My first day at the company started with a sandwich I was too nervous to eat.
I’d arrived early, found my desk, met my manager, and smiled through introductions until my face ached.
By noon, my stomach was in knots.
And when the break room doors opened, I walked into a wall of noise.
I was simply being kind to a lonely old man.
Groups had already formed. Laughter, inside jokes, people leaning across tables like they’d known each other for years.
I stood there holding my lunch bag like a kid on her first day of middle school, scanning for anywhere that didn’t look like an intrusion.