all it takes

so today i'm back from the whirlwind world of deadlines and architectural plans, back to a desk overflowing with stacks of books rather than huge rolls of drawings and bits of tracing paper with incoherent handwriting and sketches all over them. yes, i'm back to the library.

and bang! i'm back to the bottom of the foodchain, doing the most unuseful job in the office, quiet and self-contained, everyone walking by hurriedly just in case HEAVEN FORBID I ASK THEM TO HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHERE THE TITLE OF THIS JAPANESE BOOK IS. the sudden quiet is letting me recover from the two projects of last week, but i want more than this.

And suddenly my boss, a lovely kind of round ang-moh man, who calls me darling and swears terribly, bursts into our section of the room, back from the presentation for the project i've been working on all of last week, and we all turn expectantly towards him. "Piece of cake," he says, grinning, and as the rest, distracted by the sudden interruption all start chattering about something or other, he strides back out and then doubles back, points at me and says "Well done. Excellent job, you." in clear assertive phrases and leaves, riding on our success, as though it is nothing. But it is something, and I explode with what i suppose is pride and flight and joy all mixed together, and think, maybe work isn't so bad after all.