MLK, FYI

Back in the day, my company announced a new holiday, MLK Day (MLK Day wasn’t new, but my company recognizing it as a paid holiday was!).

I work from home, and sometime mid-day (on MLK Day) popped in just to check my email. I noticed a WFH coworker was “green” in whatever we used for Teams back in the day (some long-forgotten instant messaging client). So, I messaged her.

Me: “Hey, you know today’s a holiday, right?”

Coworker: “Ha ha, very funny.”

Me: “No, seriously. It’s MLK Day. Here.”

I sent her a link to the company memo.

Coworker: “Son of a b****! I’ve been working all day! I was wondering why everything was so quiet!”

Fast forward one year, and I was WFH. I was so engrossed in completing a project that was so close to completion that it was almost a jump-scare when I got an IM from that same coworker.

Coworker: “You know it’s MLK day, right?”

Me: “Oh my God! You’re right! And I didn’t even notice why it was so quiet!”

She retired about ten years ago. Almost every year, on MLK Day, one of us will text the other:

Coworker: “Hey, you know today’s a holiday, right?”