I walk into my bosses quarters the other day, just as I am passing by his assistant I realize a beautiful box of La Durée sitting on her desk.
I stop, walk backwards, open the box and inside sits about 15 little colorful pieces of heaven.
Shades of pink, green, brown, orange, purple, turquoise, yellow….individual pieces of art delicately placed inside a very simple and elegant pale green rectangular box.
I close the lid, mention what a beautiful box it is and walk into my bosses office.
Flash forward forty five minutes.
Chief and I have I ended our meeting and are having a little chit chat catching up.
When he says: ‘‘Acelya did you see the box of La Durée outside?’’
Me: ‘‘Yeah I did they look amazing!’’
Chief: ‘‘Did you have any?’’
Me: ‘‘No I’m on a diet.’’
Chief: ‘‘Come on you can have just one.’’
Me: ‘‘There is no one with me and La Durée, it’s either all or nothing I do however plan on keeping the box.’’
Chief: ‘‘What no you can’t keep the box I want the box.’’
Me: ‘‘Why do you want the box?’’
Chief: ‘‘I want the box you can’t have it.’’
Me: ‘‘What are you going to do with a light green box Chief?’’
Chief: ‘‘I want the box.’’
This goes on back and forth a couple more times and I give up for the time being, leave the Chief quarters and walk back to my desk. Thinking about why he didn’t give me this box all along.
Flash forward a couple hours.
I go back into the quarters and tell his assistant that I want the box. To my utter surprise she says ‘‘He told me not to give it to you.’’ As these words came out of her mouth the expression of my face must have been priceless. I simply could not understand what a 45 year old man was going to do with light green very feminine La Durée box. I do the walk of shame back to my desk and send him a text ‘‘Boxes are for women…I can’t believe you told her not to give it to me!!!’’
Flash forward to 6:00 PM.
Just as I am about to walk into the gym I get a text, ‘‘I’m really enjoying this box right now! It’s lovely.’’ I, in my unexplainable frenzy write back, ‘‘Shit. I’m going to France to buy all these boxes and stack them on my desk.’’
Chief: ‘‘Ok. Give me the macaroons and you can keep the boxes. I already have a box!’’
Me: ‘‘This is the worst deal ever!!!’’
Chief: ‘‘I shared the macaroons with you today.
Me: ‘‘I am on a never ending diet that’s torture rather than courtesy!!!’’
Chief: ‘‘Ok. Well then don’t complain about me eating your future macaroons. If I’m going to get macaroons then I need a box to keep them in, so I’m sticking with the current box. The new macaroons please.
Me: ‘‘You’re going to devour them anyways so why do you need a box? So what your saying is you get to keep the box and get new macaroons. That’s a worse rip off worse than the ones in the grand bazaar!’’
I think about this whole incidence and the back and forth 'box' messaging the whole night long. I post comments on facebook and twitter. Update my BBM status to La Durée box fight….talk about with my friends. For some odd reason something as simple as not getting that box was really upsetting me.
I fell asleep thinking about that damn box.
Woke up 8 hours later still thinking about it.
Ridiculous, I know, but I had become fixated on this inadement object.
The next day Chief starts makes sly comments…
Laughs and jokes about it. Asks me if I’m over my grudge. Truth is I clearly wasn’t. I was envisioning him putting all his cufflinks into this box and laughing about it.
Muhahahahaha I could practically hear his laughter.
Flash forward to yesterday 5:00 PM.
I’m at my desk and all of a sudden Chief appears from the corner of my cube. Well actually not appear because I can tell it’s him from his footsteps, his shoes have a particular sound.
He sits in the chair next to me. Starts talking about work and reminds himself that he forgot to do something and asks me to come to his office so we could over it. I pick up my phone, my notebook and pen and start following him into office. Chief is very courteous man he always gives way to the ladies regardless of age or status. So naturally I walk into his quarters before him and realize a whole bunch of people that aren’t even on his direct team crowding in his office. I start slowing down and ask him what was up with the commotion and before I even know it I’m in a room with a bunch of people staring at me.
I start having a minor panic attack.
Hot flash hot flash…ahhh what the hell is going on??? Why is everyone staring at me. Is my fly open? Oh my God I know I am flaming red right now! GOD WHAT IS GOING ON!!!
Then I hear Chief’s voice ‘‘We are here to congratulate….Ceylan…no just joking Açelya for completing her one year at the company……..and for that I have a little gift for her, a box and a cake.’’
I hear people congratulating me but in my mind all I hear is:
THE BOX….THE FREAKING BOX!!! IT'S HANDED TO ME. CHIEF GAVE IT TO ME IN HIS OWN HANDS!!!! I WIN! THE BOX IS MINE LALALALALALA.
And followed by the thought…..This is the kindest gesture I ever received. I know it’s just a box. An empty box with all the colorful pieces of heaven devoured by others.
To Chief it was part of big joke. To bystanders perhaps pointless. For me it was learning experience.
I owned that box in my mind, found a function for it before I even knew who it belonged to. It was Chief’s humorous approach to rewarding me with just a tiny gesture.
I told him today…that one day I would hand that box down to someone.
Chief. You truly are a character far away from passive voice. Thank you.
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