THE MOMENT
"Geez, talk about punctual...," Ray grumbled to himself moments before opening the front door. He didn't bother checking the peephole because he was expecting company; but, he wasn't expecting such a strange and beautiful guest. A short, red-skinned woman stood on his front step. She wore a black suit with a silver tie that shined like actual chrome. A crown of rubies circled the top of her head and seemed to be embedded into her skin.
"Mr. Vasquez," she smiled and extended a red hand. "My name is Ruby, I'm here from Chroma Corp."
"Come in!" Ray eagerly shook her hand and invited her in. As she walked into his living room, Ray was thankful he took the time to clean up. He almost didn't; he had a bad feeling about the meeting. But, he would have died of embarrassment if Ruby had seen the mess that was there minutes before. She sat on his couch and Ray sat on the recliner across from her.
"Well, in the spirit of efficiency; down to business," Ruby said. She straightened her back and her expression became stern. "Do you have any idea why I requested to meet with you?" Ruby asked. Ray thought about lying. If he played dumb, the punishment might not be so bad. But, he wanted to be honest with her.
"I've been getting a lot of my work rejected...," Ray nodded.
"More than ' a lot', Mr. Vasquez," Ruby said. "You've been employed with Chroma Corp. for a week and you have yet to upload any acceptable work." Anger flared in Ray's gut. She hit a nerve and it was enough to distract him from her attractiveness.
"That's BULL!" Ray said. "All my work has been perfect! You're just using me for free work!"
"If your work was perfect, it wouldn't have been rejected," Ruby said.
"It WAS perfect! Your stupid system keeps telling me I have the wrong date." Ruby tilted her head.
"Are you putting the wrong date?" she asked.
"NO!" Ray stood from his recliner and paced across the living room to the computer desk. He grabbed a sheet, then put it in Ruby's face.
"I finished this yesterday," he said. "I put February 12th, 2022, and it was rejected!"
"Oh," Ruby grinned. "Then, you didn't pay enough attention to the training manual," she said. "All the procedures, such as the appropriate way to construct the heading, are included in there."
"You're rejecting my work... because I'm putting the date wrong??" Ray was insulted on top of being annoyed. He was still on his feet. He spun on his heels and returned to the computer desk in the corner of the living room. He picked out the silver manual and thumbed through it angrily until he found what he was looking for.
"It tells me to put the date," he said. He'd read through that part at least; even if he skimmed the rest. He put the manual in front of Ruby, but he didn't shove it in her face like the sheet of work. Ruby nodded without breaking eye contact.
"But, it gives an example showing the month and day. There's no mention of the year; that's intentional."
"What the hell difference does that make??"
"Quite a bit," Ruby said. "The office that reviews your work is technically in the year 2020. Adding the local year complicates things for everyone involved. "
"What are you talking about? How is the office in the past??" Ruby shook her head.
"It's not in the past. The office is on an alternate Earth that happens to be going through the year 2020 by their count; it has nothing to do with you or your Earth. But, by this point in the job, you should already know all this. I'm afraid that Chroma Corp. has decided to let you go."
"Waitwaitwaitwait!" Ray waved his hands frantically as his mind tried to get a grip on the situation.
"It's my first week!" he said. "I'm still learning! You're really going to fire me just for putting the date a few times? It won't happen anymore!" He expected an informal evaluation; or at worst, a formal reprimand. Ray was prepared for that. But, he never imagined he'd lose the best paying job he'd ever had for a simple error. Ruby sighed.
"If it were just the date, I wouldn't be concerned. However, you've also proven that details and preparedness are not your strong points. It seems you've only skimmed the manual and managed to miss everything that's important to know. For example, the fact that Chroma Corp. has branches on thousands of alternate Earths should not be a surprise to you."
"...Th... thousands??" Ray asked. Ruby stood with a smile. She dropped a black card at her feet and began to sink into the portal it created.
"Goodbye, Ray. Chroma Corp. thanks you for your brief service."