A Seat at the Table

The place was quieter than I expected. Not empty, but settled, like it had already decided how loud it wanted to be for the night. I took a seat where there was room, hands resting around a glass I hadn’t chosen for myself, and let the conversation move without me. They were already mid-discussion, voices overlapping in an easy way that made it clear this wasn’t something new. I listened, nodded when it felt appropriate, and told myself that this was enough. 

At some point, I realized I had stopped paying attention to how I was sitting. My shoulders weren’t drawn in anymore, my hands resting where they had fallen instead of where I thought they should be. Being here was already more than I usually allowed.

I was happy just to be included, and it was nice being able to take part in their discussions rather than only overhearing fragments in passing. The main topic at the moment was Garrett’s frustration at always being asked to move the heavy equipment.

“Just because I’m strong doesn’t mean it should always fall on me.” His expression shifted into a toothy grin as he rolled up his sleeves.
“But at least it lets me show off these muscles to Rena, so it’s all worth it.”

The group sighed in unison. It was no secret that Garrett was fond of Rena, but she had never shown the slightest interest in reciprocating his advances. She didn’t seem bothered by him either. Seeing them together was oddly endearing.

After a deep sigh of disappointment, Rena remarked, “With all those nutrients going to your arms instead of your brain, it’s a miracle you even managed to get hired here.”

“Well, you already know nothing can keep us apart. Isn’t that right?”

We all rolled our eyes and let the silence settle. I was genuinely glad I had chosen to join them, even if I couldn’t shake the quiet fear that this might be a one-time thing, never to happen again.

Sensing that the topic had run its course, I noticed Otto trying to think of something to add, but Amelia beat him to it.

Her eyes lit up as she turned her phone around, showing everyone a picture of a cat up for adoption. She wanted to know what we thought about her getting it. I had worked near them long enough to know exactly how this conversation would end.

“It would be nice to get a friend for the one I already have at home. What do you all think?” Amelia often came across as an unpredictable airhead, except when it came to cats. Then she became a broken record.

It felt like déjà vu listening to Otto bring up the logistics of owning another cat while encouraging her anyway. Garrett replied with mild irritation, still holding a grudge after being scratched once. In the end, Amelia decided she didn’t need another one. As long as she had Puck, she would be fine.

The group carried on for a while longer, the conversation shifting into inside jokes that I could mostly piece together by now. It wasn’t until they started talking about work that I became the focus.

“What’s crazy is how slow working in a lab feels,” someone said. “We worked so hard to get our degrees, and now our reward is just showing up and making progress whenever. I thought we’d be doing more.”

“I know what you mean. I thought we’d be rolling out new gadgets every day, but it takes years just to get out of research. For something called research and development, manufacturing ends up being the quickest part, even though it’s the most fun.”

“Yeah… wait.” Otto paused, glancing at me. “You’re relatively new here, but you’ve probably done more than all of us combined. How did you get so good at adjusting the lab environment? It’s insane how much faster everything gets with you around, Julien.”

Hearing my name spoken out loud felt surreal. I couldn’t remember the last time it had been said here, not since my interview and tour nearly a year ago. I took a moment to respond, partly because the surprise made me choke on my drink.

“Oh, I just really enjoy integrating magic with machines." I almost apologized for talking too long, the words lining up out of habit, but they never made it past my throat. "I studied both in college, so that’s probably where I picked it up.” I hesitated before adding, more quietly, “And thank you for noticing my contributions.”

I felt something stir inside me, something I couldn’t quite name. It came dangerously close to tears.

Garrett laughed loudly. “I mean, we’re all nerds here, but it looks like we found the one nerd to rule them all. Of course we notice what you do. We work near you every day.”

“Garrett, lower your voice. We’re inside,” Rena scolded before turning to me with a gentler smile. “Sorry for relying on you so much. When I don’t know how to proceed, I kind of hope you’ll be the one to fix it. And somehow, it always works out.”

Otto cleared his throat to get Amelia’s attention. She had been too engrossed in her memory reader, reliving her morning with her cat. When she finally looked up, she smiled sheepishly.
“I’ve always wanted to stop by your station to ask your opinion on my cat, but you always look so busy that it makes me want to work harder myself. So really, we should be thanking you.”

Otto spoke last, making sure his words carried the same weight as the others.
“Tomorrow, why don’t we try working together, all five of us? Who knows what we could accomplish. Maybe we could even make something of our own, separate from the company. And honestly, we’d only get as far as we do because you’re with us, Julien.”

I realized I was smiling, truly smiling, for the first time in a long while. Wanting to keep the night going rather than break the moment, I knew exactly what to say.

“Let’s do that. I’d like that a lot. And Amelia, if you don’t mind, I’m curious. How exactly did you meet Puck?”

Garrett groaned loudly. “I’m going to need something stronger if I’m going through this again.” He waved a waiter over and ordered another drink.

Otto gave me a reassuring look, as if to say I had done nothing wrong. Rena watched Amelia with affectionate disappointment, calling her hopeless. None of it fazed Amelia. She had already found what she needed, pulling out old photos from her bag, taken before memory readers became the norm, and launching into a story she had told many times before. She told it with the same enthusiasm as always.

This time, it was the first time I got to hear it.

By the end of her story, I finally felt like I belonged. We said our goodbyes not long after, with Otto insisting on covering the bill. As I stepped outside, I realized I had remembered something important.

I was looking forward to tomorrow.