Daniel Moore: CEO

Ginger

Since the day dawned sunny, I had been staring out the dining room window watching the children play carnival and have fun outside their houses. I had thought about going to the beach, but my spirits had dampened and I didn't want to be surrounded by more people, it was enough with the company of Stella, my best friend, who had been living with me since we were nineteen.

We met in Vegas, both at the same party, but at different tables with different people. At some point we decided to go to the bathroom and met there. Stella was fixing her makeup, I offered to help her and she quickly agreed. We stayed talking while she finished and on the same day, when we left the party, we got a tattoo together. We decided to do it on our wrists, it's a heart with a red thread, maybe we did it because of the drunkenness of the moment or because we thought it was a good idea, I don't know, but at that time it seemed like one of the best things I could do.

I closed my eyes and remained still in my place, I don't want to move from here, I feel bad, discouraged, and without any motivation. Since my parents went on a trip, I've felt empty, I spent a lot of time with them, I loved being with them, going to dinner, cooking with my mom, telling her about what happened during my day, laughing at Stella's silly antics, whom they considered as another daughter, and talking about guys.

My father wasn't a fan of hearing me talk about men, he said that none of them deserved me and that even though they were all the same, there were some who could be better or different. I pretended to be strong when they announced that they were going to Buenos Aires, I encouraged them and mentioned that it was one of the best ideas they had in years, mom got emotional when she saw that I agreed, she hugged me, cried and swore that she was going to miss me. I also miss her, much more than she probably thinks.

“Are you still sitting there? You should get up and find something to do,” Stella says, coming out of her room, she has a towel wrapped around her tiny body and her hair is loose.

“I don't want to, I'm fine here.”

“And what's interesting about looking out the window?”

“The children are playing,” I say neutrally, my tone of voice is monotonous, I've been told many times in my life, it hurt to hear it at first, I took it as something bad or something that shouldn't be like that. I listened to other girls with feminine voices and how nice it sounded when they spoke, so I locked myself in my room and stood in front of the mirror just to practice what to say or how to talk. I wanted the boys in school to like me, it was stupid and I never told my parents because of shame, but I still feel insecure about it sometimes.

“That's not enough, come on, get up. You'll feel better if we go out or make a plan with Maria, I'm sure we'll do well if we drink a little.”

“Don't you feel bad that they're gone?” I put my gaze on her and she makes a face.

“It's just that I feel like something might happen to them over there and I won't be there to help them, and I won't be able to be there if they need anything, and that worries me. I want to be the one to help them when they need it because I really love my parents and I'm really grateful for everything they've done for me.”

Stella approaches me and holds my face with both hands, she always does this to clear my mind, she taps my cheeks and smiles from ear to ear.

“They'll be fine, you just have to make sure to write to them every day so you'll be calm and they'll be happy that you can communicate with them.”

I make a disgusted face and she lets go.

“Distance doesn't have to be a hindrance to loving and caring for someone, remember that.”

“I will,” I assure her.

I get up from the chair and put it back in its place, I review the work I have and see all the emails I've received from work, after highlighting the important ones and checking what some clients have asked me to do, I decide to continue with the project for the company. I'm a graphic designer at Moore Companies, I've never attended in person, everything I've done so far has been online, and I feel much more comfortable that way. Some say the boss is an imposing man, someone who doesn't let people into his life easily, just like there are rumors that he's gay. I've never been a fan of gossip and I'm not the type of person to stay where everyone is commenting and speculating about others, so I just focus on my work.

Stella comes to my side and puts her hand on my shoulder, “What are you working on?”

“It's a project for a new product launch, they want me to design the packaging and some promotional material” I explain.

“Can I see it?” she asks, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Sure,” I say, turning my laptop screen towards her.

She looks at it for a few seconds, then turns to me with a smile, “You're amazing, Ginger. I'm sure this will be a success.”

I chuckle, “Thanks, Stell. You always know how to lift my spirits.”

“That's what friends are for,” she says, giving me a hug.

I feel a rush of emotions, gratitude, love, and peace. I'm lucky to have a friend like her, someone who understands me, cheers me up, and supports me no matter what. I take a deep breath and smile, feeling better than before.

“Let's go out and have some fun,” I suggest, grabbing my purse.

“Finally! I thought you'd never suggest it,” Stella jokes, putting on her shoes.

We leave the house and walk down the street, laughing and chatting about everything and nothing. We don't have a specific plan, but that doesn't matter, we just want to enjoy the day and forget about our worries for a while.

As we approach a park, we hear music and see people dancing. Curious, we go closer and see a group of young people performing a dance choreography. They look so happy and energetic, we can't help but be drawn to them.

Without thinking twice, we join the group and start dancing with them. It's liberating and exhilarating, the music, the movements, the laughter. For a moment, I forget about everything else, I'm just in the moment, dancing and enjoying life.

Stella and I exchange a knowing look, we both feel the same way. We may not have our parents with us right now, but we have each other, and that's enough. We'll make the most of every day, and cherish the moments we have together.

As the dance ends, we thank the group and say goodbye. We walk back home, feeling tired but happy.

“Today was great,” Stella says, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, it was,” I agree, smiling. “I'm glad we went out,” she adds.

“Me too. We should do this more often,” I say.

“Definitely,” she says, putting her arm around my shoulder.

We enter the house, feeling content and fulfilled. We may not have all the answers to our problems, but we have each other, and that's enough. We'll face whatever comes our way, together.

I have to make several promotional flyers, there will be an event in a few days and the marketing department must be in charge of promoting what will take place. The concept has been left to my discretion, it was not like You have to make a flyer with the image of a beach and a pet, it was more like "We trust you, we know that whatever you do will turn out well.

After six o'clock, I made a sandwich with the ingredients that were left in the fridge, and I watched Stella laugh with her phone before gesturing to let me know she was going to take my computer. When she did, she stopped laughing and frowned.

“What's wrong?”

“You've received an email from the vice president.”

“Open it, it must be important, they rarely send me such personal emails.”

“Dear Ms. Ginger, it is a pleasure to inform you that you are cordially invited to the event on Saturday, regards, Mr. Gabriel Moore.”