From 2006 throughout 2009, I witnessed people leaving the company and moving on.
They would get a pat on the back, a handshake, a smile and best wishes.
Some people chip in to buy something nice, like a cake and maybe a small gift.
I had always thought I would make a quiet exit eventually, without anyone noticing or missing me or thinking why my desk has been deserted.
I was wrong. These people actually like me!
They bought me ice cream because they knew I was not fond of cake.
And they got it from Coldstone, and it reminded me of the craaazy bit in Aziz Ansari's monologue about that damn creamery.
They gave me two books (aaawesome) and threw in some chick-chick-chicken, courtesy of the hippest GMO chain in the world, KFC.
Okay here's the best part...
Khadijah made a video of everyone in the office bidding farewell to me.
It was very, very touching.
Ganda, Sonia, Evelyn, Natasha, Usman.
Roy just tear-blocking everyone in the team.
Suraj calling me Gina.
Aziz singing Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. (Proud to say I taught him that! Not bad. Now he speaks Pashtu, knows how to say different body parts in English and Tagalog, and sings the latest hits on Virgin Radio.)
And then, as if that wasn't enough to fill my heart with gladness and replace the smoke in my lungs with gratitude, they gave me a shirt.
Its design was a collection of pictures of me sleeping on the job.
It was all Sonia's idea. She took a picture of me every time I fell asleep at my desk.
Every single time.
Did I drool and snore? I don't know okay, but I can pretty much manage some serious REM in 5 minutes, seated, with my hand on my chin and my eyes leveled with the headline of some news website.
Anyway the shirt said, "Why Think When You Can Meditate?"
Finally, someone who understands me!
It was overwhelming and I just realized that that it was a far cry from the goodbye I imagined before. I was thinking: pack bags, empty drawers, scram.
They gave me: Awwwwwwww.
Because, as the expression implies, I'm awwwesome.
1 comment:
Zeena,
This is great! They really do love you... aaawwww that's really nice of them to do that for you.=)
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