The new intern thought the water cooler was a decorative fountain
Our office is usually a very busy, serious, and high-pressure place. We spend our long days hunched over glowing computer screens, frantically typing away, and meeting tight, soul-crushing deadlines. The lobby is designed to look professional, cold, and intimidating with its polished steel surfaces and expensive white marble floors. However, the big water cooler sitting in the corner is the one thing that actually brings a bit of humanity into our sterile environment. It is a large, classic machine that makes a consistent, rhythmic bubbling sound as the water shifts, and it somehow provides a tiny sense of comfort while it sits there. Last week, our new intern named Leo started working with us. As the office mentor, I try my best to help all our interns get settled in, but Leo was different from the start. He always seemed to look at our dull, grey office like it was some kind of magical space, as if he expected something interesting to happen at any moment. On his fourth day, I was sitting at my desk, desperately trying to fix a complex, messy spreadsheet that had been giving me a headache for three hours. The room was deathly quiet except for the hum of the air conditioning. I happened to look through the glass wall of my office and saw Leo standing alone in the lobby. He was staring at the water cooler without moving a muscle. He looked totally lost in deep thought, his posture relaxed and his eyes focused intently on the clear plastic jug. I watched with curiosity as he stepped closer to the machine, drawn to the bubbling sound like a magnet. Then, I saw him reach into his dark blue trousers pocket. I was shocked to see him slowly pull out a single, shiny copper penny. He held it up between his thumb and finger and prepared to flick it into the top of the water cooler, just like people do at a wishing well in a local park. I felt a surge of panic. I stood up quickly, abandoning my spreadsheet, and walked over to the lobby as fast as I could without running. I reached him just as his arm began to move forward. I said his name quite gently, not wanting to scare him too much. He jumped at the sound of my voice and quickly closed his hand tightly around the penny. He looked at me with wide, startled eyes, as if he had just woken up from a long, peaceful nap. I asked him if he was doing alright since he had been staring at the cooler for a very long time. He looked back at the machine, then down at the penny hidden in his fist, and finally back at me. His face instantly turned a deep shade of bright red with sheer embarrassment. He whispered that he thought the cooler was actually a wishing well because of the soothing, rhythmic bubbling sound it made. I had to grip the edge of the reception desk with both hands to keep myself from breaking into loud, hysterical laughter. I took a breath and calmly explained that it was just our drinking water and definitely not a magical fountain. I told him, as kindly as I could, that throwing a dirty penny in wouldn't give him a promotion or grant his career wishes, but it would certainly ruin the water supply and make our maintenance team extremely angry. He looked at the floor, muttered a quick apology, and practically ran away toward the breakroom. This story has quickly become a legend around our office. It was such a funny, sweet, and totally innocent moment. We certainly don't want to be mean to him, but we do find it hard to resist teasing him about it every once in a while. Whenever we go to get a cup of water, someone will inevitably joke and ask if he has any spare change in his pockets. Leo laughs along with us every time, even though he looks at the cooler with some suspicion and a bit of wariness now. It reminded me that even in a very serious, professional office, it is the little human moments that bring us all together. We get so busy with our tasks and our emails that we sometimes forget to look at the world with the same sense of wonder that Leo had when he stood there with his penny. It was a good reminder for all of us.