{"id":140844,"date":"2025-10-27T03:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T03:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/?p=140844"},"modified":"2026-01-25T03:36:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T03:36:05","slug":"nobody-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/?p=140844","title":{"rendered":"Nobody Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nToday is a great day. The sun is shining, and my job is amazing. <\/em>Hannah sighed. This wasn\u2019t working. At least she had dinner with Grace to look forward to tonight.\n<\/p>\n

\nShe looked up at her team\u2019s mission statement, proudly emblazoned beside a cartoon panda. The PandaWeb Customer Happiness Team aspires to make our customers\u2019 lives easier.<\/em> Someone should\u2019ve been fired for coming up with the name, \u2018Customer Happiness Team.\u2019\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThat\u2019s stupid,\u201d the caller spat. \u201cWhy can\u2019t you just give me their phone numbers?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah sighed\u2014in her mind, at least. She was careful not to let her frustration show through her voice. Most of her customers were angry and rude if they didn\u2019t get what they wanted, and this guy was no different. She put on her best, well-practiced, pleasant support voice.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cPandaWeb does indeed share others\u2019 personal information if they consent to it. Unfortunately, these individuals didn\u2019t consent, so we can\u2019t share their details. Perhaps you could expand your search to a wider target audience?\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cPerhaps you could just do your jobs and be useful for once!\u201d he shot back, before hanging up on her. Mercifully. She understood his frustration, but she simply couldn\u2019t help him.\n<\/p>\n

\nPandaWeb\u2019s AI could compose music, hold conversations, and even create your sales strategy. It could tell you\u2014generally\u2014who your likely customer group would be, even though the system knew exactly who they were. But PandaWeb would never give away personal information. Sure, it was unethical, but bad press was worse. Not to mention the lawsuits.\n<\/p>\n

\nThis was vastly different from where Hannah thought she\u2019d be in her career. She\u2019d graduated with her psych degree two years ago but struggled to find the clinical work that she enjoyed, so she took this customer service job, just to pay the bills. Grace, her oldest friend in the world, teased her about it mercilessly. But Hannah stayed, even though some days it felt like she spent her whole life on the phone with angry people. It was a petri dish of human dysfunction, but it was right there for her to examine, a real-life experiment. Well, that was the story she told herself.\n<\/p>\n

\nAnd on top of it all, Grace and Noah just got engaged. Hannah was thrilled at the news. She almost believed that one, too.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe next customer immediately appeared on her queue. A new user, with the ID \u2018nobodyhome\u2019. Well, at least he had a sense of humor. His account showed his name as Ryan\u2014it was always important to use the customer\u2019s name, after all. She connected the call and put on her best, happy-customer-service voice.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHello Ryan, and thank you for calling PandaWeb! My name is Hannah. How can I make your day great?\u201d she asked.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe person on the other end laughed. \u201cWow, that\u2019s quite the greeting! Congratulations, you\u2019ve already made my day. Do they give you lots of free coffee or something?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah smiled\u2014it was nice to finally talk to someone who wasn\u2019t angry. \u201cOh, I\u2019m just a naturally awesome person,\u201d she retorted. If the Quality Team reviewed the recording of this, she\u2019d get her wrist slapped for going off script. But her customer happiness stats were pretty good, despite the grumpy callers, so she wasn\u2019t too worried. \u201cSo, how can I help you today?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI\u2019ve kind of locked myself out of my account, and I need help getting back in.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cJust \u2018kind of\u2019, huh? Sure, I can help you with that one.\u201d This was an easy fix. After her last few calls, Hannah could use an easy one. \u201cDid you try resetting your password online?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYeah, so, uh\u2026 no. I couldn\u2019t. I entered the wrong password too many times and it took away the option.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cReally? How many times did you enter the wrong password?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cUm\u2026 twelve\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah stifled a laugh. It was hard. Really hard. \u201cAnd then it finally locked you out, huh? Can\u2019t imagine why. You didn\u2019t want to hit the \u2018forgot password\u2019 button before it locked you out entirely?\u201d Quality would roast her for saying that. But come on, she had to. Some people just deserved it.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI was sure I remembered it! I was so close\u2026\u201d Hannah could hear the grin in his voice. He was enjoying this, too. \u201cAren\u2019t you supposed to be nice to me or something?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOkay,\u201d Hannah put on her sweetest, most reassuring tone, \u201cI\u2019ll be nice. I can help you reset your password. Can you confirm your full name for me, please?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMy name is Ryan Cooper.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThanks, Ryan, it\u2019s nice to meet you!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIt\u2019s nice to meet you too, Hannah, even though you\u2019re being very mean to me,\u201d Ryan teased her back. He remembered her name. Hannah was impressed. Callers don\u2019t often bother to do that.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cAnd can you confirm your address for me, Ryan?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cAre you sure you aren\u2019t going to start stalking me?\u201d came the response.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOnly if you\u2019re cute\u2026\u201d Okay, Hannah mentally slapped herself for that one. She truly should not have said that. Quality was going to discipline her for sure. But it was surprisingly easy to get caught up bantering with this guy. She took a breath. Get back on script, she told herself.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYou\u2019re in luck then!\u201d Ryan replied. \u201cI\u2019m totally cute. And I\u2019m not at all biased about it.\u201d He gave her the address.\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah looked at Ryan\u2019s account info. The address checked out. He was in Portland, just like her. And yes, his profile picture was there, and he was actually pretty good-looking. She was intrigued. He was unusually friendly, easy to chat with, and in the same city. It was a promising coincidence, but in the back of her mind, something also seemed a little off. She wasn\u2019t a suspicious person, but this was awfully convenient.\n<\/p>\n

\nHe could be a contractor, hired to find holes in the company\u2019s security. Hannah knew enough about human behavior to know that tricking people was always the easiest way to break into a company. And PandaWeb had some serious cutting-edge tech, which came with competitors very eager to get their hands on it. This guy was a super smooth talker. He could easily be some kind of social engineering security consultant.\n<\/p>\n

\nBut then, for all she knew, \u2018Ryan\u2019 could even be one of the company\u2019s AI bots, software pretending to be human and probing for weaknesses in employees\u2019 security training. He sounded real, but PandaWeb\u2019s AI bots were sophisticated. Really sophisticated.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe\u2019re still connected, right?\u201d Ryan\u2019s voice came floating back into Hannah\u2019s consciousness. \u201cI didn\u2019t scare you off, did I?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah laughed. Well, fine, even if he was a bot, at least she was going to enjoy the chat. And as long as she stuck to the script\u2014mostly\u2014then he wouldn\u2019t be able to use her to get past the company\u2019s security.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI\u2019m still here! Just confirming your address. And can you confirm your phone number for me, please?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nRyan laughed again. He laughed easily, she noticed. \u201cYou want my number? Okay, now I definitely know you\u2019re hitting on me.\u201d But he still gave her the info, which matched his account.\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah sighed in mock exasperation. \u201cYou wish you were so lucky. I\u2019ll text the number with a link to reset your password. Okay?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSure, that works. But this isn\u2019t fair. Aren\u2019t you going to give me your phone number, too?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSorry. Doesn\u2019t work that way,\u201d Hannah countered with a smile. \u201cAt least, not yet. Did you get the text?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cFair enough. But don\u2019t think I\u2019m giving up that easily.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOh, you\u2019re clearly persistent. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll never give up. You did try to enter your password fifteen times\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOuch! And it was only twelve.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cRight. That\u2019s much better. So, did you get the text?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYup, just going through the link to reset my password\u2026 And we\u2019re in! I\u2019m going to write it down this time, so I don\u2019t forget it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSmart. Is there anything else I can help you with today?\u201d Hannah didn\u2019t want to end the conversation, but she did have a job to do and lots of angry customers waiting for her to brighten their day.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cNope, you\u2019ve been wonderful. But I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll think of something tomorrow that\u2019ll absolutely require your help.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah smiled. Again. \u201cI\u2019m sure you will.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\n

\nRyan was true to his word. Over the next several weeks, he called with impressive regularity\u2014nearly every day\u2014usually with silly problems that he obviously manufactured. And he had an uncanny knack of being able to reach her. There were lots of other Customer Happiness Team members, so most of the time he should have been directed to other agents. Hannah wondered how many times he had to call before she was the one to pick up. Did he hang up every time he got someone other than her?\n<\/p>\n

\nBut then, if he was a bot, that would easily explain why he always managed to reach her. Hannah had long since decided to stop worrying about it, though. The Quality Team must have listened to some of their calls by now, but nobody had reprimanded her for the way she was handling them. If this genuinely was some company test, she hadn\u2019t failed yet.\n<\/p>\n

\nPlus, Grace told her she should get out of her head and just enjoy the calls. He obviously liked her, he seemed nice, and the company wasn\u2019t coming after her. What harm could it be?\n<\/p>\n

\nShe didn\u2019t have time to worry about it, anyway. It was a big day for PandaWeb. Tonight would be their largest upgrade since the company started. They\u2019d been beta testing it for over two months and now it was time to bring it to the world. But the public was getting concerned about AI, and the company had been in the news almost daily. Today\u2019s headline exclaimed, How Do We Know? <\/em>In response, Quality pushed in several last-minute changes to tighten security and customer protection. Hannah was pretty sure those changes didn\u2019t include protecting the Customer Happiness Team. But as long as it meant fewer angry callers, Hannah was all for it.\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah took a breath as she hung up from her latest call. It was just before noon, and she could fit in one more customer before her break. The next user appeared on her queue: \u2018nobodyhome\u2019. Hannah rolled her eyes. How did he always pull this off? She started the call.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHello Ryan, and thank you for calling PandaWeb! My name is Hannah. How can I make your day great?\u201d she asked, with only a hint of irony.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cCome on\u2014I know who you are! Do they dock your pay if you don\u2019t say that?\u201d came the voice on the other end.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cRyan, it\u2019s wonderful to speak with you again.\u201d She meant it, too. \u201cIs this call business or pleasure?\u201d She mentally kicked herself. Five seconds into the conversation and he\u2019s already got her off script. Why did she keep doing this? Quality still hadn\u2019t come after her, but she couldn\u2019t dodge that bullet forever.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWhy can\u2019t it be both?\u201d She could hear the grin in Ryan\u2019s voice. He was enjoying this. \u201cYou\u2019re too good at your job. I can\u2019t seem to do this without you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSo I\u2019ve noticed. And how can I assist you today, Ryan?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI have a serious issue I\u2019m trying to resolve.\u201d Okay, good. It was a work topic. \u201cI\u2019ve got this lunch reservation tomorrow with nobody to join me. I need your help.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah tried, but she couldn\u2019t hold back a snort. That was a new one for her.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOkay, I\u2019ll tell you what,\u201d she countered. \u201cI\u2019ve got my break coming up, so I\u2019ll clock off and then we can chat like normal people.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cNormal, huh? Not sure I\u2019d be good at pulling that one off.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYeah, normal would be a stretch for you.\u201d She opened up her timecard and marked herself offline.\n<\/p>\n

\nRyan\u2019s lunch offer had her intrigued. They\u2019d talked a lot, but Hannah still hadn\u2019t actually met him in person. She honestly did enjoy chatting with him, and he was obviously interested in her. But even after all these weeks, she still couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that something was off. Working in a call center wasn\u2019t in the top ten list of ways to meet a date. If he was a security contractor, he was definitely toying with her. She should meet with him just to find out. That way, if this was all just a test and he was leading her on, it would be easier to murder him.\n<\/p>\n

\nBut there was still the possibility that he was a bot. From all their chats, he seemed like a normal person, doing normal stuff. But PandaWeb sometimes even gave their bots whole life stories, to make it a more realistic experience for the user.\n<\/p>\n

\nUgh. She was way overthinking this.\n<\/p>\n

\nRyan\u2019s voice drifted back over her headset. \u201cHello? Are we still connected? Do you go quiet with all your customers, or is it just me?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOh, yes, sorry.\u201d Hannah snapped back to reality. \u201cI was just logging off. I\u2019m officially on personal time. I\u2019d better not be wasting it\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nRyan laughed. \u201cI promise to make it worthwhile!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d Hannah countered with a smile. She didn\u2019t want to make this too easy for him.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYou won\u2019t regret it.\u201d He was undeterred. \u201cYou\u2019re in Portland, right?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYou\u2019re afraid I packed up and moved since the last time you asked, Mister Stalker?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI prefer to think of myself as adorably persistent.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cBordering on creepy, yes. You\u2019re lucky I like chatting with you. Otherwise, I would\u2019ve blocked you weeks ago.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYou can do that?\u201d He seemed genuinely curious.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIt\u2019s a special feature we added, just for you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWell then, thank you for not blocking me!\u201d he proclaimed, mock formality playing at the edges of his voice. \u201cSo, lunch?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI could be convinced. What are you suggesting?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDao. Asian fusion. It just opened and already has a wait list that\u2019s months long. But I\u2019ve got a buddy who works there, and he scored me a lunch reservation, noon tomorrow, for two. Convinced?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nShe\u2019d heard of Dao, and she\u2019d heard how hard it was to get in there. Getting a reservation, even for lunch, was indeed a big score. Plus, it wasn\u2019t too far from the call center, so she could get there and back and not be too late from her lunch break.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSounds fancy. Why are you asking me? You haven\u2019t met me. You haven\u2019t even seen me.\u201d It was true\u2014they\u2019d never met in person, and she definitely hadn\u2019t shared any photos yet. She hadn\u2019t even given him her last name, in case he actually was some crazy stalker. It was safer that way.\n<\/p>\n

\nOf course, she already knew what Ryan looked like from his profile. And Hannah had tracked him down online weeks ago. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy. He didn\u2019t have much online about his job, which was a red flag supporting the security consultant theory. But he posted lots of pictures with friends, restaurants, beaches, and even kiteboarding, which reassured her a little. If someone was faking all those pictures, they were putting a lot of effort into it. It made it less likely that he was a bot or a psycho.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d he countered. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of exciting, actually. Like the ultimate blind date. I really like spending time with you, so I\u2019ve got a good feeling about this.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHe was winning, but she wasn\u2019t going to let him off the hook quite yet. \u201cI may be off the clock, but we\u2019re still being recorded, you know, so the police will know who I\u2019m talking to if I disappear.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHe laughed. \u201cHow\u2019s this: \u2018To big brother monitoring our calls\u2014if Hannah disappears after our date tomorrow, it\u2019s because she ran off with me.\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nNow it was Hannah\u2019s turn to laugh. \u201cOkay, fine. You win. You\u2019ve convinced me. Meet you at Dao at noon?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDeal!\u201d Ryan sounded genuinely excited. \u201cHow will I recognize you?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYou won\u2019t,\u201d she teased. \u201cIf I show up and you look sketchy, I\u2019m bailing and blocking you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYou drive a hard bargain. Guess that means I\u2019ll have to comb my hair first.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYes, Ryan, you absolutely have to comb your hair. And I\u2019m on my lunch break right now, so I still have to have lunch. I\u2019ll see you tomorrow!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYes! I\u2019m looking forward to finally meeting you in person, Hannah! We\u2019ll talk soon\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah smiled to herself as she ended the call. She had a good feeling about him. And there were worse places to go for a first date. She spent the rest of the afternoon smiling to herself. There were still back-to-back calls from customers nervous about the big upgrade tonight, but her mood was infectious. The end-of-day feedback on her customer happiness stats were through the roof. It was definitely a great day.\n<\/p>\n

\n

\n

\nThe next morning was crazy busy for Hannah. The big upgrade to PandaWeb\u2019s AI system last night was a success. Lots of new features that put them even further ahead of the competition. Security features to protect customers and hopefully reduce any bad press\u2014and angry calls.\n<\/p>\n

\nJust after ten, the username \u2018nobodyhome\u2019 appeared, with all the usual account info. Hannah smiled as she started the call.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHello Ryan, and thank you for calling PandaWeb! My name is Hannah. How can I make your day great?\u201d she asked.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDon\u2019t you ever get tired of saying that?\u201d he asked with a laugh.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOf course not! How are you doing today?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI\u2019m doing great, thank you for asking,\u201d Ryan replied, the smile obvious in his voice. \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to lunch. How was your morning? Last night was a big night over there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIt was big. And lots of calls this morning, so it\u2019s really busy. But it\u2019s been good\u2014it\u2019s nice to help people with their problems. How about you? Is the system working well for you today?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nRyan grunted noncommittally. \u201cHonestly, I haven\u2019t even checked. Doesn\u2019t really matter that much to me. I don\u2019t use the system that much\u2014I\u2019m just here to chat.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah felt herself relax, ever so slightly. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn\u2019t upset. \u201cThat\u2019s really great, so you haven\u2019t encountered any problems at all?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cNope, nothing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah smiled. \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful then! Is there anything else that I can help you with?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cNope, just looking forward to seeing you at lunch!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOh, are you coming by the office?\u201d Hannah asked, a playful tone in her voice.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSure! I can pick you up if you\u2019d like.\u201d Ryan seemed quite eager to meet.\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah smiled again. \u201cPick me up? What for?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nRyan laughed. \u201cSeriously? You\u2019re really making me work for this, aren\u2019t you? Okay, fine. Hi! My name is Ryan. I\u2019m taking you to lunch. At Dao. But honestly, it\u2019s okay if today is too crazy for you. We can reschedule for another day.\u201d He paused briefly. \u201cI can\u2019t promise it\u2019ll be as fancy though. Dao is booked up for months, so we might have to go somewhere else.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure what to say,\u201d Hannah confessed. \u201cI mean, thanks for the offer, but I can\u2019t just run off for lunch with you. I don\u2019t even know you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nThere was a short silence on Ryan\u2019s end. \u201cThis is still a joke, right?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSorry,\u201d she answered, \u201cyou seem like a nice guy, but I\u2019m not heading to lunch with someone I\u2019ve never even talked to before.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cHannah, this isn\u2019t funny anymore.\u201d An edge started to appear in Ryan\u2019s voice. \u201cWe\u2019ve been talking for weeks\u2026\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nIt was Hannah\u2019s turn to pause. Talking for weeks? This guy was starting to be more than a little creepy. Maybe he was a contractor for the Quality Team\u2014they sometimes hire people to call and pose as difficult customers, to keep the Customer Happiness Team on their toes. She had to get the conversation back on script.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cMaybe you were speaking with someone else. Are there any other system problems I can help you with?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t speaking with someone else! It was\u2026 I don\u2019t understand\u2026\u201d The pause on his end was longer this time. \u201cAre we okay?\u201d he asked, his voice barely audible.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI\u2019m great,\u201d Hannah replied pleasantly. \u201cIs there anything else I can help you with today?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI guess not.\u201d The silence was so long, Hannah almost disconnected. \u201cDoes that mean we\u2019re done?\u201d he asked, finally.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYes, I guess we\u2019re done!\u201d Hannah was relieved to bring the call to a close. \u201cThank you for calling PandaWeb. I hope you have a wonderful day!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYeah, thanks\u2026\u201d Ryan was the first to hang up.\n<\/p>\n

\nHannah thought about that one for a bit. Dao would have been fun to check out sometime. But she had no idea why some random guy was suddenly asking her out to lunch. He was probably sent by Quality. But that\u2019d be too weird, even for them. She thought further and then blocked user \u2018nobodyhome\u2019. He can go to someone else on the Customer Happiness Team next time. Blocking him would definitely flag the conversation with Quality, but the company can\u2019t fault her for being safe.\n<\/p>\n

\nShe sighed. Or maybe he was one of PandaWeb\u2019s AI bots. PandaWeb had some really sophisticated tech when it came to artificial intelligence. She\u2019d heard that some of their bots have whole life stories and everything, all to make the customer experience more realistic.\n<\/p>\n

\nSome of their bots even think they\u2019re human.\n<\/p>\n

By day, Charles is professional engineer with a specialization in medical diagnostic technology. He works in the Canadian healthcare system and teaches a master\u2019s degree seminar on racial bias and the determinants of health. He is also the obnoxiously proud father of a biracial Chinese Canadian family, and when he isn\u2019t writing, teaching, or delivering new technologies to hospitals, he spends his time working hard to embarrass his teenage kids, who generally wish he\u2019d go back to writing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today is a great day. The sun is shining, and my job is amazing. Hannah sighed. This wasn\u2019t working. At least she had dinner with Grace to look forward to tonight. She looked up at her team\u2019s mission statement, proudly emblazoned beside a cartoon panda. The PandaWeb Customer Happiness Team aspires to make our customers\u2019 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,20142],"tags":[20143],"class_list":["post-140844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","category-tcl-54-winter-2025","tag-the-colored-lens-54-winter-2025","entry entry-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/108123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=140844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140845,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140844\/revisions\/140845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=140844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=140844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=140844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}