| Fan Fiction |
by kglove
“Knock, knock!” Gerald greeted her by the door.
“Hey, come in.” Kim looked up from her computer.
“Here, I brought you snacks. I noticed you haven’t been out of your office since training ended so you must be starving.”
“Thanks, I was so busy I didn’t even notice the time. How about you? We can share this.” Kim offered.
Gerald declined. “No, I'm fine. I just finished eating before I came here.”
“So what are you still doing here anyway?” Kim asked.
“Well, just like you, I’ve been busy reviewing all the stuff used for training. Manuals, PowerPoint presentations, facilitator’s guide, and all that. I just finished revising everything that needed to be changed. How about you?”
“I'm done with all those stuff as well. I'm just about to send my daily training reports before I leave.” Kim said in between eating. “Honestly, I just want this week to be over. Michael has put each and every one of us in a great deal of pressure because of the client visit next week. I'm so tired, I can sleep all day.”
Gerald wasn’t able to stop himself from laughing at Kim. “I don’t really doubt that. In fact, I think you’re not just tired, you’re very hungry too.”
Kim stopped eating and looked at Gerald. “What are you talking about?”
“You just finished an entire serving of buko pandan and that order was good for two people, Kim.”
Kim threw Gerald a rolled up napkin. “This is my favorite, so what?”
“Yeah I know that. I just didn’t think you’d finish everything in one sitting.”
Kim wasn’t able to hide her smile anymore. “I'm sorry, I'm really stressed out this entire week and I eat a lot when I am strained.”
“That’s okay. I love it when you eat a lot. I recall one time you were so anxious about the result of your application here. You ate a lot of siomai during that time.”
“Yeah. I remember that. You even told me you’d give me something to be stressed about everyday so that I would gain weight if I keep on eating.” Kim was now laughing.
All of a sudden, the door to her office opened. “There you are. I need to talk to both of you.” Michael said.
“What’s up, boss?” Gerald stood up and let Michael sit down.
“Our clients will be scrutinizing the way we handle training. I know you send me daily reports but I need you to be there when I talk to them. You are the one dealing with the trainees and I think you are the best person to talk to when they ask their progress, right? Don’t worry; I’ll be there as well.”
“Okay, I don’t see any problem with that.” Kim told him. “And please do me a favor, Mike. Please relax. You put too much pressure on yourself. We have been adhering to the standard quality of training that they sent us and there’s nothing to be worried about.”
“I know that. But I can’t help it. Anyway, what are you both still doing here? You should go home and get some rest for next week.”
“We were actually on our way out. I just finished my daily reports and Gerald here brought me food. We’re going home in a while.”
“You should do the same thing, Mike. Have a nice weekend.”
“Alright. See you both on Monday.” Michael walked out of Kim’s office.
“He’s right, Kim. We should probably get going.”
“Yeah, I’ll just clean up my mess. You can go ahead if you want.”
Gerald helped Kim tidy up her table. “It’s okay. I can stay for a few more minutes.”
“Thanks Gerald. But I brought my car with me so you don’t have to wait for me.”
“Well then I’ll walk you to your car. Really, Kim, it’s fine. I don’t have anything to do anyway.”
“Fine, have it your way.”
***
Gerald went home to visit his dad that weekend while Kim went out of town with Cathy. When they got back to work, Gerald wanted to talk to Kim but on his way to her office, Michael stopped him.
“Let’s go, Gerald. Our clients are already here. Kim’s already in my office waiting with them.”
When they entered Michael’s office, Gerald’s eyes immediately looked for Kim. Their eyes met and they both smiled at each other.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Gerald Anderson, another one of the best trainers here.”
Gerald greeted the clients one by one as they introduced themselves. He finally settled in a seat beside Kim. He was about to say something to Kim when Michael spoke up.
“So, now that we’re all here, we can start this meeting. Again, my name is Michael Hucalla and I am the Training Director for this site. This is Kimberly Chiu and Gerald Anderson once again.” He pointed to Kim and Gerald. “They are two of the top trainers here. They have been with the company for about 4 years now. Gerald is originally from Communications Training then he moved to Product Training after a year. He moved back just this year when we needed another trainer during the ramp. Kim on the other hand has been with Communications ever since she started working for us.”
They started their presentation of how training is being conducted. The meeting lasted for more than an hour. The clients asked to be toured around the facilities and wanted to see first hand how training is being handled.
“Kim and Gerald, thank you very much for that nice presentation. I think they were satisfied with the figures that they saw.”
“Good to hear that, Mike. So do you want us to come with you for the tour or you’re good?”
“Well, you’ve done a wonderful job for now so I’ll take it from here. I’ll just let you know if I need you.”
As soon as Michael walked away with the visitors, Kim heaved a sigh of relief. “That was nerve wracking. But I'm glad they liked our presentation. I was worried that they wouldn’t like the attrition rate of our site.”
“I think they know that is something that cannot be avoided in a call center.” Gerald held the door as he and Kim went out of Michael’s office.
“Well, I'm just relieved it’s over.” Kim smiled. “So how was your weekend?”
“My dad was almost in tears when he saw me and Ken. It’s been a really long time since the last time he saw both of us together so he was a little emotional. How about you? Did you enjoy your trip?”
“Yeah, I did. Cathy was whining during our first day there because Xian was not able to come but she totally forgot about it when she saw the beach. Oh my gosh, I’d love to go back there soon.”
“Well, that’s nice to know. So, I’ll see you later. I need to go check my class. I'm sure you want to do that too.” Gerald waved at her.
“Yes, I do. Catch up with you later.”
***
At the end of one of the daily meetings that the trainers and clients have, Kim was suddenly approached by one of the clients.
“Hi, Ms. Chiu. My name is Jeremy Wade.” He held out his hand and waited for Kim to take it.
Kim shook his hands without hesitation. “Hello Mr. Wade. Just call me Kim. What can I do for you?”
“Well, nothing much really. I think I have all the information I need for today. I just wanted to introduce myself to you formally.”
Kim smiled. “Are you enjoying your stay here so far, Mr. Wade?”
“Please, just call me Jeremy. But yes, I am having fun.”
“Is this your first time here in the Philippines, Jeremy?”
“Actually yes, it is. I love the weather here. See, from where I came from, it’s so cold especially during winter. So this warm climate is a welcome change for me.”
“That’s good to know. Make sure to try the Filipino foods.”
Jeremy beamed. “I have. I love chicken adobo.”
Kim can’t help but laugh at the enthusiasm that Jeremy is showing. “Who doesn’t? It’s probably one of the best food we have here.”
“I know. Why don’t you join us for dinner later?”
“Oh, no, thanks for inviting me but I can’t tonight. Maybe some other time.”
“Very well. But I'm going to ask you again soon and I hope you’ll come with me by then.”
“Sure, I’d love to. I can even show you around Manila.”
“Now I’d definitely take you up on that offer.”
“No problem.” Said Kim.
“Alright then, I’ll see you around Kim. It was nice meeting you, personally.” Jeremy was all smiles.
“See you, Jeremy.”
Kim watched Jeremy walk away from her. When he was finally out of her sight, she paced towards her office. What she didn’t know was that Gerald saw their exchange and was frowning at what he witnessed. He very much wanted to ask her about it but he’s worried it might upset her. He strolled back to his office and closed the door, not bothering to greet Kim across the hall.
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just a short update po... something to keep you posted hehehe!