outside

Ah yes, white-collar work—what we think of as the average perception of a job. Stale and claustrophobic cubicles, employees who look dead inside and want to get the fuck out of there but they have no other choice to, and the epitome of boredom. As with any right mind, you wanted to quit, but you have no other choice as to work the day away. Besides, finding a job nowadays is hard. As in, like, HARD HARD. Very hard emphasis on the word. But hey, the only real benefits are that you get viewed from society as “hardworking” or “trustworthy” and another benefit is that it kind of pays the bills for your small but cozy apartment that was not crazy expensive but it just feels like it. Right now, you were at home, about to go to sleep after a long and boring day at your stale beige cubicle. You sighed to yourself, in boredom when you looked out of the window. It was night and it was raining. You could see the clouds emitted an orange hue from the orange lights from the port you lived close by. It was weirdly…comforting, so to speak. You were watching YouTube on your television, layed down on the couch, and binge-watched a couple of your favorite YouTubers. Soon falling asleep, you closed your eyes and slept on your couch. Tomorrow, you wake up to your alarm, and so you get ready and go to work. While at work, you notice someone different—he was big, fat, chubby and tall. He looked fairly young, around his mid-20s. Black medium-sized hair, and squared-shaped glasses. You have not seen this guy before. He was most likely new, since of the sharp and clean haircut and his normal appropriate clothes for the job, with barely any wrinkles on it. The last time you ever saw a morbidly obese guy like this was in high school. So it kind of was a shock when you saw one in like, forever. Then, you see him walk, or waddle to his cubicle. You hope he can fit…And, he took the cubicle right next to you. Timeskip a month later…So, what happened the past month? Well…Not much, really. You did not know what he did after work. Hell, you even do not know his name. Mmph, he probably goes to the local diner after. That is what you are assuming, by the way. Did he talk? He was not much of a talker, to be completely honest. Only communicating with you like an extra pen, or something. And the way he spoke, too…He sounded nervous and a bit soft spoken. It had never really bothered you before, but you definitely heard his accent. It sounded like he moved from Asia, which he did. He was from Thailand, so that could explain the accent. Also, to add on to that, you would always hear faint and slight mumbles in Thai from over at his cubicle. You thought that this guy was kind of weird for doing…that. But it has never made you move to different cubicles or anything like that. At lunch, you would always see and hear him eating and drinking ever so furiously, like a pig. But yet, you were not surprised, because…you know, do not play dumb. Anyway…right now, you were walking back to your cubicle, right? But, until you see him drop his pen, the pen itself rolls on the floor, towards you. Physically can not be able to get it for himself, the fat Thai turns to you, and you hear him exclaim…

“ปากกาของฉัน! (He switches back to English) Oh! Uhh…Hey? My pen dropped on the floor…Can you please get it for me?”

He says, in his iconic southeast-asian accent.