Minefield of Mirrors

-3-

'Don't worry, I just got out of the plane.' Iris said with her phone pressed against her ear as she rushed towards the place where she could take her luggage.

'Are you sure you want to do this?'

Iris sighed deeply. 'Mom, if I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't have been here in the first place. Yes, I want to take up this huge account'

Shoulders and arms were being slapped against her thanks to the huge crowd that was standing randomly in the middle of the big hall. By the looks of it, they were probably tourists who were taking pictures of the airport so they could brag about it to their friends and family. It's something Iris always hated about tourism. Okay, it's nice if you go to a place no one in your surroundings has been to, but do you really have to put every picture online to rub it in everyone's face?

Only by the silence her mom was giving her right now, Iris could already tell her mom didn't agree with her decision at all. Well, her mom had already been against her decision to move to England a couple of years ago, so Iris shouldn't even be surprised by her mom's opinion.

'I've been working my ass off to get to the position I am in right now. I can't afford to lose it this quickly again by turning down this huge account. I have to do it. I want to do it.' Iris said in a try to convince her mom that she was truly doing the right thing.

In the far distance, Iris could see people claiming their luggage. She glanced quickly at the watch on her wrist and realized it was going to be a close call. The team had let her know that she was able to drive along in the team van towards the hotel, so she could get to know some of her colleagues already during the ride. 

But starting their first get-to-know-together by being too late? That was just the worst thing that could ever happen.

She could hear her mother clearly sigh on the other side of the line. 'I know, I'm just looking out for you.'

'I know you are, but I'm old enough to make my own choices. You made it pretty clear you didn't like my decision to move to London, yet you can't deny it has turned out great for me. Just have faith in this decision as well, and everything will be fine in the end.' Iris said with a little annoyance in her voice.

'Just be careful, okay?'

It took a lot from Iris to not roll her eyes at the comment from her mom. 'Of course, I will. But I really have to go now, or I'll be too late for my ride to the hotel'

Within a few seconds, she and her mom said goodbye to each other, so Iris could focus on her luggage that was turning around at the luggage claim. After waiting a few moments for her suitcase to get in front of her, she grabbed it firmly in her hands and started to jog towards the hall to find the exit of the airport. She was fully hoping that the wasn't too late and that the team would still be waiting for her. A quick glance at her watch told her that she still had five minutes left to make it outside and find the van with her future co-workers.

She took a few steps to the right to avoid bumping into a few children and started to stress out about the whole situation. What if she couldn't find the van in time? Would they leave without her? What kind of first impression would she make if she was really too late on her first day? 

The loud noises of the airport entered her ears and she rubbed her hand against the side of her head. In combination with the stress, it felt like a little man was starting to hammer inside her head. She had always been sensitive to headaches, so somewhere it wasn't even a surprise to her that her head was starting to feel this way, but she had hoped with all her heart that it wouldn't happen so soon in her journey here.

So, instead of keeping on walking, she stopped a bit on the side of the pathway to search in her handbag for the specific painkiller she always used for situations like this. One little pink pill, ten minutes of just closing her eyes and the headache would slowly fade away. At least, that's how she usually dealt with the stupid little man with the hammer inside her head. The question right now would be if it would work this time as well. She was for sure not going to get any time to close her eyes quietly in the van of the team. Just by the conversation she had with one of the female team members on the phone yesterday evening, she could already tell that this was a chatty group. She had to have some conversations during the ride towards the hotel, despite her upcoming headache...