Asani:
Wednesday afternoon my off day I accompanied Grace to the store to buy some groceries, since the twins were going to leave for their senior trip in two days she wanted to have dinner with them.
The sun was shining brightly as Grace and I walked through the aisles of the grocery store, her shopping list in hand. She was meticulously checking off items while I pushed the cart, occasionally tossing in a snack or two when she wasn't looking.
"Are you seriously sneaking chips into the cart?" Grace asked, catching me red-handed.
"They're for the twins," I replied innocently, holding up the bag of barbecue-flavored chips as a shield.
She rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fine, but don't think I didn't see you grab that extra bag for yourself."
"Busted," I said with a laugh, placing it back on the shelf.
Grace glanced at her list, frowning slightly. "I want to make something special for their dinner. It's their last meal at home before the trip. Any ideas?"
I shrugged, steering the cart around a corner. "What's their favorite? You can't go wrong with something they love."
"Alfredo, definitely," she said, her face lighting up. "With garlic bread and maybe a chocolate cake for dessert."
"Solid choice," I agreed, picking out a loaf of fresh bread while Grace added the pasta and sauce to the cart.
"Aren't you going to make me dinner?" I asked teasing her, "oh please, you can cook your own meal I don't need to cook for you." She replied as she picked up som chicken breast.
"Oh wow, you can't even cook for your best friend." I added, "Exactly, I don't cook for my bestfriend. I cook for my daughters."
"They are my sisters, you have no blood relation with them." I said, "well I raised them, so they are like my daughters."
I laughed, shaking my head as I placed a box of Alfredo pasta into the cart. "You're unbelievable, Grace. You act like you've adopted them or something."
"Well, I might as well have," she shot back with a smirk, tossing a package of shredded cheese into the cart. "You know how much work it is keeping those two in line? I deserve a medal."
"Fair point," I admitted, steering the cart toward the produce section. "But still, a little dinner for your amazing best friend wouldn't hurt."
Grace raised an eyebrow. "Amazing? Didn't you just complain about my cooking last week?"
"That was constructive criticism," I replied with mock seriousness. "I'm just helping you reach your full potential."
She playfully smacked my arm, laughing. "If you want dinner, you can stay for the twins' send-off meal. But you'll have to earn it by helping me cook."
"Deal," I said, grinning. "I'll be the sous chef. Just don't yell at me if I mess up."
"Oh, I'll definitely yell at you," she teased, grabbing a head of broccoli.
As we continued down the aisle, the banter between us felt easy and familiar, a reminder of how much we'd leaned on each other over the years.
"Can you guys even do anything properly, I gave you a simple instruction. Keep the damn system running for 2 hours." A familiar woman voice came sharp and frustrated as we entered the drinks aisle.
"How do you Screw that up!" She exclaimed.
"Someone sounds pissed," Grace whispered.
As the woman walked towards us I caught a glimpse of her, it was Ms. Quinn.
As Ms. Quinn stormed down the aisle, phone in hand and frustration written all over her face, I instinctively nudged Grace, whispering, "That's my boss."
Grace raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "The infamous Ms. Quinn you always talk about?"
"Shh!" I hissed, glancing her way to make sure she hadn't noticed us. Ms. Quinn seemed too engrossed in her phone call to care about her surroundings.
"I don't want excuses," she said sharply, her heels clicking against the polished floor. "Just fix it and make sure this doesn't happen again." She ended the call with a huff, tossing her phone into her bag with more force than necessary.
For a moment, I debated whether to say something or quietly pretend I hadn't seen her. Before I could decide, her eyes landed on me.
"Asani?" she said, her tone surprised but not unkind.
"Uh, hi, Ms. Quinn," I said awkwardly, giving a small wave.
Her eyes shifted to Grace for a second before coming back to me. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Just helping out a friend," I said, motioning to Grace, who gave a polite smile. "Ms. Quinn, this is Grace. Grace, this is my boss."
"Nice to meet you," Grace said, her voice calm and collected.
Ms. Quinn nodded slightly, her usual composed demeanor starting to return. "Likewise." She glanced back at me. "I hope you're enjoying your day off."
"Oh, definitely," I said, hoping my voice sounded convincing. "How about you?"
She gave a faint, almost rueful smile. "Could be better. Crisis management doesn't exactly stop for grocery runs."
Grace smirked, leaning closer to whisper, "So she's human after all."
I bit back a laugh, shaking my head at Grace's audacity. "If you need a hand with anything, Ms. Quinn…"
"I've got it under control," she said quickly, though her tone was less sharp than usual. "Enjoy your evening, Asani."
With that, she walked away, her confidence unwavering even after such a frustrating call.
Grace nudged me as we moved toward the checkout. "I see why you're always talking about her. She's intense, but kind of cool."
"Yeah," I admitted, glancing back down the aisle where Ms. Quinn had disappeared. "She definitely keeps things interesting."
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Later that evening Grace and I slaved away making dinner for the twins before they got home, this was their last homemade dinner before they went away for a whole week.
The kitchen was a flurry of activity as Grace and I worked together, chopping, stirring, and seasoning. The smell of creamy Alfredo sauce filled the air, mingling with the aroma of freshly baked garlic bread. The twins were due home any minute, and we wanted everything to be perfect.
"Pass me the Parmesan," Grace said, her hand outstretched as she checked the sauce bubbling on the stove.
I grabbed the container and handed it over. "You think they'll appreciate this effort, or are they too busy thinking about their trip?"
Grace chuckled, sprinkling the cheese into the sauce. "Oh, they'll appreciate it. They might not say it outright, but they know what we do for them."
I smiled, tossing the salad we'd prepped earlier. "You're giving them way too much credit, but I'll take your word for it."
Just as we were setting the table, my phone started ringing. "Who could that be?" Grace asked as I pulled my phone out my pocket.
I looked at the caller ID and it was Sean, why was he calling me in my off day? "Hello," I answered the call, "are you free right now?" He asked. "Well not really, I'm having dinner with my family."
"I need you to do me a favor, can you come to the office for like 30 minutes or so. We have a big problem right now."
I sighed, glancing over at Grace, who was busy arranging the garlic bread on a plate. "Sean, I'm in the middle of something important. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"
"I wouldn't call if it could wait," Sean replied, his tone carrying a mix of urgency and apology. "The system is acting up again, and if we don't fix this tonight, it's going to be chaos tomorrow. You're the only one who knows this part of the setup inside out."
I rubbed my temples, torn between my responsibilities and the evening I'd planned with Grace and the twins. "Alright, give me 30 minutes to wrap things up here, and I'll head over."
"Thanks, Asani. I owe you one," Sean said, relief evident in his voice.
I hung up and turned to Grace, who was now looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "Work emergency?"
"Yeah," I said, slipping my phone back into my pocket. "Apparently, I'm the only one who can save the day."
"But they will be here in just a few seconds." She said, "don't worry I won't take long, and if I do y'all can start without me." I said grabbing her keys off the drawer and rushing out the house.
I hurried out the door, glancing back once to catch Grace shaking her head with a half-smile. "You'd better not miss dessert!" she called after me.
Sliding into Grace's car, I started the engine and pulled out of the driveway, the guilt creeping in as I thought about the twins. This dinner was supposed to be special for them, and here I was, dashing off to fix yet another work crisis. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, promising myself I'd make it up to them somehow.
The drive to the office felt longer than usual, even though the streets were mostly empty. My mind raced, running through possible solutions for the system issue Sean mentioned. By the time I reached the building and parked, I was already formulating a plan.
As I entered the office, the atmosphere was eerily quiet, the fluorescent lights casting a sterile glow over the empty workstations. Ms. Quinn was pacing back and forward near the sever room look up as I approached.
"You're a lifesaver," Sean said handing me the computer as I entered the room, "can you crack this code?" He asked as I grabbed the computer and took a seat infront of the monitors.
I scanned the screen, frowning as lines of code flashed before me. "What exactly am I looking at?" I asked, my fingers already hovering over the keyboard.
"It's an encryption lock tied to the system's backup files," Ms. Quinn said, her tone sharp with frustration. "We've been locked out since the last update crashed mid-process. The usual protocols aren't working, and we're losing time."
I nodded, my brain kicking into gear. "Alright, give me a few minutes."
The room was tense as I worked, the soft clicks of my keyboard the only sound. Sean and Ms. Quinn hovered nearby, their whispered conversation fading into background noise as I focused. The encryption was sophisticated but not impossible—a challenge, sure, but one I was confident I could crack.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours, but eventually, I found the weak point in the code. "There," I said, typing the final command. The screen flickered, and the system hummed back to life. "You're back in."
Sean let out a breath he'd been holding. "You're a genius, Asani."
"Thank you so much, your are a life saver!" Ms. Quinn rejoiced as she suddenly hugged me tightly.
I froze for a moment, caught off guard by Ms. Quinn's sudden display of gratitude. Her usual composed and sharp demeanor had completely vanished, replaced by genuine relief and joy.
"Uh, you're welcome," I managed, my arms awkwardly hovering in the air before lightly patting her back.
She pulled away quickly, smoothing her blazer and clearing her throat, as if realizing what she'd just done. "Sorry, that was… unprofessional," she muttered, her cheeks tinged with the faintest hint of pink.
Sean smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. "Wow, Asani. A hug from Ms. Quinn. That might just be worth more than your paycheck."
Ms. Quinn shot him a glare that could have melted steel. "Don't push it, Sean."
I chuckled, easing the tension. "Honestly, I didn't think I'd get that kind of reaction tonight, but I'll take it."
She nodded, her usual composed self slowly returning. "You earned it. Good work tonight, Asani. Seriously."
Sean clapped me on the shoulder again, a grin still plastered on his face. "You've got the magic touch, man. Now, get out of here before we find something else for you to fix."
Grabbing my bag, I nodded. "You won't have to tell me twice. Good luck with the rest of the night."
As I walked out of the office, I couldn't help but smile to myself. It wasn't every day you saved the day—and got a hug from Ms. Quinn to top it off.
TBC