Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 61422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Less than a minute later, I got a reply.
Hi. Very busy today. Can probably get you that next week.
I frowned at my screen. “Well, that sucks,” I commented to no one in particular.
Joe chuckled. “Let me guess,” he said. “Mandy told you she’s very busy and can’t deal with your request until six months from now.”
I laughed. “Next week,” I told him.
“Frankly,” Joe said, looking from side to side theatrically as if to make certain no one would hear him say it. “Mandy is just really fucking lazy. Heather paddled her for it a few months ago…”
I swallowed hard and did everything I could to pretend this news had no effect on me at all.
“…and Mandy got a little better, but it seems like she’s back to her old ways.”
Joe leaned in closer, lowering his voice.
“Look, between you and me, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get you access to that database. All Mandy needs to do is make a couple quick calls to Assessment and IT. She’s just being lazy.”
I frowned, feeling a mix of frustration and uncertainty. “Are you sure? I don’t want to push if she’s really swamped.”
Joe waved his hand dismissively. “Trust me, I’ve been here long enough to know how this works. Mandy’s always ‘busy,’ but half the time she’s just scrolling through social media or chatting with her friends. If you want to get anything done around here, sometimes you need to light a fire under her ass.”
I chewed my lip, considering. The data I needed was crucial for this crazy-but-maybe-also-genius proposal, and waiting a week would seriously derail my momentum. “So what should I do?”
“Go talk to her in person,” Joe suggested. “Be firm, but polite. Let her know it’s urgent and that you know it won’t take long. Sometimes she just needs a little… motivation.”
There was something in the way he said ‘motivation’ that made my tummy churn, but I pushed the feeling aside. This was about work, nothing more.
“Alright,” I said, standing up. “I’ll give it a try. Where’s her cubicle?”
Joe pointed me in the right direction, and I made my way through the maze of desks and partitions. As I approached Mandy’s workspace, I could hear the faint sound of laughter and realized she was on a personal call.
I hesitated for a moment, then squared my shoulders and stepped into view. Mandy, a woman in her early twenties with sleek brown hair, looked up at me with mild annoyance. She muttered a quick “Gotta go” into her phone before hanging up.
“Can I help you?” she asked, her tone bordering on rude.
I took a deep breath, reminding myself to stay professional. “Hi, Mandy, I’m Melissa. We emailed earlier about the database access I need?”
Mandy’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Right. I told you I’d get to it next week.”
“I understand you’re busy,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm and assertive, “but Joe mentioned that it should only take a few minutes to set up. It’s really important for a project I’m working on. Is there any way you could make those calls now?”
Mandy leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Look, I don’t know what Joe told you, but I have my own priorities to manage. You can’t just show up and demand I drop everything for you.”
I felt a flash of irritation at her dismissive attitude. “I’m not demanding anything. I’m just asking if you could spare a few minutes to help me out. It would make a big difference.”
“Well, the answer is still no,” Mandy said, her eyes narrowing, as if to challenge me.
Mandy’s dismissive attitude ignited a spark of frustration in my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure, but I could feel my patience wearing thin. The potential importance of my project, the momentum I’d built up, and the sheer unreasonableness of Mandy’s response all combined to push me toward a breaking point.
“Mandy,” I said, my voice taking on a sharper edge than I’d intended, “I understand you have your own work to manage. But part of your job is supporting the team, and right now, I need your support. This will take you less than five minutes, and it’s crucial for a time-sensitive project. I’m not asking you to drop everything—I’m asking you to make two quick phone calls.”
As the words left my mouth, I was struck by how authoritative I sounded. It wasn’t a tone I often used, preferring to collaborate rather than command. But something about this situation—perhaps the high stakes of my secret project, or the lingering effects of everything I’d experienced at Selecta so far—brought out a different side of me.
To my surprise, I saw a change come over Mandy’s face. The dismissive look in her eyes faded, replaced by something else—a glimmer of… respect? Her posture shifted slightly, becoming less defensive and more attentive.