Ever since the dawn of Esther, I’ve hidden her disguise in plain sight – taped to the side of my desk. No one can predict emergencies, and I like to be prepared for anything. My coworkers find this absolutely hilarious – what do you mean, you have an emergency mustache? What situation could possibly arise that you would need such a thing? Kimli is so weird! and so on and so forth, with ODB (my old boss) taking particular delight in the hilarity of it all.

This has been going on for months – just shy of a year, actually.

And then today, this happened:

ODB: Do we have any coloured paper?

Me: I think we have some bright orange around here somewhere; leftover from the donut project.

ODB: No, I need some black paper. Any ideas?

Me: Nope, we have none .. what do you need black paper for, anyway?

ODB: For the Mexican Kaboozle* this afternoon! I think we should all MYOM – Make Your Own Mustache! We need black paper for mustaches!

Me: … mustaches, like THIS? *pulls out Esther’s mustache from the side of my desk* I KNEW having an Emergency Mustache would come in handy! You laughed at me, remember? But I am prepared – I already HAVE a mustache here, JUST IN CASE!

ODB: ………..……………………….

YEAH. SUCK IT. I WIN. EVERY WEIRD THING I DO AT THE OFFICE IS NOW JUSTIFIED FOREVER.

i am the one who is laughing now

I am so deliciously smug!

*: We have parties on the last Friday of every month – this month’s theme is Cinco de Mayo, hosted by one of the Ops teams. Last month was my team’s party, and we did the Office Space one. My work is awesome.

I am a simple creature; a creature of habit. When I find something I like – be it a colour or routine – I adopt it fully and make it mine. I rarely, if ever, variate from this path – why should I? I know what I like.

For instance, I like Diet Coke. I also like the fact that McDonald’s is running their annual summer drink promotion – all fountain drinks and iced coffees, any size, for only $1. I like that I live in a McDonald’s parking lot, because it means I can indulge my habit several times a day – which I DO. In fact, I go to “my” McDonald’s 5 or 6 times a week – not because I am trying to become the world’s fattiest Kimli, but because I really, really like $1 Diet Coke. I go there a lot, okay. I know all the drive through employees by sight, if not by name – and they know me too, because I guarantee I am the only funny-looking Asian on a black scooter dressed all in red who comes through every damn morning just for a large Diet Coke and nothing else. I am the Diet Coke girl. It’s what I do. I KNOW you know me; you chastise me when I don’t come around for a few days and ask where I’ve been.

So WHY would you think that I wanted a large COKE this morning? I have never, ever, EVER ordered Coke. Like polka-dotted clockwork, I am there every morning at 8:45am to get my large Diet Coke for $1.12. I have never deviated from this routine, and I never will. I need you to figure this out – see the pattern; grasp the modus operandi – and realize that I am there for Diet Coke, NEVER regular Coke. I need you to step it up. I need you to realize what I am there for, and give me the correct thing. PLEASE. I BEG you.

Get with it, McDonald’s Monica who works weekday morning shifts in drive thru. You make me shake my head in sadness and disbelief.