The Office Nickname

Somebody at the office starts calling Simon "the Sandwich Guy" during his second week. Nobody will tell him why.

Seseorang di kantor mulai memanggil Simon "Si Tukang Sandwich" pada minggu keduanya bekerja. Tak ada yang mau memberi tahu alasannya.

It starts small. A coworker he barely knows waves and says, "Morning, Sandwich Guy," as if it's completely normal. By Thursday, three more people have used it, including his manager. His manager says it with a straight face during a meeting.

Awalnya sepele. Seorang rekan yang nyaris tak ia kenal melambai dan berkata, "Pagi, Tukang Sandwich," seolah itu hal paling wajar. Pada hari Kamis, tiga orang lagi sudah memakainya, termasuk atasannya. Atasannya mengatakannya dengan wajah datar saat rapat.

Simon asks Reese, who sits next to him, if she knows where it came from. She just shrugs. "I assumed you knew. Everyone's been calling you that since Monday."

Simon bertanya kepada Reese, yang duduk di sebelahnya, apakah ia tahu dari mana julukan itu berasal. Reese hanya mengangkat bahu. "Kukira kamu tahu. Semua orang memanggilmu begitu sejak hari Senin."

"Since Monday? I don't even remember doing anything sandwich-related on Monday."

"Sejak Senin? Aku bahkan tidak ingat melakukan apa pun yang berhubungan dengan sandwich pada hari Senin."

"Maybe it's not about you," Reese says. "Maybe it's about someone who looks like you."

"Mungkin ini bukan tentang kamu," kata Reese. "Mungkin ini tentang orang yang mirip kamu."

That night, Simon can't stop thinking about it. He replays the whole week, searching for any moment that might explain a nickname this specific. Nothing comes to mind.

Malam itu, Simon tak bisa berhenti memikirkannya. Ia memutar ulang seluruh minggunya, mencari satu saat yang bisa menjelaskan julukan sespesifik ini. Tak ada yang terlintas.

The next morning, he finally asks Micah directly, since Micah seems to know everyone's business in the office. Micah laughs so hard he has to put down his coffee.

Keesokan paginya, ia akhirnya bertanya langsung kepada Micah, karena Micah tampaknya tahu urusan semua orang di kantor. Micah tertawa begitu keras sampai harus meletakkan kopinya.

"Oh, that's not about you," Micah says. "There was a guy named Simon who worked here two years ago. He brought a sandwich to every single meeting, without fail. People still talk about it."

"Oh, itu bukan tentang kamu," kata Micah. "Dua tahun lalu ada orang bernama Simon yang kerja di sini. Dia membawa sandwich ke setiap rapat, tanpa pernah absen. Orang-orang sampai sekarang masih membicarakannya."

"So there's just… a legendary sandwich guy, and I happen to share his name?"

"Jadi ada Tukang Sandwich legendaris, dan kebetulan namanya sama denganku?"

"Basically, yes. When you started, people got confused and started calling you by his nickname instead of your actual name. Nobody ever corrected it."

"Pada dasarnya, ya. Waktu kamu mulai bekerja, orang-orang jadi bingung dan mulai memanggilmu dengan julukannya, bukan dengan namamu sendiri. Tak ada yang pernah meluruskannya."

Simon isn't sure whether to feel relieved or more confused than before. At least it isn't about anything he actually did.

Simon tak yakin harus merasa lega atau justru lebih bingung daripada sebelumnya. Setidaknya ini bukan tentang sesuatu yang benar-benar ia lakukan.

He decides there's only one reasonable way to end this. The next day, he brings an enormous sandwich to the team meeting. He sets it down in the middle of the table without a word.

Ia memutuskan hanya ada satu cara yang masuk akal untuk mengakhiri semua ini. Keesokan harinya, ia membawa sandwich raksasa ke rapat tim. Ia meletakkannya di tengah meja tanpa sepatah kata pun.

Reese starts laughing first. Then the whole room follows. By the end of the day, half the office has heard the story. And the nickname, somehow, has only gotten stronger.

Reese yang pertama tertawa. Lalu seluruh ruangan ikut tertawa. Menjelang sore, separuh kantor sudah mendengar ceritanya. Dan julukan itu, entah bagaimana, malah makin melekat.