3

Arabella

One more day.

The same usual routine, the martyrdom of getting up, a rush between bathing, dressing, eating something and getting to work. Today is Tuesday, minus one day of the week, which makes it seem very close to the weekend. I don't like weekends, because I find them so empty and lonely, they are a routine break, lost days of work, in short, a total waste.

I enter my office, which is not really mine, because in the same work three people, Me, Rafael and Deborah. The room consists of three medium tables that contains work objects such as company computers, paper blocks, pens, spreadsheets, among other things. Two tables are arranged in the left and right corners of the room, facing the door, and the third is on the opposite side of the room facing the other two tables and next to the door.

I sit in my chair, turn on the computer and start my work. It's 8:30 in the morning when I stop what I'm doing and turn to Rafael and ask something that was making me curious.

Rafael - I call him.

-Hi -it responds still focused looking at the computer screen.

Do you know what happened to Deborah? She hasn't arrived so far and I haven't seen her yesterday either. Did something happen? Is she all right? - I ask worried.

Oh, you don't know? She entered this week of maternity leave, the girl is almost born. - he responds this time by looking at me.

- Oh yes, I didn't know because I was worried. -I comment on turning my attention to the computer in front of me.

After some time we left for our lunch time. We went to eat at a restaurant that was a few meters from the company. The place was simple but cozy at the same time. We almost always had lunch there, sometimes Rafa's girlfriend came to lunch with us, she was even a good person, always polite and always brought interesting subjects to the table. I liked your company, but I was already missing Deborah who always accompanied us at that time.

When I go back to the company, Go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and pass the gloss again. After a few hours I get notification of a new email in my inbox. I take a look just to see who sent it and Realize it's the boss's. In the e-mail, he warned me that I should attend the boardroom at fifteen o'clock the next day. I look to the side and watch with Raphael's furrowed sceptin that at the same instant also lifts his eyes from the screen.

Did you also receive the e-mail about the meeting? - I question with a certain curiosity and a flea behind the ear.

I got it. What do you think it's about? God willing it's not a spending cut, with this crisis it's going to be hard to find a job. -Rafa, as the great agourento he is, throws the question into the air with certain fear.

Ai, god, man. Stop being pessimistic, it could be anything, an internal change or some new project, I don't know. You're very negative today huh! Get out there, you ominous man. - I play thinking it's funny.

So, Miss Sunshine, have a good night because I'm already going.

Only then do I realize it's already seven o'clock. I say goodbye to Rafael collecting my belongings, turn off the computer and close the door as I leave the room. When I get home, I'll drop my purse on the bed and go to the kitchen to heat up the rest of yesterday's lasagna that was in the fridge. I'd have to do the shopping this weekend or next. I return to the room and wear denim shorts and an old T-shirt, I make a scummy coe ready to work.

I turn on the notebook on the bed and put some music on the last volume. My neighbors forgive me, but I have to get out. First I'll get my room that looked more like a war zone. I keep the clothes clean, i keep the dirty ones in a basket and while I touch them I find Miguel's lost blazer.

Blimey! I had completely forgotten that I had promised to return it clean and past. I also separate it to wash it separately. I don't want to risk smeating it and having to buy another one to replace it. After I finish tidying up the room, I'm going to go to the washing machine and separate the pieces by color. When everything is clean, I transfer to the dryer, and then put on the blazer to wash it myself. Dry, step and double the blazer by placing it in the bag so as not to forget it at home.

I take a well-deserved shower and take the opportunity to wash the hair that had become all sweaty with the brief cleaning. It's like washing your soul! Invigorating and improves in parts my mood. I go around wrapped in a towel to brush my teeth, then I shove myself in the fluffy unicorn pajamas, my favorite, and flip the bed like a rotten sleeping jackfruit.

* * *

I wake up to the sound of the killer alarm clock and i get up in a bad mood dragging myself like a zombie towards the bathroom to perform my personal hygiene. I leave the house early, running around like long legs of pants to get to the company. I'm fifteen minutes early, at least that, I think with a certain advantage. I pass my id card and go to my office, already preparing myself psychologically for toil. I enter greeting Rafael who seems lost in an alternate reality with his huge headphones shaped like rabbit ears. I shake my head in negative with a laugh as I sit in my chair and put my hands in the dough.

The morning passes quietly and quickly. I finish my project and send it to Anthoni. At lunchtime Rafael and I went to the restaurant, talked a little and went back to the office again with a heavy stomach and a little lazy. Since I had finished what I had to do, I remember Miguel's blazer in my bag and I'll figure it out.

I've been searching for him for about half an hour, and I haven't found that creature's room even by decree. When I finally give up and decide to leave, I end up colliding on the way with a muscular mountain that smells like wooded perfume, which by the way is very good, I mean ... Let it go, and when I look up I see precisely my target. He stares at me for a few seconds with his eyebrows arched without understanding why I'm there. Neither one of you says anything. So to end the awkward moment, I erect the hand that holds the blazer and the east ing towards you. Awakening from the trance, Miguel takes the piece of my hand, our fingers bump into each other for a moment, but I ignore the weird feeling that strikes me, I thank you for the help, and I return to my room the full mind thoughts.

With ten minutes to 3 p.m. to be found, I call Rafael and together we head to the meeting room with sarcastic jokes and pins along the way. Some people are already entering the place and settling in their seats around the extensive table in the center of the room, and we do the same. At three o'clock sharp, Anthoni enters greeting everyone politely and sitting in his chair at the top end of the table, begins the meeting.

- First I want to thank you for everyone here. I know you all had to interrupt your respective activities, and I promise to be brief. - he starts by looking at all of us.

-Well, as everyone knows, I value all the employees who work in this company and I like to encourage them to be always developing and improving their professional qualities. So I'm going to launch a challenge. You will be evaluated by our board, which will propose activities that you must comply with as much mastery as possible. And it won't just be that, at all times you'll be being watched, everything you do will count in the final evaluation. - he says and goes on explaining.

-Among these activities, the production capacity will be evaluated amid pressure, time and product quality, the behavior of the professional within the company environment, and last and not least, the relationship of teamwork. The employee with the best resourcefulness in their activities, will have the opportunity to be responsible for the promotional campaign of the month of June of the fast-food chain McDonald's. Any questions? - Anthoni questions at the end.

A buzz sets in through the room, agitated, people talk to each other, while Rafael and I talk excitedly to whispers about this great opportunity. I had loved the news, especially when he mentioned the prize part to the winner. Rafael had also been excited about the idea, and while we were arguing about it, someone who had been sitting behind us interrupted the talk by asking a question.

And when will these activities begin? What about teamwork, what would that be like? Are we going to be able to choose our own partner? -a young lady, who I did not remember the name, asks and everyone stop speaking immediately to hear the answer.

- Activities start from tomorrow. And as for teamwork, it will be as follows. I will form doubles and the pairs will be chosen through a draw that I will make as soon as all doubts are clarified. Anthoni responds. Any more questions? Don't worry, everyone will receive a file with more details via email. -he says when he picks up his notebook, and connects it to the projector that was at the end of the room.

-The draw will be as follows, everything will be done in a simple, fast and transparent way. All their names have been enumerated, I will use an online drawr, which will select a number and then another then, so these two numbers already said will form a double, and so on. You will follow everything on the big screen where the number and name of the selected person will appear.

Then the draw soon began. Anthoni read aloud the numbers and names selected even though we could see everything written on the big screen. Twelve out of fifteen pairs had already been selected and my name had not yet been called. Rafael was chosen to be a duo with Olivia, a short girl with a chanel cut and somewhat out of fashion. He'd even been lucky, I guess. In the fourteenth double to be selected, I heard the first name being drawn, Miguel, and then to my astonishment, as had been mine.

Oh, wait a minute! It's WHAT? I think I'm getting senile, even though I'm so young. Maybe I heard wrong, I think to myself, but checking on the big screen, I see that no. I was not wrong, my team was none other than Miguel, I come to the conclusion to see our names and their numbers side by side.

I must have been a very bad person in the past life, you can only! It's the only explanation for this happening to me. Just me, daughter of God and payer of very high taxes! That can't be true.

Look, it's not like I have anything against Miguel, of course not. I don't go too much with his face. It's just that Miguel has a way of playboyzinho that does not come down at all, with that hair on the ruler, starched clothes ... And of all the people in that room, the worst person I could have as a competitor was him. Because truth be told, the guy is good, actually very good at what he does. I had already seen some of their work and were simply excellent.

As soon as the draw of the doubles is over, Anthoni passes some more information, recalls that the next day officially starts the competition, and that the pairs should combine how will be made the displacement of their rooms to that of their partners. After the meeting is over, all are released and have begun to disperse from the site. Already outside, people get targeted each behind their partner for the decision-making of who would go where. I leave the confusion behind nervous and outraged at my bell, and i go to my living room, however, I stop at the end of the hall when I hear my name being called. I take a deep breath and i turn to Miguel face that tape carefully. I signal that he will accompany me and we both walk side by side, when he asks the question that makes me tremble with anger and anticipation.

So, how are we going to do it? Me or are you going to change the room? -Miguel quietly questions it like it's no big deal, and I wasn't about to explode like dynamite.