At a certain office,
"Mashida-san, can you hand me that file?"
"Here you go".
"Hey, did you complete the assignment I gave you?"
"Yeah, it's almost done".
"Looks like it will be another busy night".
"Hey Boss, make sure to treat as after this, it's way too much work".
"Well of course, tonight I'll treat ya all to Yakiniku, drinks and there will also be bonus at the end of the month."
"Yeah !!!!!"
Then everyone cheered loudly and so did I. they the boss told everyone to quiet down and start working.
Ahh, my head hurts, but I need to focus.
Then I took a sip of coffee and started to work again.
Time flies, four hours later...….
We finally finished our work before the deadline. After that the section chief took us to a fancy restaurant.
"Cheers!!!!!!!"
It was festive atmosphere. People clinging glasses and just having a good time. But Satoru was the odd ball in the room. He was holding his glass of beer but only took small sips. Occasionally he would frown dew to constant headaches. He started to have these constant headaches a week ago. He went to see a doctor but was told that it would go away after a good rest. He watched his colleagues laugh, drinking and having a good time. But he couldn't join them not because of the headache but the fact that he felt he didn't belong here. Then suddenly his boss came to his side to celebrate, but he saw Satoru frowning and not drinking and enjoying. So, he asked,
" Hey, Satoru why are you all alone here? Come join us"
Hearing his boss say that Satoru decided to tell the truth so he said, "Boss, I really don't feel like joining, I've been having these headaches."
His boss looked a little worried. After thinking a bit, he asked Satoru if he wanted to leave early.
Hearing this Satoru replied, " Thanks boss, that would be helpful."
"Then be on your way," His boss said.
After getting permission Satoru drank down the whole mug of beer and stood up to leave but then his boss handed him 500 dollars and said,
"It's sad that you're leaving early, but it can't be helped. Your health comes first. Take this and take a taxi home and buy some medicine on your way home and also take 3 days sick leave."
Satoru finally showed a little smile. He was really grateful. He thought himself to be lucky to end up in a rare white company where pay is good and the work environment was also good. Satoru bowed down and thanked his boss for his generosity and was about to leave when his boss shouted,
"Listen up everyone, Fujiyama isn't feeling well, so he's leaving early, wish him good health".
"That's too bad man"
"Get well soon"
"Here to Fujiyama"
Cheers !!!!
The people at the party all cheered and wish him a speedy recovery. Satoru was really grateful for having such a work environment. So, he waved them good bye and slowly left the bar. Night in the city is still bustling with people laughing, street vendors selling their goods, families having a great time, it's a holiday after all. Satoru quickly called a taxi and stared his journey towards home.
Ding!
After getting off the elevator he went towards his apartment and opened the door. Lights were off and why wouldn't it be? He had no one to welcome him. He was an orphan and still unmarried. People around his age at the company, most of them got married. But for some reason he was still single. And so, no one was there to welcome him. With a sigh he went inside, took off his shoes and turned on the lights. The apartment wasn't messy like what you expect from a bachelor living alone. From when he was little, he liked to keep his room clean and tidy. And it has become a habit at some point. After settling down his stuff he took a bath. Out of the bath he felt a little hungry. It's because he hadn't had anything to eat the entire day, partially because of his headaches. And he hardly had anything at the party. So, his stomach started a rebellion. With a sigh he went towards the kitchen. There was nothing to eat at the kitchen because he didn't make anything this morning. So we went towards the stove, and lot it. In a sauce pot he added water and salt and started to boil it. When the water started to boil, he added pasta to the pot. While the pastas were being cooked, in another pan he added some olive oil. He finely chopped some garlic and chili flakes then added to the pan. After the garlic got a little color, he added crushed tomatoes to the pan. He seasoned with some salt and black pepper. While he was doing this his pasta was ready. He took a cup of pasta water and drained the rest of the water. On the other side when his tomatoes were cooked and was sticking to the pan, he added that cup of pasta water and stopped the tomatoes from sticking to the bottom. Then he added his pasta and started to gently stir it. When it was almost done, he added some fresh basil to the pan and cut off the heat. Cooking is one thing that he really enjoyed, so whenever he had the time, he would cook something. And over the years he had gotten really good at that.
After the pasta finished cooking, he used a fork to twirl the pasta, so he can plate it nicely, then he grated some parmesan cheese on top and added a couple of basil on top. He was really proud of his work. He sat down and out his and together and prayed,
" Itadakimasu "
When
Suddenly everything went black.