When I arrive at Debbie’s home away from the Silicon Valley, I tell Melissa, my colleague — and Project Manager in training — that the house we’re about to go inside of
already beautiful. In fact, the entire neighborhood is.
We’re at the very southeastern tip of San Jose for this job and the houses here are all modern, so my mind always asks, “What more could a client want with a beautiful home like this?”
“It’s the bathroom,” Sonia, the client, told our admin, Renee. “It’s always the bathroom.”

—

Mika’s here, as is Melissa. This is about the same team as the Oakland job.
“How was your weekend?” She asks.
“Relaxing,” says Melissa.
“Relaxing? Sounds good,” she turns to me: “Matt? Relaxing?”
“Yeeeeeah…” I say smiling, looking off in the distance.
“Good,” Mika says. “Let go over the plan. We’re gonna change the way we do things here,” she says. “I’m gonna introduce Matt, obviously…” then she points to Melissa.
“Melissa…I don’t know what your official job title is. Like, what do you want to be called? What are you comfortable with?”
“CEO,” I tell her with a laugh. “Go for it!”
“I know, right?” Melissa says. “I’m in training. I’m an assistant in training. I’m your Project Manager-in-training right now. I was technically hired as a Project Manager.
Project Manager Assistant…I help with projects. That was the description.”
“Then you’re Project Manager-in-training,” Mika replies and says, “I’ll let them know you’ll be the one overseeing this stuff, that you’ll be back. We’ll go over the details
of the deal, but I really want you to pay attention, take notes, do what you have to do. The client is nice. Super nice.” Jose drives by and I point this out. Mika says,
“That’s our cue, guys. Masks on? Shall we?”
“We shall.” I reply.

And we walk.