Chapter Text
Odessa Beasley was sitting at her computer, continuing to work on her report. The JojaCorp building in Zuzu City was quiet, save for the noise of the keyboards in the cubicles around her. She was on her third cup of coffee and it was only 10:17am. After pulling her second overtime this week, working until 9pm on Monday and Tuesday nights, she was hoping tonight she could at least get out at a more reasonable time tonight. However, this report was not going to get done any faster if she left early at 7pm.
She had lived in Zuzu City her entire life with her family. Her mother was an executive at Joja, so getting this job with pure nepotism was easy enough when she finished college. Odessa had always been told that this was her path: do well in school, go to college, work at Joja. She had done all of that. Now, she was fully expected to continue on the family legacy and follow in her mother’s footsteps as COO.
Her laptop dinged with a message from her mother:
Athena Beasley: Have to cancel our lunch plans, calendar is filling up. Rain check?
She had been trying to have a short, less than 30-minute lunch break with her mom in the Joja cafeteria for 2 weeks now, just to catch up. Her mother was so busy with her responsibilities that she rarely saw her besides small waves in the hallways. She kept her response professional, covering her disappointment.
Odessa Beasley: Sure, let me know what time works for you.
Odessa sighed. Maybe one day, her mother would actually take some interest in her.
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Several hours later, she heard a small knock on the side of her cubicle. Her report is about halfway done now. Odessa looked over and saw her boss, Tyler, standing there. Tyler was an average sized man, with a medium build and blonde hair that always looked greasy. His hair style always reminded her of Draco Malfoy if his hair were a darker blonde.
“My office, now.”
His tone left no room for discussion, and he was walking away before she could even process. Ever since the holiday party last month where he tried to feel her up on her way to the bathroom, he had been very cold and barely spoke to her unless absolutely necessary. What could he want now?
She stood from her desk, locking her computer on the way. Her heels clicked on the tile floors, gleaming with a fresh cleaning that she knew those floors got every single night. She opened his office door and clicked it shut behind her. Tyler was already sitting behind his desk, and motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs in front of him. In the other chair was Susan from HR.
This was not going to be a good meeting. Susan greeted her, with a small tension that Odessa could immediately sense.
“Odessa, hello. How are you?”
She replied smoothly, covering her slight panic, “I’m well, what about-”
Tyler interrupted the conversation and motioned for her to sit again. She sat slowly in the chair, keeping her eyes on Tyler. She could not get rid of the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. He began speaking before she could say anything else.
“You’ve been called to this meeting, with Susan as witness, to be notified of the performance improvement plan you are being placed on.”
Odessa was shocked. “I’m sorry?”
He continued. “You’re being placed on a PIP due to disrespect of management as well as not completing your reports in a timely manner. Here at Joja, we expect reports to be completed in 2 days, and I’ve noticed that you are on day 3 of your current report. Last week, you took 3 and a half days to finish a report. We are noticing a pattern.”
That’s bullshit, she thought, I know the employee handbook and responsibilities inside and out dumbass. My mom is the COO. I actually have 5 days per report, but whatever you say. And if you want to call “disrespect of management” not wanting to sleep with you, then fine.
She knew this was about her rejecting him at the party. He decided to make a power play, make documentation that can later be used to fire her. She wasn’t an idiot.
“What are the terms?”
Susan spoke up then. “You are being given 2 weeks to correct the issue. You will be given your normal amount of work, with the expectation that each report you are assigned will be completed in the 2 day mandated timeframe. If you cannot meet this threshold, we will discuss next steps at that time.”
Next steps, Odessa thought. Firing me, got it.
“Understood. Please send me the details in writing for my review.”
She wasn’t going to give them an inch of emotion, even though she was freaking out inside. Her mother was going to freak out and probably yell at her when she heard about this, if she hadn’t heard already. Her mother was more concerned about her reputation at the company than anything, and if her own daughter got fired, that would not look good on her.
Odessa got dismissed from the meeting, and when she returned to her computer, she had a new email from Susan with the documentation of the PIP and the terms. She quickly scanned it, and it matched what she was told in Tyler’s office.
She opened her desk drawer to grab a stick of gum, deciding against more coffee which would just make her anxious. She didn’t immediately see it, so she started digging in the back of the drawer. That was when she spotted it - in the back of the drawer, hidden under other papers and her pack of gum, she saw the purple wax seal from a letter she had received almost a year ago and never opened. Something told her she should finally open it and see what it was.
She pulled out the letter and gently broke the wax seal. She unfolded the paper inside and began to read.
Dear Odessa,
If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.
The same thing happened to me, long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life…real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.
I’ve enclosed the deed to that place…my pride and joy: Happy Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life.
This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my girl. Good luck.
Love, Grandpa
P.S. If Lewis is still alive, say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?
Odessa realized she was not breathing. She had an entire farm, left to her, in Stardew Valley. She had not been to the Valley since she was really little. Her father took her to visit her maternal grandfather only once when she was about 6, since her mother ended up having a last minute meeting and couldn’t go on the trip. She loved it there - the beautiful green hills, Grandpa’s farm with the cows and chickens, and the way you could see all the stars at night, unlike in Zuzu.
When Grandpa died, nobody in her family attended the funeral in the Valley. Odessa barely knew her grandfather, but she never understood why her mother never went. She claimed she had work, but you would think work would be less important than your own father’s funeral. But apparently not. After the will reading, Odessa had received the letter in the mail, and the instructions were to open it when she was ready. She never knew what that meant until now.
She stared at the letter, then looked back at her computer - at the email with the PIP details. She made a very impulsive decision right there. She was done.
She quietly packed up her personal belongings in her bag, making sure she grabbed nothing that Joja could claim she stole. She picked it up and walked to Tyler’s office. She knocked on the open door quickly, and Tyler looked up at her with a confused expression on his face.
“Odessa, did you need something?”
“Tyler, I quit. Effective immediately.”
He looked like a deer in the headlights. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You heard me. I quit. I’m leaving the building now. I left everything that belongs to Joja at my desk. You can send my last paycheck to my direct deposit like normal. Goodbye Tyler.”
She left without another word, and without looking back.