Chapter Text
Pim Pimling looked forward to this day every month.
He loved being a Smiling Friend. If he could do it for free he would, he was that dedicated. Every day he woke up thrilled for even the opportunity to be the reason someone smiled, and it was this attitude that made the grin on his own face practically permanent. Even when work got tough, the smiles that came at the end always made it worthwhile.
He had the loveliest team of coworkers. Charlie, whose pragmatism brought a valuable perspective to the job. Allan, who kept the office in tip-top shape with his organization skills. Glep, who…well, he surely had an important role too! Pim knew they were all necessary to keeping the company the well-oiled machine it was. He gave credit where credit was due.
And yet…some small, selfish part of Pim wanted to believe he was the best of them all.
Charlie often came to work in a bad mood. Allan usually kept to himself. Glep was always on his iPad. Yet Pim put 110% of his effort into every single day, radiating enough joy and positivity for all four of them. The others probably forgot about their jobs as soon as they clocked out each day, but not him. His mind was always racing with new ideas to make people smile. It wasn’t just a job but a way of life to him.
Which is why he dreamed of seeing his name listed as Employee of the Month.
He had never gotten the honor before, but each month he went in with the hope that this would be his lucky day. This month was no different.
“Maybe you’ll get it this time, dude,” Charlie said. “I mean, like, I can’t think of a day you didn’t come into work. Even weekends, right? I don’t know, I wasn’t there.”
“Yes I did!” Pim beamed. “I stayed after work every day, too!”
He really put in his all this time. If there was any month to win Employee of the Month, it was this one.
He swiveled around in his break room chair to face his other coworker, who was busy cleaning the dishes.
“You’ve gotten it a few times, Allan! How did you do it?”
Allan’s eyes widened with an imperceptible emotion as his face turned a deeper red than usual.
“I, uh, did some extra work for Mr. Boss.”
“Marvelous! Maybe I should try that too!”
“No, I really don’t think you need to.”
He suddenly became very engrossed in the spoon he was polishing, as if there were a smudge on it he just couldn’t get off.
“It’s not that big of a deal anyway, man,” Charlie said, leaning back in his chair. “I mean, like, I got it once. Mr. Boss just let me pick out of a box of cheap party favors. It was cool to get the honor, I guess, but getting up earlier for work was barely even worth it.”
Glep looked up from his iPad and babbled his own contribution.
“Yeah, exactly,” Charlie agreed. “You don’t need some award to know you’re good at your job. I mean, like, give me a raise or a bonus instead. That’s way more worth it than a yo-yo or some shit.”
They didn’t get it. It wasn’t about the prize—that hardly mattered to Pim. It was about knowing his hard work was appreciated. Knowing that it made an impact. That his efforts didn’t go unnoticed for once.
Was that too much to ask?
“Boys!” A voice called out from down the hall. “Come on down to the reception area!”
“YES!”
Pim leapt out of his seat so quickly it fell over, leaving one of the others to pick it up. He didn’t stay to see if they did, racing out of the break room like his life depended on it.
This was his moment!
Mr. Boss stood before the front desk with his arms behind his back and a proud smile on his face.
“Hi Pim! Hi boys!”
He greeted the first one to arrive and then the others as they followed behind. But to Pim, it was a sign.
“Are you ready to find out your fellow Employee of the Month?”
The others mumbled detached expressions of agreement, but Pim was born ready.
“Great, because this one will surprise you!” Mr. Boss winked. “I don’t think this employee has gotten the award yet!”
His voice shifted from his normal lighthearted self to a grand and theatrical tone as he gave a long-winded, inspirational speech about said employee’s contributions. He praised their commitment, their optimism, their willingness to go above and beyond, and so much more.
The whole thing was so moving that it brought a tear to Pim’s eye, and not just because he thought it was about him.
Mr. Boss even mentioned them working weekends! Only Pim did that!
“Without further ado,” he said, “I would like to present this award to my most dedicated employee. The one I regard as my own son, with whom I trust my life…”
There was, in fact, further ado.
“And that employee is…”
“Oh Mr. Boss, thank you thank you—“
“Blimbo Schlimbo!”
“WHAT!?”
Pim froze in his tracks. Even the others looked perplexed.
“Uh…Mr. Boss, who is that?”
“I’ve never heard of no Blimb-o Schlimb-o.”
“What?” Mr. Boss assumed his normal voice again. “None of you know Blimbo Schlimbo?”
They all shook their heads.
“For shame!” He stomped his foot. “This is why none of the rest of you got Employee of the Month! None of you appreciate the most hardworking person here! No wonder he feels like everyone hates him!”
He knocked over a potted plant and kicked down a chair in anger, then stopped and took a deep breath.
“Blimbo is away taking a well-deserved vacation so I’ll have to call him with the good news! No thanks to you guys.”
With a final swipe of an arm, he spitefully knocked a pile of papers off the front desk on his way out of the room.
Thus leaving four very confused employees.
“I- I still have no idea who that is. Like literally no clue.”
“Me neither.”
“You hang out with Mr. Boss a lot right? He doesn’t mention him, like at all? Hasn’t even hinted at another employee even existing?”
“No,” Allan coughed, looking strangely flustered. “He has not.”
“What about you, Glep?” Charlie moved on to his oldest coworker. “You’ve been here a while. You don’t know Blimbo Schlimbo?”
“Nuh.”
“Not- not what he looks like or what he does or anything? Nothing?”
As the rest of the Smiling Friends struggled over the mystery of Blimbo Schlimbo, Pim stood there in silence. A swirl of emotions rushed through him—shock, anger, heartbreak. A guy who clearly didn’t matter enough to be remembered by anyone, getting the award over the one who had given his all to make the company better than ever? How was that fair?
Though, it didn’t even matter who won the award. If it were Charlie or Allan or Glep, Pim would have felt the same way. His contributions being ignored for someone who didn’t even put in half the effort.
No…he didn’t want to think of his friends that way. But it didn’t ease the deep pit in his chest. Something deep inside of him wanted to cry or scream or do something to let the world know just how cheated he felt.
“Pim?”
Charlie’s voice broke through the noise in his mind.
“You good, dude?”
Glep said something in the background.
“Yeah, what he said. We know you wanted this.”
“Maybe next time,” Allan said. “Sorry.”
Pim let out a deep sigh, not realizing he had been clenching his fists and carrying so much tension in his body. When he turned around, a smile had returned to his face.
“It’s okay! It was worth a try!” He forced a giggle. “You’re right, maybe next time. But for now we should celebrate Blimbo Schlimbo! Yay!”
“Dude, Pim knows who that guy is? How!?”
Pim heard Charlie start ranting as he walked away.
He didn’t know who Blimbo was at all. He just refused to be a sore loser. If he whined and complained now then surely he’d kill all his future chances of winning Employee of the Month, so he kept quiet and remained grateful.
Maybe next time.
What more do I have to do? Pim thought to himself. I’ve done just about everything.
What would it take just to get a little bit of recognition?