Brown construction paper, neon feathers, googly eyes and glue sticks. These items dotted the table in Lyllian’s office that day. “Be creative”, her boss said jovially. Last month during her annual review Lylllian was told that she was without a doubt the “Best employee I have out there!” It took her a moment to grasp what he, Roger, was inferring. Knock knock employee. You are not his employee you are his supervisor. 

“You work too much. You do too much. I never see you out of your office and visiting with the troops. I need you to sometimes be a “rah rah – go team” supervisor – does that make sense?”

Lyllian’s stomach turns a bit. Now wait, I’m the best you have, a glowing review of my work but that’s not what you want? I now know how a guy feels when a girl tries to give the ‘it’s not you it’s me’ speech. Utterly confounded and equally irked.

“So…”, Lyllian trails off eyebrows raised. She and Roger had worked together for the last twelve years. And he had been her boss and her his supervisor for nine of those. They knew each other well.  He was always pushing her to ‘be creative’, ‘think outside the box’ ‘use email less, talk more’, ‘you can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar’, ‘stop cussing’, ‘proofread your emails’, ‘watch your sarcasm!’

Eye roll.

“There it is,” Roger grins.

So today on this blustery cold November day she has brought brown construction paper, glue sticks, googly eyes, and neon feathers; all for her four call center staff so they can get creative and make turkeys, pilgrim hats, cornucopias and the like in preparation of the Thanksgiving Holidays quickly approaching.  She herself does not make one. She did not decorate a pumpkin last month either when she brought in four small pumpkins, pancake make-up, glitter, colored cotton balls, and fake mustaches. Another attempt to “entertain” her staff. 

She does not quite understand the purpose of these little art projects and is equitably uncertain if they are even what Roger was trying to impart to her during her review. Wasn’t this creative? Wasn’t this team building?

He did not say anything about the pumpkin art the girls spent the afternoon giggling about last month nor a word about the slowly emerging colorful turkeys the girls are working on now as Lyllian sits at her computer ceaselessly typing away. She is writing. Her secret passion. Every once in a while she stops to answer a call or an email or answer a question from one of the girls as they scurry in with off the wall chatter and inquiries. As soon as they leave, as soon as her work is done, as soon as the last email is sent and the last report is converted into a pie chart, she stretches her wings once more. 

Next Chapter: Anya, Volgograd, 1917