Chapter 4 — Don't Carry Everything Yourself
The work that was supposed to be finished after yesterday's meeting turned out to have a bad habit: it always gave birth to more work.
Sera had just opened her laptop when another email from the client came in. This time it wasn't a major revision, just a few additional notes that looked trivial at first glance. The problem was, every note had a tail. One copy change had to be checked against the visuals, the visuals had to be adjusted to match the production timeline, the timeline had to be confirmed with the vendor, and then all the results had to be put back into the deck before it could be sent to the client.
Sera read the email with a quiet sigh. Beside her, Dina had just sat down with an iced coffee.
"There's still more?" Dina asked, setting her cup beside the keyboard.
Sera shifted her laptop a little so Dina could see the screen. "They said it was just a minor revision."
Dina read the first few lines, then raised an eyebrow. "How is this minor?"
"From the perspective of someone who isn't doing the work."
Dina let out a small laugh. "Now that makes sense."
Sera turned her attention back to the screen. "I'll handle the client part first. I'll toss the visual stuff to the designer later."
Dina nodded, but before returning to her desk, she pointed at Sera's screen. "Don't take all of it on yourself."
Sera raised a hand without looking over. "Yes, ma'am."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Dina snorted before walking away. "That's exactly what scares me."
Sera only laughed and started typing.
As the project coordinator, Sera was used to being the person who made sure a job moved from start to finish. She wasn't someone who did everything herself, but she had a bad habit: if something looked like it could be taken care of right now, she would take care of it right now. Handing work to someone else meant explaining it all over again, waiting for the result, and checking it again afterward. In Sera's opinion, sometimes it was faster to do it herself.
By 9:45, she had already sent an email to the designer. Five minutes later, the vendor contacted her about the production schedule. She hadn't even finished replying to the vendor when Gilang appeared beside her desk with his laptop open.
"The client wants the deck by noon."
Sera turned to him. "I know."
"Have you seen the revisions?"
"Yeah."
Gilang pulled an empty chair beside Sera's desk. As the account manager, he was the one who dealt with the client directly, while Sera usually made sure their needs were translated into work the team could execute. Those two positions often put them in the same meeting room, especially when a project was being rushed toward a deadline like this one.
Gilang pointed to one section on the screen. "They want the wording changed here."
"Already done."
"The visuals?"
"The designer's working on them."
"The timeline?"
"I'm checking with the vendor."
Gilang stared at her for a few seconds.
Sera stopped typing. "What?"
"Do you have four hands?"
Sera looked at both her hands. "Unfortunately, I only have two."
"I thought you had a spare pair under the desk."
Sera snickered, then turned back to her laptop. "Okay, go work."
Gilang stayed seated.
"You can take the vendor part."
"I can."
"Then go ahead."
"You sure?"
Sera nodded. "I'm sure."
Gilang stood and closed his laptop. "If you tell me you're dizzy later, I don't want to hear it."
"I won't get dizzy."
"Good."
He had only taken two steps when Sera called out.
"Lang."
Gilang turned around.
"While you're at it, follow up on the budget approval from yesterday, okay?"
Gilang gave her a crooked smile. "See?"
Sera held back a laugh. "What?"
"You said I was only taking the vendor part."
"It's just one extra thing."
"I know."
Gilang returned to his desk, shaking his head.
Sera went back to work.
The next two hours passed like a race to see who could drain their battery fastest. The designer sent three visual options. The vendor asked for size confirmation. The client asked whether the revisions could be finished sooner. Dina came in with a question about the promotional materials. Adit stopped by briefly to make sure the wording didn't clash with the sales materials. Miko even sent a message in the group chat because one of the project folders had suddenly become inaccessible.
PAYDAY DEVOTEES
Miko: The project folder disappeared from the server.
Dina: Huh?
Adit: Don't joke around, I was just about to grab the file.
Miko: I don't make a hobby out of joking about folders either.
Sera: Mik, can you check it now?
Miko: I can. Nobody panic yet.
Dina: Who's panicking?
Miko: You.
Dina: Slander.
Sera read the conversation with a small smile. At least one problem could be handed off to someone who actually knew how to solve it.
She returned to her email.
Twenty minutes later, Miko sent another message.
Miko: Found it. It's safe.
Dina replied immediately.
Dina: I love you, Mik.
Miko: Please don't.
Adit: Rejected.
Sera laughed to herself before getting back to work.
The problem was, the other tasks weren't funny.
As lunch approached, Sera finally realized that her coffee had been reduced to nothing but ice cubes. Her food was still untouched in her bag because she hadn't had a chance to eat it since morning.
Gilang came back carrying a printout.
"The vendor confirmed."
Sera took the paper. "Good."
"The budget's done too."
"Thanks."
Gilang didn't leave right away. His eyes moved from Sera's desk, which was covered in papers, to the laptop screen displaying several files at once.
"Have you eaten?"
Sera kept reading the document. "Later."
"It's past noon already."
"Five more minutes."
Gilang glanced at his watch.
"If you're still sitting here five minutes from now, I'm calling Dina."
Sera looked up. "Why Dina?"
"So she'll have someone to force you to eat."
"I'm not a kindergartener."
"Your behavior says otherwise."
Sera gave a short laugh. "Go on."
Gilang pointed at the lunch box still lying inside her bag.
"Don't forget."
He left before Sera could answer.
Sera turned back to the screen.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
The lunch box stayed inside the bag.
It wasn't because Sera was deliberately ignoring it. The work just kept coming. When she finally finished fixing one page of the deck, a new email arrived. After she replied to the email, the designer asked for approval. After she gave approval, the client changed one sentence again.
A little after one, Sera stood up to get some water. When she returned to her desk, Dina was already sitting in her chair, holding Sera's lunch box.
"What's this?" Dina held it up.
Sera stopped.
"Eat."
"I'm—"
"Don't."
Dina opened the lunch box and pushed it toward Sera.
"Fifteen minutes. I'm waiting."
Sera looked at Dina, then at the lunch box.
"Din, I still have a lot of work."
"So do I."
"Then?"
"Then I still eat."
Sera sighed and finally picked up her spoon.
Dina smiled in satisfaction. "There."
"You're annoying."
"I care."
"Barely any difference."
"The important thing is that you're eating."
Sera had only taken two bites when Adit walked by carrying his phone.
"I'm heading to a sales meeting. If anyone asks for the proposal file, I've already sent it by email."
Sera nodded. "Okay."
Adit paused and looked at the food on the desk.
"Look who's eating."
Dina immediately pointed at Sera. "She has to be forced."
Adit laughed. "Keep it up, Ser."
"Go away."
Adit continued on his way, still laughing.
Sera finished her food faster than she realized. Afterward, she returned to work with slightly more energy, even though her task list was still long.
Late afternoon was approaching when a small problem appeared.
Sera was transferring the budget figures from the finance file into the client deck when one number seemed off. She double-checked the source file, then returned to the deck.
Wrong entry.
It wasn't a large number. It wasn't enough to derail the project. But it was enough to require a correction to the budget page before the deck could be sent.
Sera closed her eyes for a moment.
"What's wrong?" Gilang's voice came from behind her.
Sera spun her chair around. "One of the numbers is wrong."
Gilang came closer. "Bad?"
"No. I entered one number incorrectly."
She showed him the screen.
Gilang read it for a moment. "Fix it."
"Already did."
"Good."
Gilang was still standing there.
Sera looked at him. "What else?"
"Are you tired?"
"No."
Gilang pointed at the screen. "You just entered something wrong."
"That's work."
"You've been doing almost everything since this morning."
Sera shrugged. "Because it has to get done."
"Having to get done doesn't mean you have to be the one doing all of it."
Sera fell silent for a moment. She turned back to the screen and tidied up the open files.
"If I hand it to someone else, I have to explain it again."
"And?"
"And that wastes time."
Gilang pulled the chair beside her over and sat down.
"Your time gets wasted when you do everything too."
Sera looked at him.
Gilang continued in a casual tone, not like he was lecturing her. "I'm not saying you can't handle it. It's because I know you can handle it that you end up with everything. People just say, 'Sera can do it,' and call it a day."
Sera leaned back in her chair.
"I don't mind."
"Right now."
"Why worry about later?"
"Because later is still coming."
Sera sighed. "You're awfully wise today."
"I'm surprised too."
Sera gave a small laugh.
Gilang smiled too, then stood up.
"All right. I'll take the vendor stuff. Give the copy to Dina. You focus on the deck and the client."
"Dina has work too."
"She can say no if she can't handle it."
Sera raised an eyebrow.
Gilang pointed at her. "There. That's what you need to learn."
Sera wanted to argue, but Gilang had already walked away.
A few minutes later, Dina appeared at Sera's desk.
"Gilang said I'm taking the copy."
Sera nodded. "Yeah."
Dina immediately pulled over a chair.
"Where is it?"
Sera handed her the file.
Dina opened it with a sigh. "You know, if you'd given this to me earlier, it would already be done."
"I know."
"Then why only now?"
Sera smiled faintly. "Habit."
Dina stared at her.
"You need to break that habit."
Sera nodded as she returned to her laptop.
"Little by little."
"Deal."
They went back to work.
Strangely, once the work was divided up, everything moved faster. Dina finished the copy without needing to be chased. Gilang took care of the vendor. Sera could focus on the deck and communicating with the client without having to open five files every two minutes.
A little before six, the final email was finally sent.
Sera leaned back in her chair and closed her laptop.
Dina raised both hands from the desk across from her. "DONE!"
Adit, who was still putting his things away, joined in. "Finally."
Miko emerged from the IT room, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Still alive?"
"Unfortunately," Dina replied.
Miko nodded. "Good."
Sera laughed as she stood up.
Gilang came over carrying his jacket.
"No overtime tomorrow?"
Sera put her charger in her bag. "Shouldn't be."
"Shouldn't be?"
"The client has the right to change their mind."
Gilang nodded seriously. "That's true."
Dina grabbed her bag. "I'm heading home first. If an email comes in tonight, I don't know any of you."
"But you said we lived on the same block," Adit said.
"During work hours only."
They laughed.
One by one, they left their desks. Sera was still straightening up a few papers when her phone vibrated.
Mom's name appeared on the screen.
Ser, can you transfer Dimas's school money tomorrow?
Another message came in a few seconds later.
And the electricity money too, if you can.
Sera read the two messages while standing motionless beside her desk. She opened the banking app, looked at her remaining balance, and quickly calculated in her head.
It was still enough.
It had to be enough.
She locked the screen and put her phone in her bag.
"Problem?"
Sera looked up.
Gilang was still standing a few steps away.
"No," Sera replied with a faint smile. "Just stuff at home."
Gilang watched her for a moment, then nodded.
"If there's anything I can help with, tell me."
Sera hoisted her bag onto her shoulder.
"I can handle it."
Gilang immediately laughed.
"Oh my God, Sera."
Sera laughed too.
"Okay. Okay. I'm learning."
They walked out of the office together.
In the elevator, Sera opened her phone again. Her account balance was still visible on the screen. The number wasn't large, but the list of expenses waiting for her had already claimed most of it.
The elevator doors opened.
Sera put her phone in her bag and stepped out.
Tomorrow, she had to transfer Dimas's school money, pay the electricity bill, and still make sure the household expenses continued as usual.
Office work, it turned out, wasn't the only thing she always said she could handle.