think, because of his seniority, he can choose the workspace he wants. And, so wise if he chooses the cubicle with a beautiful view from the window. He is the one and only Mr. Alex, the most senior architect here. In my thought, I'm sure he's almost the same age as my father and certainly much older than Steven. Just one question that stuck in my head, isn't he feels offended by having a boss who is much younger than him? Is he mentally ok with that? I don't know, if it happened to me, I don't think I would be as strong as him. Maybe that's the reason that makes him so quiet, and antisocial. He rarely talks. At first, I thought he was mute, but eventually, I found out he was normal when I saw him ask the office boy to make coffee and instant noodles. And in the whole day, that's his only conversation with people.

Ok, next! Those who are younger than Mr. Alex are Angga and John. You know Angga right? Yes, he is the only one I can speak with. For some reason, I only found out now, if Angga seems to have a special relationship with Sri. I think that's what makes him often come to Team B's room. It turns out that he talks to me, Nia, or Ms. Chien just to make an excuse to meet his girlfriend. It was also to make an alibi to make Madam Devil never find out about their relationship. If Big Boss finds out, then the career of the two of them is finished.

Ok, stop talking about Angga, you must know him well enough. Let me introduce Bro John, he is an American citizen who strayed to work in Indonesia. I don't know why he works in Indonesia with a lower salary than if he works in his country. But, there he is, a 'bulé' who is still hobbled in speaking the Indonesian language. [Bule or it's pronounced as bu-lé is an Indonesian slang to called caucasian people] But he tried as hard as he can. Honestly, I don't understand what he's looking for in here when his country offers something better. Mister, uh, Brother. Well, I prefer to call him Mister, but his face smirking, shows a displeasure feeling when I called him that. Maybe He prefers to be called Bro. Even though from his age, he does not look young anymore. If you saw me standing next to him, you would mistake me as his nephew, not his sister. Or, should I call him Uncle? I don't know.

One thing I knew, when I saw all the members here, I understand why people think Team A looks so exclusive dan arrogant. But the truth is not like that. We just don't interact like the other group. How quiet Mr. Alex and how Angga and John also didn't seem to interact much. Maybe because Angga is not very fluent to speak in English, or vice versa. The point is..., the atmosphere here in this room is quite like a graveyard, not as busy as Team B, which is full of gossip and a lot of cheerful laughter. And our quietness makes people's assumptions go wild.

But here I am. The newbie who works in a graveyard. Well, at first, Team A did not have a junior architect, there was only Dion, another young senior architect who was fired on the day of the presentation. Now, they only consist of 3 people. Mr. Alex, Mas Angga, and Bro John. And now they have a newbie named Sandra, yes that's me, the only inexperienced architect here. The only newbie who fell into this strange situation. Do you know what it feels like? Like a little fish in a piranha pond? I don't know which one will eat me first. But if based on the principle, The Boss having fun first, then... I realize who will chew me first, of course, Steven. And sure enough, until now it was Steven who always gave me so many assignments.

Yup! Steven almost drove me crazy, he sent me tons of paper with hand-drawn pictures and ask me to turn them into computer drawings. That's right, Steven made me a drafter. I just draw without thinking or designing something. But I don't blame him, my abilities are the most useless compared to the three members of Team A. And unfortunately, I'm not very good at using 3D software either. Sometimes I have to ask Dani and Edo to teach me how to make complex 3D shapes on the computer. I have to admit, Team A made me feel like a useless annoying little kid.

Not like Mr. Alex. Mr. Alex is amazing with his work. He always deals with the law problem. By the way, he is neither a lawyer, nor a notary, nor a prosecutor nor a judge. He's an architect who always takes care of legal matters. He examines designs a lot from a legal point of view. I know, maybe you build a building on the land which belongs to your ancestors, but as long as it lasts in a country, then we have to follow the rules of the nation. There are Building Floor Area Ratio, Building Covered Ratio, Building Line, percentage green areas. The point is, you can't be careless. Just imagine if we build a 1000-story skyscraper in the area of the flight path runway? The events of 11 September will certainly repeat themselves without being accompanied by a terrorist attack. The point is, everything has been regulated by law for the survival of many people.

Bro John? He's really... a tech nerd. You can guess what is scattered in his cubicle. Sound level meters, Lux level meters, models of sound-absorbing insulation materials, the latest types of artificial lighting technology, examples of new green materials, and... of course, Star Wars. The lightsaber, Darth Vader mask, Luke, Leia, and Han Solo figurines, and of course the super cool Darth Vader statue that looks so amazing on his desk shelf. I hope he doesn't bring the 1:1 Storm Trooper costume he has in his apartment, it would take up a lot of space.

Nah, wait, I have something to straighten out. Don't think like that, I've never been to his apartment, I know he has the stormtrooper costume from Mas Angga. Sometimes I get confused, why does Bro John have to display his collection in the office? I don't know, after all, why would a man his age collect such childish things? But that's his business, isn't it? As long as it's none of my business, I won't think about it.

"Hey, Hermione!" said Bro John who had just come with a pile of documents in his hand. He looked disheveled and annoyed and wanted to immediately confide in Mr. Alex.

"Hey bro, what's up?" I asked. I have to hang out here and I will do whatever it takes to make friends with great people like them.

"Nothing, just, you know. The Indonesian government makes me crazy. They are worse than Senator Palpatine," he quipped.

"What happened?"

"The tax for solar panels, it's good news, right? They lower the tax, blah... blah... blah... but the truth isn't easy. There's a people came and ask money for the solar panel installation, guess what? They wear uniforms."

"Uniform? Like storm troopers?" I asked jokingly.

"Well, I hope they can't shoot too," joked Bro John and immediately went to meet Mr. Alex in his cubicle.

Hahaha, yes, it's not a secret anymore. Like Steven, who was annoyed with the thugs, it's no wonder that thugs also came with 'uniforms' from time to time. I'd like to give Brother John a suggestion so that he can be patient with that's crazy bureaucrats, but I think I'll pass for this case first. Honestly, I'm embarrassed. I love Indonesia, but sometimes I have to admit that some corrupted people make me ashamed of my own country. The point is, no matter how big your love for someone, that person must have a weakness that makes you ashamed. However, you will try to defend that person, with all your soul because you loved him. If you don't understand what I'm saying, maybe it's too

philosophical, but that's true.

Let's forget about John and his problem. I need to go back, to my job. I had so many drawings to work on. And tomorrow, Steven will give me another pile of new documents so... I need to finish all of them ASAP. I face my laptop, and suddenly my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Sandra, can you come to my office now?"

"Sir? Are you all right?" Well, my question arose for several reasons. First, Steven's voice didn't sound all right. Second, he called my name, not as 'newbie' or any other nickname which means he is in serious condition. Third, he never sounded that weak.

"Can you come here, now?" he asked again without answering my question. Which makes me even more worried.

"All right, sir. I'll be right there. Would you like to bring something?"

I know I'm not a human with a heart of gems, but that doesn't mean I'm a human with a bitter heart. From his voice, I could tell Steven was sick and maybe he needed some food or medicine. That's the reason why I asked that question. Please don't misjudge me! Not because I care about him, and only him, but because I care about everyone. Whoever is in Steven's position, I will try to help him. So please, don't call me a bootlicker. I'm not apple polishing in front of my boss.

"No need, come here first. THUD..."

The voice just now is not pleasant to hear, really unpleasant to hear. "Sir, are you all right? Did you fall? Sir?" There was no answer, and it seemed that our line was cut off.

Ok, now Steven makes me worried. I tried to call him back but my efforts were in vain. Steven didn't answer my calls and that's a bad sign. I quickly grabbed my bag and quickly left the office. As soon as I can, I hope I'm not too late. Hopefully, I find Steven in good condition. He's an annoying Boss, but I didn't expect anything bad to happen to him.