When the elevator display hit B1, I pulled out my phone and called Agatha.
"I'm taking the morning off today."
"Reason?"
"Buying a car."
"Did you tell Abraham?"
"No need."
By the time the call ended, I was already in a cab headed to the dealership.
Look at the cars, test drive, sign the contract, pay, pick it up.
It was all settled in under half a day.
When I pressed the key and my car gave its little chirp, it still didn't feel real.
Only then did Abraham think to call me.
I answered.
"Winona! Buying a car is a big deal. You didn't talk to me about it first?"
"I used my own money."
"That's not what I meant. Do you even know how to pick one? Come back now. When I have time, I'll go with you."
"You've been saying that for two years."
"And I still took the subway for two years."
He went quiet.
After I parked at the office, Abraham was waiting in the lot.
"You drove back by yourself? How long has it been since you drove? Do you know how dangerous that is?"
Watching him act like he was so worried about me, I almost laughed out loud.
When the storm flooded rainwater into the subway station and I walked a mile home, he wasn't worried.
When I sprained my ankle and limped to catch the subway every day, he wasn't worried.
When I worked past midnight and took a cab home alone, he wasn't worried.
Now that I had my own car, suddenly he was worried about my safety.
"Abraham, I hired an instructor. A few laps and I had it down."
He paused.
In the past, when he'd criticized me, I would've fired right back.
I'd have stayed up half the night dragging him into an argument over who was right.
But now I answered as calmly as if he'd asked what I ate today.
His face darkened further.
"Winona, you... you seem a little different."
A delivery guy cut off what I was about to say.
Abraham stepped over quickly to take it.
"Agatha didn't eat lunch. Took me forever to coax her into at least having a milk tea. Kids these days."
He shook his head, indulgent, helpless.
"Not like back in our day..."
I finished it for him. "Not like back in our day, when we couldn't even bring ourselves to buy a single milk tea."
His smile froze on his lips.
This time my steps didn't slow. I walked straight to the office.
At four in the afternoon, I was in the middle of the handover with Agatha.
Abraham brought over two milk teas.
I frowned.
Eight years. This was the first time he'd ever set something down on my desk.
I knew it was only because Agatha got it too.
She threw herself at him in delight and hugged him.
Abraham caught her on instinct, then pushed her off the moment he met my eyes.
"I was just afraid you... you two wouldn't have time for dinner."
Agatha took a sip, grinning, and let out a satisfied sigh. "Thanks, Abraham! You're the most thoughtful!"
"With you covering all three of my meals, I'm saving on my whole food budget!"
Abraham saw I hadn't moved and asked, "Why aren't you drinking it? Try what the young people are into."
I pushed it away.
"No thanks, Mr. Delgado. I'm off sugar lately. I don't drink sweet stuff."
His face soured. He glanced around, and only when he saw no one was near did he drop his voice. "This is exactly why I don't like getting you things. Zero emotional payoff."
"Have you ever gotten me anything?" I asked.
His throat bobbed twice. He left me with a line, "I get you a milk tea and even that's a problem," and walked off.
I'd thought the handover would go fast, that I could get my resignation processed early too.
But Agatha was far more difficult than I'd imagined.
I sorted all the clients by industry standard and packaged every design draft with its corresponding post-production files.
