Love Calls

The sun barely peeked over the horizon when Tarah’s alarm clock buzzed with a sharp insistence. Groggily, she reached out, silencing it before it woke her six-year-old daughter, Lila, who slept peacefully in the adjacent room. Today was a new beginning, a fresh start in a new city with a new job. Tarah took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. She had to make this work; for Lila's sake, she couldn’t afford to fail. Tarah quietly prepared breakfast, glancing occasionally at Lila’s closed door. She scoured what's left from last night's dinner. "Well, rice and canned tuna for breakfast isn't bad.", she thought, as she proceeded to get a bowl to mix rice and some of the Korean sauces left from last night. She opened a can of tuna, drained it and mixed it in with the rice and sauce. She put it in the microwave and proceeded to fry eggs. One sunny-side up for her, two scrambled eggs for her daughter. She then mixed instant coffee mix afterward. The move had been tough on her little girl, but Tarah was determined to create a stable life for them both. As she sipped her coffee, she mentally rehearsed her introduction to her new coworkers and her boss, Matt, whom she had yet to meet in person. He was the hiring manager who interviewed her via a Zoom call. She was surprised to get a welcome email from HR that he will, in fact, be her manager. He looked young to be one, but what does she know? This is the first time she will work in a corporate setting, and maybe managers are not necessarily the balding types anymore. With a final glance in the mirror, Tarah grabbed her bag and left a note for Lila, who would wake up to her grandmother’s care until school time. The walk to the bus stop was brisk, the crisp morning air waking her up fully. As the city buzzed with activity, Tarah felt a sense of anticipation building within her. Today would be the start of something better, she just knew it. First Impressions The call center was a bustling hive of activity with a steady stream of employees coming in and out. From what she Googled so far, Direct Solutions Inc. provides marketing solutions to start-up companies. It isn't a well-known establishment, which explains why they'd hire an undergraduate single mom like her with no prior job experience. Even so, she was very grateful to have been given the opportunity. They have a good benefit package and the salary is enough for her and Lila, at least for now. She sees this job as her stepping-stone to a more high-paying job in the future. Tarah’s heart raced as she made her way to the reception desk, where a cheerful woman named Linda greeted her and handed her a visitor's badge.“Please log your name on this sheet. You can proceed to the hallway to the left afterward to get your picture and biometric data taken in room 106. Your company ID and badge will be issued tomorrow.” Linda said with a smile. "Orientation starts at 9 AM, the town hall area is right across the ID room." After getting her picture and other information logged, she went straight to the town hall area, which was actually just a mini-stage with cafeteria chairs lined up. The "town hall" area is actually their cafeteria. It looks like it doubles as their function hall, which honestly, is very cost-effective. She chose a seat in the middle row. There were already a few people waiting. As Tarah waited, she scanned the area. There is a buffet-style concessionaire where she assumes people buy their lunch. There are a couple of vending machines for chips, one fridge, two coffee vending machines and two microwave ovens. People seemed friendly, exchanging smiles and brief conversations. "I wonder if the food's great." she muttered to herself. She knew she would pack her lunch anyway, but it would be comforting to know if they serve healthy food in case she forgets to bring her own food. Her nerves began to settle until a tall, well-dressed man approached her. His presence commanded attention, and Tarah instantly knew this was Matt. “Tarah, I presume? I’m Matt Henrick, your supervisor. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, extending his hand. Tarah shook his hand, all the while hoping her jaw didn't literally drop. The guy looked nothing like he did on Zoom. He's about six-feet tall, with dark brown hair parted to the side. He has deep blue eyes and looked like he is just in his late twenties. This is not the bespectacled, nerd-looking, stern dude who interviewed her at all. She couldn't explain the stark difference in appearance. She quickly snapped back to reality, noticing the firmness of his grip and the intensity in his blue eyes.“Nice to meet you, Matt. I’m eager to get started.” "Great! So the orientation is about an hour and a half. You can go straight to the fourth floor and ask where I am sitting. You're the only one coming in newly to our team, so you don't have to attend the second part of the orientation. That part covers the generic workflow of all the teams here. Our team is, in a way, special."he winked at her. Tarah discreetly pinched herself to restrain herself from fainting. The guy is gorgeous! "Oh, I'm excited! See you later then." She tried her best to sound not too excited. She wondered if she, in fact, smiled too much. The whole orientation thing was a blur, and it ended before she realized it. She went to the fourth floor as Matt instructed, and she was advised that his cubicle was in the left-most corner. She looked at all the empty rows of tables and computers and wondered why there isn't anyone. Towards the end, though, she spotted five people hunched over and talking on their headsets. It didn't take her long to spot Matt because, frankly, he was towering over the desk divider. She tapped it to attract his attention, "Hi..." “There you are! Follow me. I’ll give you a brief tour of our floor and introduce you to the team after,” Matt said, his tone professional but not unkind. The broad smile from earlier today is gone. This was a different person, she thought. As they walked through the rows of empty desks, Matt pointed out various departments. As it turns out, this is a 24/7 call center and their team is sharing it with a team that supports Asia. They work graveyard shifts. which explains why there isn't anyone yet. Their team, though, will support US-based companies. They are a small team who will support local book stores. There are only 7 of them, including her. The clientele is pretty small and the whole project is fairly new. He then pointed out where their little pantry is located, the restrooms, the printers, and they also have nap rooms. He showed her a couple of offices where managers are actually assigned, but he prefers to sit with them in the production area. Tarah tried to absorb everything, but her mind kept drifting back to how this Matt guy in the fourth floor and the Matt guy in the town hall seemed to have different personalities. There was something about him that intrigued her, a complexity she couldn’t quite decipher. Or maybe, he was just extremely good-looking, and she is just crushing on him. "You're here to work, Tarah," she thought to herself. After the tour, Matt led Tarah to her desk, which was in between the desks of a middle-aged woman, and a really young guy (possibly just hit his twenties). She scanned the name plates hanging on the dividers, Rocky and Judy. She was startled to hear Matt suddenly announce, in a commanding voice, "Hey guys, put everyone on hold, 2 minutes!" He then waited for them to put their calls on hold. As each one turned to face him, he said, "This is Tarah Jensen, our new team mate. We'll have a team lunch today so we can all welcome her. Make sure to wrap up calls by 11:30." "Oh, new blood! Are you sure about this girl? No, just kidding, welcome to the team!" Said a slender woman in her twenties. Everybody smiled at her and said welcome before going back to their calls. Matt then pulled a chair next to him in his corner cube and asked for her to sit. He would then spend the next hour briefing her on her responsibilities and the company’s expectations. “Your first set of calls will be straightforward,” Matt explained. “But remember, it’s not just about solving problems; it’s about connecting with the customers.” Tarah nodded, taking mental notes. He then asked her to start setting up her computer and go through some web-based training videos while she waited for lunch time. As Matt walked away, she put on her headset and took a deep breath before logging in to her computer. "Alright TJ, here's your first ever job, do good." she told herself.