Jean C. Ortiz Calderón INGL 3238 M25 September 2nd, 2014

Fifth Assignment

Mystery cookie

My alarm didn’t go off and to top it today’s morning traffic was off the charts for a

Friday; we moved an inch by the minute at the Arecibo highway. I could hear children’s laughter

all over since I had the windows down in my car, after all it was a partially cloudy April day, and

it was still chilly. I’m guessing that the unusual traffic around and the children were due to the

huge annual kite festival held at Isabela coming this weekend. “Even I want to attend” I spaced

out, but as the car behind me honked furiously I remember I would be, at least, an hour late for

work. A few stop lights away I was rushing off the parking lot storming my way into the office.

While basically jogging upstairs I was thinking of a well and reasonable excuse other than just

plain blame the horrendous traffic. I got off the stairs and opened the door to the big hallway, fast

walked past three cubicles and then got into the fourth cubicle that was to the left and there it

was laying on top of my keyboard at the desk: the dreaded envelope. Although being late for

work was not reason enough to get fired I pictured the worst scenario. My whole world, which

seconds ago was rushing with the speed of light slowed to the pace of a snail. My left foot

entered the cubicle first but my body refused to follow, with utter denial I got in my worn fabric

office chair. Without hesitation I quickly reached for the envelope and immediately felt it was

unusually heavy. When curiously tearing the envelope apart an oatmeal cookie flew by to my

desk. While picking it up I felt the warmness and a hint of cinnamon in the air. I got up and went

out the cubicle hoping to find the culprit: “This is a joke!”. I got to my desk again and in one

bite munched the cookie, it tasted surprisingly good, spicy yet sweet and with a touch of nuts.

Some hours later my boss came to talk about my lateness to work but it was nothing major. On

Monday, after the Kite Festival we were all worn out and with sloppiness I made my way

through my cubicle and there it was again, an envelope with an oatmeal cookie. After several

months of cookies, August 1st instead of the accustomed cookie within an envelope there was an

empty envelope along with a note that read: “Now, it is your turn to spread some happiness

around your workplace”.