"Your diet is your bank account, Good food choices are good investments."
- Bethenny Frankel
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Delilah started off in a daydream as she watched people pa.s.sing by her table, without really watching them. For her, they seem like a blur as her mind drifts off somewhere else.
She was in the cafeteria where she had just finished off her lunch. She sat alone at the table. Her colleagues had already gone to their floors once they had finished their lunches.
She usually went straight to her cubicle after she was done with her meal but instead, she stayed for awhile. She was thinking about her life. Yes, it seems like she was thinking too deep. But she could not help thinking. Will her life stay like this? Is there anything she could do to make her life fun?
Last week, she had met up with a couple of her high-school friends. They decided to meet and catch up with one another. The last time she had met them was three years ago. When they coincidentally met up on social media, they immediately decided on a date to meet up. They did not realize how time flies and how long it has been since they met each other.
When they finally got together, there was the usual teasing here and there. And then the dreaded question of, "So, how have you been?" was voiced out.
The three of them went silent for a second after they asked the question at the same time. Then they suddenly burst out laughing. The three of them decided to meet up at a gelato cafe since they just wanted something cold and sweet to eat after a sweltering hot day.
On a small round table, on Delilah"s right was her friend, Eden. She worked as a highschool teacher at a public school. She has been working as a teacher for three years already. When they last met each other, she was still working as a relief teacher in a private school before she got a job offer at the public school. Although she posed as a strict teacher in front of her students, outside her work life, she loved to do crazy stuff with her friends, making childish jokes.
On Delilah"s left was another friend named Lacey. She worked as an IT programmer in one of the most sought-after telecommunication companies in the country. Unlike Delilah and Eden, who continued on to do their bachelor degrees after college, Lacey went to look for work, instead. Hence, she had been working longer than them.
Similar to Delilah, the two of them weren"t married yet. Though, they do still have commitments at home as the three of them still lived with their parents. Their familial culture was where most parents usually do not allow their children to live alone, unless they were married or had a family. This culture has always been greatly embedded in them so they do not find it wrong, still living with their parents, even at their age.
That day, when the three of them met up, Meena, another one of their highschool friends, was supposed to join them but she had a family event to attend to. So, only the three of them came.
Once they are done laughing, they finally tell each other what has been happening to them.
Two years ago, Eden started being active with her exercises. Nearly everyday after work, she would go to the gym and do some kickboxing. She had been training for more than a year. It was not that she wanted to make kickboxing as her crucial day-to-day activity. But she had found peace and fun in kickboxing. She told them that she even joined one of the compet.i.tions in the neighbouring country. Even though she did not win the compet.i.tion, it was fun for her. She took a break that day since she was meeting up with them.
As for Lacey, she has started an online floristry business. Ever since she went to j.a.pan and attended one of the flower arranging cla.s.ses, she had been hooked. She loved how calming and soothing it felt when one arranged the flowers. Making bouquets, choosing the right flower with the right colors as well as creating loving messages, Lacey loved it so much that she even bought a huge flower refrigerator for her flowers. She had started the business for a year already and thankfully, her customers were a lot. From friends, couples and parents, she had received many kinds of customers. She also loved the feeling of making her customers happy.
Listening to them, Delilah had felt lost and having no goals. She also felt a bit envious at how they find pa.s.sion in what they do, other than work. Thus, she felt a bit ashamed when she told them that she had done nothing but eat, work, sleep and repeat. It was not that she didn"t want to have a goal. She wasn"t sure she knew what goal she wanted.
Thinking of that day, Delilah sighed as she slumped over the table, her cheek against the cool surface of the table and her hands beside her head.
She was like that until someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Startled, she turned around in her seat and looked up at Bella"s concerned look. "What"s wrong, D?" she asked, tilting her head in question.
Giving a weak smile, Delilah shook her head. "It"s nothing," she answered softly. She then stood up, grabbing her lunch bag and phone. She turned to look at Bella, who was still standing behind her. "Anyway, I"d better go. See you later, Bella."
Bella grinned. "Alright. See you," she said.
Minutes later, after she had reached her floor, she decided to have a look at the noticeboard. Every floor in the office has its own noticeboard. Mostly people posted the current events happening at the office, safety rules and regulations and also the events happening in the country. There are those who also posted advertis.e.m.e.nts in the noticeboard. Although it was unusual to post these kinds of advertis.e.m.e.nts, as long as it has the General Affair department"s approvals and also it does not clash with the company"s products and services.
Delilah was looking at each of the pamphlets that were posted on the noticeboard when one of the flyers caught her eyes.
She walked over and looked closely.
"KOREAN BEGINNERS LANGUAGE CLa.s.s
ONLY $100 PER MONTH
4 CLa.s.sES IN A MONTH
6PM - 8PM EVERY MONDAY"
She then continued to read the details and found that the cla.s.s wasn"t that far from the office. And it was only $100 per month, which for her was a great deal since they offered free materials and etc.
She quickly took a picture of the flyer and saved the phone number of the cla.s.s. She decided to text them whether they have an empty slot or not.
In her cubicle, she kept quiet, though, she was arguing with herself in her mind. She was trying to push herself to contact the cla.s.s. And in the end, she did.
She wasn"t sure whether to feel happy or disappointed when they said that they do have an empty slot. But she was starting to feel nervous. It has been a long time since she joined a cla.s.s. A cla.s.s that she would be going alone, without her cousins or friends.
She took a deep breath and calmed down. She placed her phone on her table and let out another sigh.
Aubree was walking past Delilah"s cubicle when she saw the latter staring off into s.p.a.ce. She knocked gently on the cubicle wall and asked softly, "Delilah, are you alright?"
Delilah blinked her eyes and turned around. She then gave Aubree a smile and nodded. "Yeah, I"m good. What"s up?"
"You seem a bit off," Aubree commented.
Delilah let out a light chuckle. "Nah, I"m good."
After they talked for a little bit, Aubree went off to her cubicle while Delilah returned to working on her tasks.
The office was quiet for the past few hours before working hours ended.
Once Aubree was back in her cubicle, no one there walked around, even to the restroom as each of the employees were hard at work. Sounds of tapping on the keyboards were the only few sounds that could be heard.
It was only when the clock struck five in the afternoon that there was a bit of commotion in the office as everyone began to prepare to leave work.
Delilah was saying goodbye to her colleagues as she climbed inside her car.
Few minutes later, she arrived at home where she immediately went to her room and changed into a more comfortable outfit.
Once she was done, she went out of her room and straight to the kitchen.
She had heated up some oil in a frying pan and was about to cook something for her snacks. Apparently, too much thinking made her hungry which led to her need for more brain food. She did not want to eat a heavy meal since she"s going to eat dinner again in a couple of hours. So, she decided to fry some samosas.
Soon after, the samosas were done frying. Delilah was grateful for pre-cooked samosas since she doesn"t have to make it from scratch.
She was contemplating whether to apply for the language cla.s.s or not when her brother, Munier walked in.
"Have you been eating without me again?" he exclaimed, his eyes blazing with accusation.
Delilah rolled her eyes at his dramatic act and said dryly, "I"ve just finished frying some samosas. You can join me if you want."
"Of course, I want to," he said, sitting down across her. "Even if you didn"t invite me, I"d sit down and help myself anyway."
His sister rolled her eyes again as she picked one of the samosas from the plate.
The samosa was still piping hot but still safe to eat. As Delilah took a bite, she could taste the blended flavor of the crispy crust. Inside, the potatoes were soft, mixed with caraway, chilies and coriander, making it savory. She liked how the herbs and spices tasted like, especially when eaten with the outer sh.e.l.l of the samosa. Not only does it have a slightly spicy curry taste from the fillings but the smell was aromatic too.
The two of them kept quiet as they finished the samosas off.
Once they were done, Delilah broke the silence by asking Munier, "What do you think about learning language?"
Munier was surprised at first by the sudden question. Then he asked back, "What do you mean?"
"I"m thinking of learning Korean language but I"m not sure if it"s alright or not," she said as she placed her chin on her palm and her elbow on the table.
Munier frowned. "Why do you want to learn Korean?" he asked.
Delilah shrugged. "I"m not sure. I just thought maybe I should have another skill added to me. Like knowing another language," she answered. "But I"m not sure whether it"s a good thing or not."
Her brother tapped the table with his forefinger, looking thoughtful. "Well, depends on what you"re going to use it for. Though, personally, if it"s just for personal interest like, for instance, you want to learn because you want to watch your KDrama [1] without using subt.i.tles, then I guess it"s fine.
But if you want to learn it for professional reasons, it"s okay too. Even if you"re in an HR department, there might be times you might be involved with foreign workers or foreign companies. And imagine, coincidentally, it"s a Korean company. It doesn"t hurt if you know another language. It may give you an advantage over others," he explained.
Delilah nodded, agreeing with his explanation. "True, true," she murmured thoughtfully.
Munier shrugged. "So yeah, it doesn"t hurt if you learn another language. It may not be for free but it"s a good investment personally and professionally."
She nodded again. "You"re right," she said. "Alright, I"ll register myself for the cla.s.s."
With that, she immediately texted the cla.s.s and paid her fees online.
She just hoped that she won"t regret the decision.
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[1] Korean Drama