Chapter 38

• It felt like deja vu. How I now ogle the structure as I stand in front of our workplace. The heartbeat I had experienced in the past was still present. The amazement as well as anxiety. The building’s sleek glass panels reflected the morning sun, making it look almost like a beacon of opportunity and challenges intertwined. I could feel the weight of memories pressing against the edge of my consciousness, every corner of the office reminding me of decisions made, mistakes committed, and lessons painfully learned.
• I breathed in and out. I took one look at myself before deciding to walk. I can’t deny that my nervousness doubled when I entered the company. My heels clicked against the polished floor, echoing softly in the wide corridor, a sound both reassuring and unnerving. When I was at home, I had already prepared for the employees’ scrutinizing looks, that’s why I was surprised when all I saw in their reactions was pure shock. Some of the employees were still familiar to me, faces blurred by years but not forgotten. There were some that I didn’t know, maybe they came in when I was gone. Their curious eyes followed me, some daring to whisper under their breath, but none approached. The mixture of recognition and mystery around the new employees created a subtle tension, a reminder that time changes everything yet some things remain startlingly the same.
• I tried to plaster a small smile on my lips. "Good morning," I greeted formally. My voice was steady, though my stomach fluttered nervously. The words seemed to float awkwardly in the vast hallway, bouncing off the walls before being swallowed by the office’s hum of early activity.