From Words to Numbers (Continued)

The office is divided into two sides: our side and their side.

On their side, a massive thundercloud hovers permanently. With the exception of the occasional phone call of two individuals and the enraged phone slamming of one other, their side doesn’t make a sound. Their side could easily be mistaken for being down with serious work, and our side for all fun and games.

In spite of the unpredictable fluctuations in temperature, our side is always sunny. We make lame jokes and sarcastic comments, share laughs and snacks, all at the same time that we produce enough profit to cover for their side's loss.

I like to think of the space in between the two sides as a rapid stream. One would travel upstream to reach the conference room or the MD’s office, and downstream to get to the pantry or the copy room, but rarely would anyone make their way across the slippery rocks to the other side.