Caught off-guard by Sally again, she felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Managing a forced smile, she explained, âKyson had to rush to the lab today for something urgent.
Weâre going in different directions, so I told him not to bother dropping me off.
Iâll just grab a cab.
â
âThe whole neighborhood is part of our property.
If you try to hail a cab from here, itâs quite a walk, and you might not even find one.
Why donât I give you a ride instead?â
With no other alternative, Dulcie reluctantly accepted Sallyâs offer.
âOkay then.
Thanks, Sally.
â
âDonât worry about it.
Iâm free right now anyway.
I was just about to meet my best friend, and she wonât mind if Iâm a few minutes late.
â
As they moved toward the company, Dulcieâs resolve to become financially independent deepened.
She made a mental note that as soon as she received her first paycheck, she would take driving Lessons.
She planned to buy her own car, so she wouldnât have to rely on Kyson or anyone else for rides.
Along the way, Sally kept the conversation going with a stream of questions.
She subtly probed to see if Dulcie and Kyson were having a disagreement, hoping to help them smooth things over.
.
.
Library
Dulcie, however, stuck to her original explanation.
Realizing she wasnât getting anywhere, Sally finally let it go.
The entire logistics department witnessed Dulcieâs fearless handling of the mouse the day before.
Since then, even the female colleagues who werenât particularly fond of her hesitated to openly show their disdain.
Thanks to this newfound respect, Dulcie enjoyed a morning free from disturbances and managed to focus on her work.
Then came the quiet hours of Lunch break.
Audrey was touching up her makeup at her desk, surrounded by her gossip-loving colleagues.
âYou bumped into Kyson again in the parking lot after work yesterday? Seriously?â
âGosh! Audrey, you and Kyson must be meant for each other.
We barely ever see him around, yet you keep running into him.
Youâre so lucky!â
âDid he say anything to you?â
Her colleagues crowded around her and their voices were tinged with jealousy.
They were all from the logistics department, where any interaction with Kyson seemed like a far-fetched dream.
Given that their department was relatively unnoticed within the larger company structure, their only chance to even see Kyson was during the annual staff meeting, which gathered around a thousand employees.
Other than that, spotting him was practically unheard of.
Audrey was uniquely privileged among them to have encountered Kyson on several occasions, making her somewhat of a celebrity within their department.
Their conversation was loud enough for Dulcie to overhear every word from her desk.
She looked sideways and felt a pang of loneliness.
It dawned on her that Audrey was the woman Kyson had been seen with in the parking lot the previous day.