remote cards

The new girl is loose limbed. The way she walks, her arms swinging back and forth. Like she doesn’t have a shred of stress in her body. Like she is entirely relaxed and without a care in the world. The expression on her face seems to back this up. She wanders round the office with bright eyes and a little smile, the smile almost a smirk of perpetual amusement and delight. She is young, we can’t agree whether she is a student here only for a placement, or a graduate starting a new role. Her youth is clearly part of why she appears the way she does.

I recall her coming in for an interview; there were a few times where groups of students appeared. I recall her trotting along behind a senior member of staff, as she left the group of others behind, followed to the interview room, that smile cracking her face. Here she is, now into her second week, going through those awful early days of any job – the inductions, the wait for log in permissions, for security passes, the reading of crap that people have foisted on you to tide you over.

One day last week it got to her, the first week boredom. The two of us work in a department of two, the new girl part of the other department that surrounds us. We were sitting talking, as you do, when we exchanged glances, and I couldn’t help but laugh. The new girls head sinking to the desk, and staying there for a minute or so. Today I’m reminded of that, the momentary head in hands moment.

Most days she wears a blouse, light blue or green tints, stripes or something on a white background. Her hair is shoulder length, light brown, unremarkable, she has worn it down, once or twice, but mostly tied back. She wears glasses. Dark trousers. A reasonable facsimile of a professional woman. Altogether it wouldn’t be hard to describe as he being plain in appearance. But actually she is not unattractive - her curves, her smile, that looseness, her youth, all factors to make heads turn really.