Call and Response: Viewpoints in 100 Words (#16)

Marvin sits to my left. Recently divorced from his wife of 28 years, he is often distracted and sometimes weeps silently early in the morning when he thinks nobody is there. Beth, to my right, has a son in preschool; she occasionally leaves work early because he bites. She, too, is distracted. Charles is our manager; his distraction is his own boss, Michael, who sells himself as a corporate visionary but who cannot articulate those visions to subordinates. My distractions? sunrise through tinted windows, the soft feathers of a bird that fell from its nest near the building's entrance today.

_____

I clean the breakroom and the cubicles. I am careful not to disturb anyone's personal belongings. Some people keep their cubicles clean, and others surround themselves with family photos and their children's artwork. I know when people's lives change: photos appear or vanish, for example. I've seen births, graduations, weddings, divorces, and vacations. I complete my tasks by 5 in the morning. When there are layoffs, people and their belongings simply vanish, but when they quit, belongings disappear slowly. Sometimes as I drive to the office, I imagine these people are my children, and I want to love them all.