Watching the Worker Bees of Wall St.

 

November 22nd, 2017

Hi Marie,

I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out to you because our team received your application for the Acquisition Editorial Internship opportunity at Open Road. We would like to schedule some time for you to speak with the internship manager over the phone to hear more about your background and why you’re interested in the opportunity at OR/M.

-Irene, Human Resources

December 30th, 2017

Hi Marie,

I’m excited to share that we’d like to continue the conversation with you and invite you in to meet with the Assistant Editor, Kayla, and another member from the Editorial team for the Editorial Internship opportunity.

-Irene, Human Resources

 December 6th, 2017

Hi Marie,

I am pleased to extend this offer to you for the for-credit Acquisition Editorial Internship opportunity at Open Road!  Please review the attached document and return a signed copy of the offer letter to me to confirm your acceptance.

-Irene, Human Resources

My first day at the big fancy internship began with getting off at Wall St. 2 stop and following the suits downward towards the water. The sun reflected into my eyes as I nearly tripped over a loose cobblestone. I was wearing heels that day and at nearly 6’4”, it would have been an especially long way down.

I meet Irene from HR and she shows me my desk, already stocked with supplies. With no one in the desk to my right or left, I find it hard to make conversation with my new coworkers. I go to the break room for lunch and try to talk to people. They’re already in a conversation and I wouldn’t want to intrude.

I listen to all the conversations around me. The two girls on the opposite desk seem to be friends, but just casually. There’s a gaggle of girls who talk rather loudly a few desks over about the latest movie or new nearby restaurant. Some might call them “woo girls”- I’m not too interested in talking to them. A man who sits behind me calls out nonstop orders and instructions to his team. I’m glad I’m not on his team.

I start work on my first assignment- a B.A.S., or as they’re commonly known in publishing, a Big Ass Spreadsheet. That was all I did that day.

December 18th, 2017

Hi Marie,

Thanks for all your hard work today! I hope you had a great first day! I promise, you won’t be doing spreadsheets the whole internship.

-Kayla, Assistant Editor

Open offices are strange. You can see and hear everyone around you. The girl with the badly hidden Facebook tab open. The man who makes way too many trips to the break room. The CEO who gets to read books all day.

I’m sitting in the break room eating lunch one day. A girl whose desk isn’t too far from mine sits down across from me. Now’s my chance. Say something. Say hi. No, that’s too obvious. I pick up my phone and pull up instagram. I scroll down to the first cat photo I see and laugh too loudly to myself. I put my phone up to her as if to say “have you ever seen a cat this damn cute?” She laughs uncomfortably.

“What’s your name?”

“Allison,” she says with a period at the end.

“Do you follow as many cat pages as I do?”

“A few.”

That’s it. Fucking millenials.

I go back to work.

“I promise, you won’t be doing spreadsheets the whole internship.”

February 12th, 2018

Hi Kayla!

I finally remembered to send over that vegan cake recipe I was telling you about! Here it is: VeganCakeRecipe.pdf

Hope you have a good weekend!

-Marie

A little sucking up never hurt anyone.

Now there’s a girl at the desk to my right. She eats salads for lunch every day and uses a lot of Purell. Say hi. Wait, she just Purelled her hands. You can’t shake her hand now- that defeats the purpose of Purell. Okay, wait a few seconds and then introduce yourself………. and there she goes with the headphones. Fuck.

I’ll just focus on my work for today. Then I won’t have to talk to anyone.

“I promise, you won’t be doing spreadsheets the whole internship.”

-Marie Pruitt