Helping Hand

****

The following morning, I awoke later than usual, silencing the persistent ringing of my alarms. My body bore the strain from the previous evening's battle with traffic. I decided to forgo checking Vibly until after breakfast and dived straight into my morning routines.

The clock now displayed 7:05 am as I wrapped up my preparations for the day, sipping my morning coffee, I finally opened the app.

**Vibly 2:55 am**

"I study something related to language and culture, but it leans more toward the arts and humanities."

"Truee"

"(Laughing emoji) if I use 'dear Daniel'..."

"That's definitely it, lmao."

"And i think it's so funny how we're chatting on Vibly"

"(Rolling laughing emoji ×2)"

It struck me that my connection with this intriguing profile on Vibly was turning into an engaging plotline. The irony of engaging in meaningful conversations through a platform often reserved for fleeting interactions wasn't lost on me. Our exchange had taken on a playful tone, and the mention of "dear Daniel" brought a chuckle to my lips, you do have a high sense of humor.

Ohh you had already followed me back, a surprise that added an unexpected twist, I didn't even get to tell you to yet.

There was a distinct sense of camaraderie developing, as if we were characters in our very own chat-based adventure.

"(Red heart emoji)"

"Good afternoon Eark"

"I actually was just looking for a follow back when i came across your profile and hit you with that "hey siri", now i got it without even asking thanks"

As I left my apartment and embarked on my daily commute, my thoughts drifted toward the narrative that was unfolding on Vibly. It was an unexpected twist in the story of my life, one that had taken me by surprise and had me eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

The amusing nature of "hey siri" continued to elude me, and I wondered whether it held a special meaning or was perhaps a cultural reference I was missing. I made a mental note to probe deeper into this topic during our conversation.

Ping** Vibly 7:35 am

"Good morning to you Daniel"

"Hahahaha i still find the "hey siri" funny frr"

"You're welcome, no worries"

Oh here we go again, i still can't get why that nickname's so amusing to you, or does it mean something funny in thai? Now you really want to make me repeat my question, why do i have i feeling you gotta a kinda rude personality underneath all this sweetness.

"So what does worasiri mean"

"And by the way it's so nice when people use their actual names on social media. OMG! There are so many Itz's, mhiz's and pwetty's and official'lizzy's and the sort"

I entered my workplace with renewed energy, the sense of anticipation lingering in the background. I greeted my colleagues, aware that I had a secret world of conversation unfolding on my phone. Strolling to my desk, I however, couldn't help but notice Chidi, a new intern who joined just two months ago. He seemed burdened by a mountain of paperwork. His gloomy expression hinted at a challenging day ahead.

"Hey Chidi, good morning?" I asked cheerfully but hesitantly as I wondered if it was actually a good morning with all those files clouding his face from seeing properly, he started up just 2 months ago on a Six months program,and he's currently the newbie in the office.

"Where did all these come from?" I inquired.

"Morning" he replied with a gloomy face

"Incoming mails"

"I'll be staying at the admin's office today", he added.

That's just sad, the situation was reminiscent of my early days in the office, constantly running errands and juggling tasks for others. In fact, I was far from safe from these responsibilities even now.

Even with my uncle in-law here, I still got bombarded with loads of errands. Heck, I'm not even safe from his own cluches most times.

I recalled it was chidi shift recently to be on field duty this week, he must have gone to the field for site inspections and didn't attend to the assignment of registering the incoming mails so they piled up.

Now he had probably been called by the admin to register them before staffs meeting this morning under his watchful gaze at the administration office.

I let out a soft sigh unconsciously, this was precisely why I had developed the habit of arriving at work just 10 to 15 minutes before the official start time of 8:30 am. I preferred avoiding these morning errands.

Today was an exception due to my lingering trauma from the previous day's traffic debacle and didn't want a repeat this morning.

When Chidi asked for my assistance, it was as though he had uncovered a hidden treasure.

"Let go" I said "I'll assist you, we got 42 minutes to round up before it's time for staffs' meeting", I said checking the time

I graciously accepted and took on the lion's share of the workload, he's face lit up, it was obvious he felt a bit relieved, and besides I'll be faster, I've been doing this for months before you even arrived.

"Thanks Daniel, I really appreciate this"

"I'm always fidgety working in the presence of the admin" he said wearily.

"Well that's one way to learn"

I said jokingly and we both had a light laugh. He was visibly relieved, and I couldn't resist making light of the situation, joking about the challenges of working in the admin's presence. Our little giggles filled the corridor.

We approached the admin's office, and I gave the door a gentle knock before stepping in. Mr. Thomson's stern voice was already berating Chidi, who was late in delivering the mail.

"Chidi you are just getting here! I told you to get the mails 15mins ago, you….",

"Good morning, sir," I interjected and he paused looking up towards the door, suddenly caught off guard upon my entrance and cheerful greeting, Mr. Thomson seemed somewhat surprised.