By

S.J Asher

Daily writing prompt

Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.

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You know that feeling when you’re so early you become a piece of uncomfortable furniture? That was me, twenty years ago, clutching my backpack like a life preserver in an empty office.

The office was a maze of gray fabric walls – my first encounter with the great American cubicle system. Coming fresh out of college, in a new country, I felt like an anthropologist discovering a strange new civilization. Except instead of taking notes, I was trying not to look as lost as I felt.

I arrived at dawn, practically. The kind of early that makes even the coffee machine judge you. The office was empty, a ghost town of humming computers and silent desk phones. My workspace? Not ready. My supervisor? Not here.

Then the team lead arrived.

“You must be the new hire,” he said.

We had a brief chat – you know, the kind where you try to sound professional while your brain is screaming “PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF!”

Then he said he needed to check some things and told me to wait.

Now, here’s where cultural differences and first-day nerves created pure comedy. In my mind, “wait” clearly meant “follow me like a duckling.” So when he walked to his cubicle, I trailed behind him with the unwavering loyalty of a golden retriever.

My team lead settles into his chair, turns around … to find me standing right there. The look on his face was priceless – a perfect blend of confusion and polite tolerance.

Even as I stood there, a small voice in my head was screaming, “WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? GO… SOMEWHERE ELSE!” But where? The somewhere else hadn’t been defined yet, so clearly, this was the only logical place to be.

With nothing else to do, I did what any self-respecting new graduate would do – I pulled out my math book. Because nothing says “I’m totally comfortable and know what I’m doing” like reading about differential equations while standing up in someone else’s cubicle.

To all the newbies out there, standing awkwardly somewhere in corporate America: don’t worry. Someday, you’ll look back at your first-day jitters and laugh. And if you find yourself using advanced mathematics as a social shield – or accidentally stalking your team lead – well, you’re in good company.

P.S. To my old team lead, if you’re reading this: I hope you’ve recovered from the trauma of having a math-obsessed shadow on day one. In my defense, you never specified a restraining order distance for “wait.” And hey, at least I wasn’t solving equations out loud, right?