THE MOMENT
"This is going to take forever...," Bartleby cursed his luck and checked his watch. He had five minutes to complete a 20-minute job. He was supposed to create scroll backups, but he was an intern, and extra work rolled downhill. And, it seemed like everyone wanted to lighten their load for that Friday. He couldn't blame them, he'd pawn his work off too, if he could.
"Unless...?" Bartleby had a sudden inspiration. He'd already accepted his fate and was making peace with the fact that he'd miss the biggest event of the year. But, he remembered there was a copy machine in the break room.
He chuckled lightly as he remembered when he'd first started. It'd only been a couple of years, but time flew by. He remembered thinking how silly it was to have a copy machine in the break room. That's where the big screen TV, and the fridges were. It was very much a space not designed for work. But, now, in this particular instance, it made perfect sense to have a copy machine in the break room.
He was running out of time, and he decided quickly. With a heave, he grabbed the organized binder of scrolls and dashed out of his office toward the break room.
He wasn't surprised to hear a ruckus as he approached; the break room was usually full, and today was an exciting day.
"Hey, Bartleby!" Dennis, his supervisor, greeted him with a smile. "Got those spells duplicated?"
"Not yet, Sir," Bartley shook his head. He hated his boss; but, was thankful for him at the same time. He knew his hatred for Dennis was entirely his own perspective. He was putting too much thought into Dennis' words, much more than intended. It'd taken some time for him to learn that was just his personality. He was genuinely curious about the work, and not trying to imply that Bartleby should be working instead of hanging out in the break room.
"Alright, well, I don't doubt they'll be ready on time. Keep it up," he nodded, then turned his attention back to the TV. Everyone was watching it, and there were more employees than chairs, with several standing along the walls.
Despite the words of encouragement, Bartleby was crushed. He'd rushed there without truly taking other people into account. He worked in a large company that owned a large building with hundreds of employees.
He wasn't the only one who wanted to see the opening match of the Pineapple Cup, but there was only one copy machine in the break room. Someone was already using it, with several others in line behind them.
"Fine," Bartleby sighed to himself quietly. No one would have heard him anyway, they were all watching the TV. The game hadn't properly started yet, but it would any minute. Roller Derby was usually a 'must-see' sport from the beginning because truly high-level games could be decided within the first few minutes. He didn't want to risk missing it, but now he had no choice. If the game did go on to end naturally, it would last until after his shift, and he didn't want to make the copies then. If it ended early, he would have time, but he didn't want to bet on that. He would rather miss the game than risk staying late. "...I guess I'll use the one in the meeting room."