Sushi for One? by Camy Tang Page B

bite.”
    “If you want me to help you — ”
    “No, it’s not the work. It’s the mental anguish of working with her.” Anna broke down into wrenching sobs.
    Lex’s desk didn’t have tissues, so she reached into the cube next door to snatch some from her box. Anna crumpled them in her hand and dabbed her face.
    Lex stayed with her until she calmed down. Anna blew her nose —loudly — and looked around for a trash can.
    Lex followed her gaze. What had happened to her trash can?
    “Uh . . .” Lex peeked into the cubes on either side of her. Both missing trash cans. What was going on?
    Anna’s hand flapped around, still searching for a landing spot for her tissue.
    Lex swallowed a sudden upsurge of bile, but held out her hand. “Here, give it to me. I’ll find a trash can.” Poor girl. Lex couldn’t make Anna feel worse by letting her anti-bodily-fluids phobia show on her face, although her cheeks felt clammy.
    Anna shuffled away, and Lex zigzagged through the cubicles, searching for a trash can. Who had pilfered all the trash cans?
    “Aaaieeeeee!” Cari’s shriek pierced through the cubicle walls like a spray of bullets.
    Despite Cari’s obvious distress, Lex would have avoided yet more drama, but just her luck, she stood a few cubes down from Cari’s. The girl bolted out of her desk, hands chicken-flapping, mouth wide open and emitting more screams, legs pumping up and down like on a stairmaster.
    Jerry followed behind her, weaving slightly, face pale. “I’m sorry,Cari . . .”
    Cari ignored him, instead wailing and flicking her purple manicure at the beige and mauve design on her skin-tight T-shirt.
    No, not a design. The streak that splashed from one shoulder across her chest was vomit.
    From Jerry.
    “I was sitting! At my computer! He was standing! Behind me! And he just bleaugh!” Cari erupted into fresh hysterics.
    Lex clapped one hand - not the one holding the dirty tissue, which seemed rather insignificant now - to her mouth. Her stomach roiled. Don’t breathe. Don’t look. Right now, that morning cereal didn’t want to stay in her tummy. No, don’t think about the cereal! Lex needed to get to the women’s restroom.
    Jerry sagged against a cubicle wall, which tilted precariously. “I’m sorry, Cari.” He heaved a long, slow sigh. “I only had a few beers last night . . .”
    Suddenly his eyes grew large. His face dulled to Elmer’s glue. He pressed his large, loose lips together.
    And unleashed all over the carpet.
    A collective chorus of “Ewww!”s rose from the other people who had gathered to Cari’s frantic call. Lex couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe. Her vision started to cloud . . .
    Jerry coughed and spit.
    Lex dashed to the bathroom.

SEVEN
    L ex sat outside on a curb in the parking lot. The feeble sun warmed her head and made her straight hair feel like a helmet. She took another deep breath, and smelled blessed nothing. Nothing strong, that is. A whiff of mowed grass, a tingle of mulchy earth, a tease of something flowery, but mostly just fresh, unscented air. Nothing to cause her volcanic stomach to erupt again.
    She stared at the ants weaving circles around her shoe soles. She wasn’t a very good ant worker at this startup company. She wondered if ant queens were anything like unreasonable Everett or Anna’s moody manager.
    Maybe she ought to qu —
    No, that was bad. Shouldn’t she be content? I have learned the secret of being content in each and every circumstance . . .
    Lex wondered if Paul ever had to endure an illogical argument with Peter like Lex had with Everett. Peter must have been a more reasonable guy, right?
    No, she needed patient endurance. She had to run the race. She had to love her enemies.
    She needed a stronger stomach.
    She should just qu — Don’t say it!
    Chirping. Chirping. Strange-sounding bird . . . Oh! Her cell phone.
    “Hello?”
    “Lex, it’s Chester.”
    Her cousin rarely ever called her. “What’s up?”
    “I’m going to