Mary walked into the company building and headed straight to her office. After exchanging greetings with her coworkers, she sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. A strange feeling accompanied her today — she couldn't stop thinking about what Xinous had told her. She wanted to set a new plan for her life, to make a real change. But her mind was too crowded with thoughts, and she couldn't focus. She didn't even know what she truly wanted.
Suddenly, the sharp ring of the phone on her desk startled her. She jumped slightly, pulled out of her thoughts. It was Mr. Conner, her boss — a rational and precise man who cared deeply about everything being done well.
Mr. Conner: "Mary, could you come to my office for a moment?"
Mary: "Yes, Mr. Conner. I'm on my way."
She walked into his office and, like always, admired its neatness and order.
Mary: "You asked for me, sir?"
Mr. Conner looked up from the papers on his desk and nodded.
Mr. Conner: "Yes, Mary, come closer. You need to take a look at these. A batch of new reports came in today. There are quite a few issues with them, and I want you to review them carefully, fix the problems, and get them back to me by tomorrow. I need them ready for the meeting."
Mary stepped forward and took the stack of reports, surprised.
Mary: "By tomorrow? But... that's not much time. I'm not sure I can finish them all today."
Mr. Conner: "I understand it's a lot, but if you stay for some overtime today, you should be able to wrap it up. I'd help you myself, but I have to attend another meeting right now."
Mary (hesitant): "Alright... I'll do my best."
She returned to her desk, set the reports down, and sighed as she sank into her chair.
Mary (to herself): "I was supposed to be planning my life... now I'm stuck fixing someone else's mess."
Still, she started reviewing the reports and identifying the mistakes. Around noon, Deniz, one of her coworkers, came by and glanced at the papers.
Deniz: "Wow, that's a lot... how are you going to finish all this?"
Mary: "I don't know. I have to stay late."
Deniz: "I'd help if I knew anything about this stuff. I was going to ask you to grab lunch, but you look super busy."
Mary: "Yeah, I want to get through as much of this as I can."
Deniz: "Alright, I'll leave you to it... Oh, why don't you ask Rachel for help? She works in the same area."
Mary: "You know her. I can't ask her for anything."
Deniz: "Yeah, I guess so. But I wonder why Mr. Conner didn't ask both of you to work on it together if it's that urgent."
Mary: "Who knows? Maybe he's afraid of Rachel's attitude too."
Deniz: "Maybe... anyway, good luck!"
After Deniz left, Mary kept thinking about how unfair it felt. She sighed deeply and went back to work.
As the workday ended and the office emptied out, Mary felt frustrated watching everyone leave. She mumbled to herself:
Mary: "I'm tired of being scared. I'm always the one doing extra work."
She stood up and walked to Mr. Conner's office. Knocking gently, she entered.
Mary: "Excuse me, Mr. Conner."
Mr. Conner (focused): "Just a second, Mary… let me finish this code… okay, what is it?"
Mary: "I wanted to say... um…"
She paused. Seeing how hard Mr. Conner was working made it hard for her to complain.
Mr. Conner: "I'm listening, Mary. Is it about the reports? Is there too much left? I'll help you in a bit, I just need to finish this task."
Mary: "Yes, I just… I mean, these reports need a lot of work. Maybe we could've asked someone else to help?"
Mr. Conner: "Who? Rachel's the only one experienced enough, and you know I can't ask her anything. She gets offended and complains to her uncle. It's fine — we'll finish it together."
Mary wanted to say she didn't want to stay late anymore. But seeing his effort made her stay quiet. She nodded and returned to her desk.
That night, on her way home on the subway, Mary sat in silence, lost in thought. Once she got to her room, she collapsed on the bed, exhausted. As she sat up to take off her coat and threw it on the chair, her eyes caught the three paintings on her wall.
Mary: "Ugh… the girl in green. In my dream, I felt so full of hope. I really thought today would be different. And it was — for a while. But then it all turned into the same old routine again. I don't want this to continue. I'm tired. I want to go back through that forest again."
She lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Mary: "I have to change myself. That's the only way to change my life. I know the girl in green is still inside me. She never left me. I need to stop being afraid. Tomorrow won't be like today. Tomorrow is a new day... with new changes."