"G-good morning, ma'am. How may I h... help you today?"
"I'd like to open a new account."
"I'll get one of our b-bankers to assist you..."
"Hello! My name is Jessica! Isn't it a lovely day today? I love the fall! The colors are so beautiful! You wanted to open a new account, right? Please, have a seat in this comfy couch over here and I'll get you started. Would you like some coffee? Some water? Some chocolate?"

"W-w-w-welcome to World Alliance Bank. How can I help you?"
"I'd like to apply for a home loan."
"One of our bankers will... b-be right with you."
"Good morning! My name is Jessica, welcome to World Alliance Bank! You wanted to look at rates for a home loan? Let's see. You qualify for our special introductory rate at only 3.35%! What a deal!"

"Hello, my name is Erica... H-how can I help you today?"
"I think I got double charged for my last payment."
"J-Jessica is available to check on that for you... she's... over there..."
"Hello! My name is Jessica, thank you for banking with us! There was a problem with your payment? Please, have a seat! I'll pull up your account and we can take a look together! Would you like some coffee? Maybe a donut? That does look tasty, doesn't it? You're on a diet? Oh, it'll be our little secret!"

Jessica was short, but she had a big personality. Her voice was pleasant and soothing to the ear and her smile was warm and friendly. She had a way of making everyone feel welcome. She knew all of her customers by name and remembered little details about their lives. She had a knack for small talk and always knew exactly what to say to put people at ease. She was confident. Fearless. Destined for success. Professional. Smart. Happy. Perfect.

In short, Jessica was everything Erica wasn't.

If only I had half her personality, Erica thought to herself.

If only I was more like her.

"Good m-morning... Jessica."
"Good morning, Erica! You're here early today! I'm just having a quick smoke before I head inside. You're welcome to join me."

"Oh... okay..."
"Come on, don't be shy! We work with each other every day, but we hardly ever get a chance to talk. I don't bite, you know."

"Guess not..."
"Did you get a haircut? You look cute! I like it. Hehehe."

"Th-thank you... I like your outfit..."
"Thanks! I got it at Veronica Yes this weekend. I get a lot of clothes there, actually. It's hard finding suits in my size, you know? But I'm really happy with this one. Black is my favorite, but dark blue is a close second."

"You look really nice in it... I... I always think you l-look amazing..."
"Awwwww! You're too sweet. Thanks, Erica! Hey, I have to head in for the morning meeting. I'm glad we had a chance to talk!"

"See you later...”
"Bye bye!"

For Jessica, it was just a normal conversation, a polite exchange of words with little substance. It was a momentary distraction that started and ended and left no trace of itself. It was the same type of conversation that she had fifty times a day with customers, co-workers, and random strangers.

For Erica, it was the type of conversation that she never got to have. It barely lasted a minute, but that was more than enough to ignite a small spark in her lonely heart. For someone like her, conversations were rare and precious things. She cherished them. She craved them. She repeated them endlessly in her mind, pondering their hidden mysteries.

For the rest of the day, all Erica could think about was her brief conversation with Jessica. She spent the rest of the day lost in her thoughts with a happy little smile on her face. She didn't cower in fear as she went about her work. She didn't think about what people thought of her. She didn't feel the urge to run and hide in a dark corner. And she wasn't even aware of it herself.

It was a small change, a tiny shift, a subtle adjustment, a minuscule step towards becoming normal. But it was something.

Erica was who she was. She was a timid, insecure, frightened, nervous wreck. She stuttered and she spoke very quietly so as not to draw attention to herself. She was actually so quiet that no small number of the people she interacted with thought she had an intellectual disability of some kind. But she wanted to be different. She knew it was possible to change.

Erica began to unconsciously mimic Jessica's tone, gestures, and mannerisms. Whenever Jessica smiled, Erica tried to do the same. She started holding her head, just like Jessica did, whenever she heard Jessica say or do something cute or funny. She watched Jessica closely. She studied her every move. She wondered if she was falling in love with Jessica.

Erica couldn't change overnight. And there were things about her that might never change. But she kept trying, hoping she'd get a little closer to the real, genuine, Jessica every day.

"Good morning, Erica!"
"G-good morning, Jessica!"

"I didn't know you smoked."
"Eep!"

"Hey, take it easy! Relax. I was just surprised. It's not a big deal or anything. What brand is that? White Hill? Good choice. That's my favorite, too."
"Y-yeah... do you want one?"

"What a treat! Thank you, Erica!"
"You're welcome..."

"How are you doing today? You look great!"
"Thanks! I'm good! How's it going with you?"

"Well, it's the same old, same old. I'm always doing good. Just hit my sales quota yesterday."
"Nice... yeah, they're really p-pushing those credit cards."

"They're making it easy for us with the new sign-up bonus. Make sure you send the customers to me first. I'm trying to hit my commission cap."
"Sure thing!"

Jessica didn't make any indication that she noticed how much attention she was getting from Erica. Maybe she noticed, maybe she didn't. She was probably too absorbed in her work to care, anyway.