One day, quite out of the blue, I brought a stray puppy into the office. It just happened. I found the little thing barely five minutes before work was meant to startdirty, scruffy, the unremarkable offspring of a mongrel. I tried to hide him in the corner of my office, butdetermined as he wasthe puppy kept wriggling out and squeaking for attention. Of course, it didnt take long before the whole office noticed.
Thats when peoples masks started to slip.
There was kind, endlessly chatty Rebecca, our secretary. Shes young and always quick with a joke, her expertly applied makeup never out of place. Yet, when her eyes landed on the filthy puppy, her cheerful facade faltered. Really, Edward Thompson! Arent you bothered at all by the dirt? Youll have this place in a right state! Her bright and friendly mask shattered not far from where the puptail happily wagging, still a little muddywas making himself at home.
Then came Mrs. Williams, the cleaner. Always tired, perpetually grumbling, shes a woman well into her years. Yet, in a blink, her wrinkled face softened into an unexpected smile: Oh, whos this little tail-wagger then? Mr Thompson, is this a visitor for business or pleasure, eh? At my feet, I could almost see her usual crusty, irritable mask crumpled and tossed aside, and I was struck by the tenderness she revealed.
Simon Parker, my colleague, was next. Hes usually helpful, warm, the type wholl laugh at any jokeeven the silly ones. But that day, he didnt cross the threshold of my office. Wincing, Simon announced that stray animals carried all sorts of filth and disease. So, at my door lay his thin, dirty mask of easy-going charm, and for the first time, I glimpsed something less generous beneath.
But it was my manager, Mr. Harrison, who surprised me most. Hes always stern, short-tempered, and not one for chit-chat. And yet, without a second thought, he said to me, Hmm, Edward I think youd best take the day off. Go ontake that little rascal home with you. There are more important things than work today. Only, dont just toss the pup outhes a living soul, after all. He removed his usual mask of unapproachable authority, offering a shy smile to me and the pup before quietly disappearing behind his door.
There I stood, staring at the masksdiscarded all around meof people I thought Id known for years. Suddenly, I realised how little I truly understood them.
