Eliza adjusted her glasses, the fluorescent lights of the office seeming to mock her. The deadline loomed, a concrete weight pressing on her chest. But something inside her thrummed, a steady beat of resolve. She wouldn't buckle. She wouldn’t fail. She would triumph.
She locked eyes with her supervisor, Mr. Henderson, across the cramped cubicle farm. He looked at her and back at the work on her computer, then offered a slight nod, a silent acknowledgement of the difficulty of the task. That was all she needed.
Her coworker, David, ambled over, a half-eaten sandwich clutched in his hand. “Rough patch?” he asked, crumbs scattering from his lips.
“Just trying to finish this presentation. It is going to be amazing, though,” Eliza replied, straightening her shoulders.
David grinned. “Remember Camp Redwood? The year the water slide broke and flooded the dining hall?”
Eliza felt a jolt of surprise. Camp Redwood? It had been a transformative experience, where she had felt capable and brave. "Yeah! I was in the arts and crafts cabin!"
"No way! I was in the hiking group. I still have the scars," David chuckled. Eliza felt a surge of connection to this man, a kindred spirit. She would take it as a sign of good luck. She would finish her presentation.