u/onkel-enzo

I am not the OOP, OOP is u/SherbetOld7724 on r/AmIOverreacting. This is a repost.

Trigger warning: >!Stalking!<

1st post: (September 2025)

I (30F) was talking to a guy (30M) that I met on tinder a month or so ago. I’ve been on these dating apps off and on for a couple months and wow, it’s rough out there! I was about ready to delete them all when I matched with this guy. We hit it off super well. He was thoughtful, funny, and could genuinely hold a conversation. After a couple days of talking off and on, we moved to snapchat. I only use snap to verify someone is real and to avoid giving my number out (as this story will explain exactly why not to do that lol)

We talked through out most of the following week and a half. I really liked him!! So when he asked to see me on that upcoming Friday (last week) I was very excited. I’m a single mom and have a pretty high level job so I’m left making decisions all day every day. And he knew that, so he suggested that he would love to plan the whole date for us. He seriously sends an itinerary lol he bought us seats at a black light painting class and then to an arcade bar when we were done. Even suggested to wear comfy shoes since we were going to be standing most of the night.. it was so thoughtful and I was honestly pretty impressed.

We meet in the painting class parking lot. The class was so much fun! When we were done he even asked if someone could take our picture holding the paintings so we could “look back on it”- at the time.. I thought it was pretty romantic. As we were leaving he asks if I wanted to have him drive us to the bar. I agreed, I was really looking forward to it. The night continued to be so much fun. I kicked his ass in pool and ping pong. And after we got tired we decided to stop next door to this cute martini bar to end the night.

While we were there it somehow was brought up that he would never approach a woman in the bar. He asked if I would, and I said yes, I have in the past hahah So flirting, he asked to show him how I’d do it. So having a ton of fun, I got out of my chair and started roleplaying lol I came up and said.. hey my friend over there thinks you’re super cute.. pointing to across the bar. Then I literally make a sprint for it and run to a chair across the room. Then wave lol at that point we were both laughing so hard- I came over and asked for his number, since at that point I only had his Snapchat.

A little bit later he gets a phone call and steps out. I thought nothing of it. It was loud in there. But then maybe 10 minutes later he calls me. Saying I need to come outside. So as I go outside I notice he is all the way down the street. It was odd. I walk down there to meet him and he says, “my friend just called- she’s having issues with her boyfriend and wants me to come stay with her”. And that point my balloon popped lol I somewhat understood, I have guy friends, but it was weird and I resigned it to the date being over. I said, ok well let’s just go then. It was late anyways. He says no- because he told her that he can’t just leave me. I took that as, he wants to go but feels like he can’t. So I insisted .. no. Please take me back to my car, it’s ok. (Because ok even if that were true and he didn’t want to go, why would he have me close the tab, and walk down the whole street to just tell me that? He didn’t have to bring up the call… at all) he said he didn’t want to but would because I asked.

So this is where it gets scary.

The drive home was weird and silent. Once we get to my car the parking lot was empty. It’s dark. It’s maybe 12am. I get out of the car and so does he. I hug him bye, but then he just doesn’t let go of me. He tells me that I don’t have to go. I say yes I’m leaving and try to kindly push him off me but he doesn’t budge. So then I very directly say- let me go. He lets go immediately and hold his hands up, like I’m being crazy. I walk around to my driver side door but he follows me. He stands between me and the car. He asks if he can have another chance and tried to hug me again. I step backwards, avoiding it. He then suggests that we can still have sex if I wanted to. I said no. So then he said, can I at least get a goodbye kiss? I said no again. But then he kept asking, please?? Come on.. so then I did. Thinking he’d let me just go home if I did.

He opens my car door for me and I get in. But he just holds the door open. Standing there like the actual man emoji. Saying nothing. I say, what? Please shut my door. And he asks if he can have another chance. I honestly felt like he wouldn’t shut my door until I agreed to it. So I did. Then he says, call me when you get home. I say, I’ll text you. He said no … you’re going to call me. Then shuts my door. But then he just stands there, blocking my car. So I hesitantly roll my window down and tell him to move. He asks again if I’ll really give him a second chance. As I’m slowly driving away, trying not to hit him I yell”sure”. To that, he comes back up to my car, making me hit my brakes, and puts his hands on my window sill/rolled down window and says, ok call me when you get home. I say ok. I drive off immediately and start crying I was so overwhelmed.

I don’t text him. Or call. But maybe 20 min later he calls me on snap over and over. I turn my phone off. I figured I just needed some sleep and maybe I was over thinking things- I did have a couple drinks.

The next morning I get a long snap from him saying how impressed he was by me and he’s so sorry about that phone call, she’s just a friend, and that he wants another chance. I respond, calling him out on his behavior and that he’s apologized for the wrong thing and that he terrified me. At that point he video called me again on snap (I could see that he was at a grocery store, if that even matters lol) I blocked him. Then he called me on his cell phone. I block that.

I continued to block him on everything- even if we didn’t follow each other. On fb, ig, LinkedIn, tinder, hinge. Maybe an hour later I get a text from a random unsaved number with an enormous message, from him. Starting it as “I realize you’ve blocked me, I’m not trying to intrude or stalk you in any way but…” and then profusely apologize for the way he made me feel and that he won’t ever reach out again without consent. I block that number. I didnt respond. If I had to guess that was from his work phone that I had seen in his car (when I was getting out at the bar I said oh you forgot your phone… he said, oh no that’s just my work phone.)

A week goes by hearing nothing, but then I get a message from Social Flowers. I was confused. I never heard of it before. But ig it’s flowers you can send anonymously. With a super cringey message (my birthday was in a couple days):

“Pre-birthday wishes. Like petals kissed by dawn, they carry a tender wish, unfolding sweetness to wrap your heart in light and warmth, a quiet gift to brighten your soul's garden. These flowers hold my wish to mend any missteps, each petal a quiet regret and hope to make it right. You left a lovely impression. I’d love another chance.” Then he SIGNED HIS IG HANDLE instead of his name????? wtf?

I declined the flowers.

After a couple days, I hadn’t received anything so thought maybe it was over. But then while I was at work I get a notification on Snapchat that “blocked user” has created a new account. This was the random number he texted me from- assuming his work phone. I had saved it under his name and “blocked” just in case. I’m glad I did. I immediately blocked his new snapchat, scared that he would try to add me or reach out again.

I’m so so confused because my friends are laughing it off as “if he wanted to he would..” type of jokes. But I’m genuinely creeped out. I’ve bought pepper spray and am constantly looking around for him when I’m in public. AIO?!

What do I even do?? I feel like something should be reported? Idk to who or for what, but this does not seem normal.

1st update in the same post:

I’m so glad I posted this because I genuinely see how serious it really is now. I haven’t dated much so this opened my eyes quite a bit. As for a few of the comments, I want to elaborate on a few things:

• I did report him to tinder
• we were out for about 6 hours. I had a drink while painting then a drink at the martini bar. I was not intoxicated. I realize any amount of alcohol and driving is unsafe but I was willing to take that chance in order to get away from him as quickly as I could. Hell, I even kissed him. It is not something I would have done in any other circumstance.
• I have alerted my manager, since he knows where I work

& it doesn’t make sense to me either, why he would do this. I was confident he was such a good guy until we left. It was like his personality completely flipped, which left me confused and doubting myself. Since he seemed so genuine and sweet for weeks that I was actually going crazy trying to justify how he ended it. Like maybe it really was just a misunderstanding. I realize now it wasn’t lol and I’m so glad it happened on the first night. I can’t imagine how things would have gone if our relationship progressed and he got my address. Because I really would have looked passed that phone call.

Lastly, for those of you asking, this is what he sent me from his “work phone” after I called him out and blocked him:

“ I understand that you’ve blocked me on everything, and I completely respect your need to cut me off. I’m not trying to intrude or stalk you in any way I stg, but this text is just to express how deeply sorry I am for what happened. I had no idea you felt scared or mistreated, and learning how my actions affected you has shaken me to my core. I was at Walmart at the time I read your text, and I was stunned!!!! The Walmart employee came over to ask if I was even alright, I stood there 5 mins in shock unable to move. There was clearly a miscommunication on my part, and I take full responsibility for that. When I stood there by your car as you were leaving, I thought it was a normal gesture to ensure you drove off safely, something I’ve always done out of care. To make sure the woman leaves before I leave. But I see now how it came across differently, and I’m heartbroken that I made you feel trapped or held hostage in any way. You had every right to feel the way you did, and I’m so sorry for not recognizing your discomfort in the moment. It was never my intention to pressure you or make you feel unsafe. I swear on my momma and God above, that’s the truth. For the past several weeks we’ve spoken, I’ve tried to be so respectful and kind, always seeing you in the best beautiful light. You’re truly the most beautiful woman I’ve met. Inside and out. I stg I wasn’t raised to act with bad manners or ill intent, and knowing I made you feel otherwise has left me shattered. Changed. I deeply regret failing your honor and your boundaries and making you feel anything less than safe and respected. I don’t expect a reply, and I want you to know I won’t ever contact you again unless you choose to reach out first. I respect your decision completely. I just needed to share this to clear my conscience and let you know how sincerely sorry I am. I’m committed to learning from this and ensuring it never happens again. I wish you nothing but peace and safety moving forward. My deepest apologies once again. It is my hope to make it right by you.”

Seems like a genuine message at first, but considering what he did after he sent it makes me think he’s just a really good talker. Probably how he got me to trust him so quickly.

And honestly, this was somewhat of the reason why I felt like I was overreacting.

Anyways- for those of you that read all of this THANK YOU. It feels good to have support. I’m planning on reporting it to the police and if anything else happens i will file an order for protection.

If anything else comes of it I’ll try to update 🩷

2nd update (separate post): (3 days later)

For those of you who saw my last post. I thought I’d give another update.

It got worse.

I was supposed to go out the other night with a friend (m) to the clubs downtown (relatively around the same area we went in that date). And luckily I had other plans so couldn’t go. The next morning I wake up to phone calls from that friend that went out. Telling me to call him as soon as I got up.

He proceeds to tell me that him and his friend were at a bar when he gets tapped on the shoulder. He turns around and it’s the guy I went on a date with. He apparently was going around asking people if they knew me. Mind you- this man does not live in this city. He lives about an hour north of where I am. My friend not realizing who it was at the time said he knew me. The stalker proceeds to ask him where he can find me or if he knew how he could contact me. Obviously all of his alarms going off, my friend said he didn’t know me well enough to have any of my information. But asked him why. The stalker says, “last time we talked we had a miscommunication and I just need to clear things up. I just want to talk man, I just want to talk to her.” My friend quickly shuts it down. Says he won’t be much help- but that if I wanted to talk to him he’s sure I would have reached out. Left it at that. He took pictures of him and the friend he was with.

I immediately called the police. Only to find out my neighbor (I live in a duplex, so we share the same house) said that last night someone was ringing our doorbell at 1am.

My dad came over and installed ring doorbell cameras. The police are petroling my street.

They said I have enough to press charges of harassment and stalking.

Thank you for everyone that responded to my last post. Without most of those comments I’m not sure I would have realized how serious this was. Since then, my friends have apologized and are fully supportive. One of them is sleeping with me tonight.

Final update (separate post): (December 25, 2 months after first post)

Hi everyone, so I don’t use Reddit often so I’m not too sure how to post an update. Hopefully this works haha

But to give a final update on my last couple posts, this is how it ended. Im still shocked and trying to wrap my head around it.

I had originally left out a part in my first post. It was already so insanely long and it didn’t seem relevant at the time. I kept out the part where I ran into an acquaintance during the first date. I had met this guy 1 other time, let’s call him Cory. And he was with a girl, let’s call her Megan. I met Cory several week prior at a bar, he was a part of the friend group I was with and just took him as the typical super fun gay guy in the group.

Since that day he had been hitting me up almost weekly asking me to hangout. I don’t go out often, so that combined with being a bit weirded out on his persistence I never met up with him.

Fast forward to the day I had the date. He reached out again, asking if we could go to the bars, but I said that I was going on a date and would not be available. He asked where we planned to be and I told him, not thinking he’d actually show up ..?. Later that night he shows up to the martini bar we were in. He introduces me to Megan, but then for some reason they both sit down next to us. That’s when my date got the phone call. So while he was outside .. I was with these two people.

But where it gets strange is, Cory was the one I was supposed to meet with that one night but didn’t go. He was the one that called me to tell me that the stalker had been going around asking people if they knew me.

But then Megan comes into the picture… apparently when they ran into the stalker downtown.. the stalker was with a guy that Megan would “hook up with” according to her, but didn’t know well. After that night she all of a sudden started sending me messages letting me know how brave I am. That she’s so sorry this is happening, this is so crazy, bla bla bla. and then sending screenshots of her friend asking about me. She even sent screenshots of him asking her to set me up, so the stalker could come talk to me. But she insisted she trusted this friend. It felt off. Something was weird. At one point she did ask me to come hangout with her and Cory, but she would say they’d keep me safe and nothing would happen, “let’s just have a fun night to get our mind off of it.”

At first a part of me was thankful I had then looking out and sending me these warnings, or having “insight” but then all of a sudden, like a switch flipped I had this super weird gut feeling that they were involved somehow. Idk. But it was like my reality shifted, I realized every single thing that had to do with this stalker looped directly back to them. They were involved in every moment. I was going crazy trying to figure out if it was coincidental.

But I never ended up hanging out with either Cory or Megan. Despite their continued persistence.

I eventually called the police and filed a report. They found him and told him if he reaches out ever again to me or any of my “friends” to find me, he’d be arrested and served w a restraining order.

From that day I literally never heard from him, Cory, or Megan again.

A few family members think they were just mixed in and were innocent, but my friends think it was more sinister.

With all that said. I’m okay. I’m safe. And a hell of a lot more careful when it comes to dating or meeting new people, which I don’t plan on doing again anytime soon.

I appreciate the support from all of you. You really seemed to care- the world needs more people like you :)

This is a repost. Do not comment on the original post and do not harass the OOP.

I am not the OOP, the OOP is u/Ok_Assistance8735 posting in AIO and Offmychest. The fish microwave saga is still ongoing as per OOP.

Mood spoiler: >!entertaining!!<

1st post:

I need to talk about this because nobody in my office will and I think I'm going insane.

I work at a tech company in Shenzhen. I'm not Chinese. I moved here for the job. I don't fully understand everything that happens in this office and I've accepted that. Sometimes there are cultural things I just don't get and that's fine. This is not one of those things. I am confident this is not a cultural thing. I think this is just one guy.

There's a guy on my floor. I'll call him Dale because his English name is Dale and I don't care anymore. Dale started here in October. Seemed normal at first. Quiet. Wore those slim fit dress pants everybody wears here. Had a little desk plant. Fine.

In November Dale started bringing fish for lunch. Not like from the canteen downstairs where they have an actual kitchen and like eight options. His own fish. In a container. Microwaved. Every. Single. Day. The microwave is not in a break room. The microwave is on a little table in the open office right between his desk and mine. We have a canteen. We have a FULL CANTEEN with real food made by real cooks on the first floor and this man brings tilapia from home in a glass container and microwaves it at his desk. I can hear the turntable spinning. He stands next to it and watches it rotate the entire time. Just stands there. Looking at his fish spin.

The smell is unreal. I'm not going to describe it because you already know. You know exactly what microwaved tilapia in a shared space smells like. It's that. But in Shenzhen. In the humidity. It lingers.

I mentioned it to him once in like November. My Mandarin is okay not great so I kept it simple. I said hey Dale do you think maybe you could heat that up in the canteen kitchen. He looked confused. He said "but the microwave is right here." I thought maybe I said it wrong so I asked a colleague to translate just in case. She told him exactly what I said. He looked at her and then back at me and said in English "yes but the microwave is right here." He understood me the first time. He just couldn't process why anyone would walk downstairs when there's a microwave right here.

It got worse in December because he started bringing a SIDE. The side is broccoli. Also microwaved. So now we have fish AND broccoli in a small open office area and I know Chinese offices can sometimes have strong lunch smells I KNOW THAT but even the other Chinese colleagues were opening windows. This wasn't a culture gap. This was Dale.

January is when things got weird. Dale put a small sign on the microwave in Chinese that said something about being courteous with shared appliances. I had to ask someone to read it for me. I thought oh good he's becoming self aware. No. He put the sign up because someone microwaved some kind of spicy hotpot leftovers and HE didn't like the smell. DALE didn't like the smell. The fish and broccoli guy thought HOTPOT was too much. I stared at that sign for maybe an hour. I couldn't read half of it but I understood enough to know I was losing my mind.

Then in February he started doing something I still don't fully understand. He began eating at his desk with his desk lamp off. Just sits in the dim with his tilapia and broccoli while the rest of us are working. I asked a Chinese coworker if this was a thing. She said no. I asked another one. He said no and also made a face. So it's not a thing. It's a Dale thing. I asked Dale about it and he said he read on WeChat that eating in dim light "aids digestion." I didn't look it up. I don't want to know if it's true because if it is then this man is operating with information from a WeChat article and I can't compete with that.

Two weeks ago he brought in a second container. I thought oh god what now. It was rice. Just plain rice. I was so relieved it was just rice that I almost thanked him. I almost thanked a man for only bringing rice. That's where I am now. My baseline has shifted so far that plain rice feels like a gift.

oh and I forgot to mention. He eats with these metal chopsticks. Not the disposable wooden ones from the canteen. Not even normal reusable ones. These heavy metal chopsticks that scrape the glass container. It sounds like a tiny forklift backing up. Every day. For the full duration of his lunch which takes him about forever because he chews each bite like he's solving something.

Last week is what made me write this post. I was on a video call with our US partner office. Important call. I had my headset on. Dale walks over to the microwave area, which again is right next to me, and he taps me on the shoulder. I mute myself. He goes in English because he knows I prefer it "hey do you mind keeping it down for a bit? I'm about to eat."

HE ASKED ME TO KEEP IT DOWN. WHILE HE EATS HIS FISH. IN THE DARK. AT HIS DESK. HE ASKED ME. TO BE QUIETER. FOR HIS DINING EXPERIENCE. In the OPEN OFFICE. That WE SHARE.

I said Dale I'm on a call with the US team. He nodded and said "yeah that's kind of what I mean. The English is a lot." THE ENGLISH IS A LOT. My JOB talking. In the language HE switched to to ask me. He wants me to not do my job so he can eat microwaved tilapia in peace. In the dark. With his metal chopsticks.

I went to my manager about it. He said "Dale is a little different but his code is very clean." I said that's great but the fish. He said "have you tried talking to him about it?" I said yes in two languages. He said "maybe try again."

Yesterday he put up a new sign. It says something about a quiet lunch zone from 12 to 1. He LAMINATED it. He went somewhere in this building and found a laminator and laminated a sign declaring a quiet lunch zone around the microwave he has colonized for his daily fish ritual. There was no vote. There was no group chat announcement. Dale just decided this is a quiet lunch zone now. The sign has a little clip art of a fish on it with chopsticks. I know it's not ironic. I know there is not a single ironic bone in this man. He just thought a fish with chopsticks was appropriate for a lunch sign.

I asked three different coworkers if this was normal. All three said no. One of them laughed so hard she had to go to the stairwell. One just said "that's just Dale" like that explains anything. The third one showed me that she eats lunch at a mall across the street now specifically because of Dale. She's been doing this since December. She didn't even tell me. I could have been going with her this whole time.

I just found out he's up for a promotion. My manager said he's a "good culture fit." I've been eating lunch at a Lanzhou noodle shop down the street since January and my jacket smells like tilapia so maybe he's right. Maybe this is the culture now. Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I should just turn off my desk lamp and accept it.

I moved to the other side of the world for this job and somehow my biggest problem is the same one people have in every office on earth. Fish guy. Fish guy is universal. Fish guy transcends borders and languages.

His desk plant is thriving by the way. Probably the broccoli steam.

1st Update on r/offmychest:

if you saw my last post you already know about Dale. if you didn't, short version: I work at this AI startup called happycapy ai in Shenzhen, I'm not Chinese, and there's a guy named Dale who microwaves fish at his desk every day, eats in the dark with his lamp off, laminated his own quiet lunch zone sign, and once asked me to keep it down on a work call because "the English is a lot." that post blew up which is flattering and also depressing because the most viral thing I've ever done is complain about a man's tilapia. cool. anyway here's what happened since.

Dale got the promotion. Of course he did. My manager announced it during morning standup and everyone clapped and Dale did this single nod. Didn't smile. Didn't say thanks. Just one slow nod like a general accepting battlefield command. I've never seen someone absorb applause like that. He just let it wash over him and then sat back down and opened his fish container because it was 11:58 and nothing, not even career advancement, delays the fish.

His new desk is three spots closer to me. There were open desks by the window. By the door. By the elevator. He picked the one nearest to the microwave which is also nearest to me. I think Dale thinks we're close. I think in his mind the fish has bonded us. We are not bonded. I am a hostage.

The day after the promotion he brought a new container. My actual heart rate went up. It was soup. FISH SOUP. So now the daily lineup is tilapia, broccoli, rice, and a soup that smells like the ocean floor during a crisis. The whole floor got hit. Our office manager sent a message in the company WeChat saying "does anyone smell something burning on 4" and Dale responded with "no that's my lunch" and a thumbs up emoji. Not embarrassed. Not apologetic. A THUMBS UP. This man just got promoted and his first act of leadership was to proudly claim a smell that HR should be investigating.

I went to my manager about it. Again. He said "yeah I get it but Dale's output is really strong." I said his OUTPUT of smell is also really strong. He didn't laugh. He said "maybe bring it up in your next one on one with Dale." My next one on one WITH DALE?? Dale is not my manager. Dale is my PROBLEM. But apparently the promotion means Dale now does peer check-ins with people on the floor. So yes. I have a one on one with the fish man now. That's where my career is at.

But the thing that actually broke me is the fridge. Dale brought in a mini fridge. Personal. Unauthorized. Just showed up on a Monday humming under his desk. It has a sticker on it. A cartoon fish. Smiling. And right next to it he stuck one of those HappyCapy capybara stickers we got at the company retreat. So now there's a happy capybara and a happy fish on Dale's unauthorized fridge like they're best friends. Like they're in this together. Every time I look at it I feel like they're both judging me for not accepting Dale's lifestyle.

I asked my manager about the fridge and he said "Dale mentioned wanting to keep his ingredients fresh. I think it's fine." INGREDIENTS. He's calling it ingredients now. It's not lunch anymore. He has INGREDIENTS. The desk is a prep station. Dale is running a restaurant out of a cubicle and management is fine with it because his code is clean.

Oh and remember the coworker who'd been eating lunch at the mall across the street since December? She quit last week. Not directly because of Dale I think she got a better offer somewhere. But on her last day she stopped at my desk and whispered "get out while you can." I laughed. She didn't laugh. She just looked at me like I was the one person she couldn't save and then walked to the elevator. I think about it a lot.

Now here's why I'm writing this. Yesterday in the elevator. Just me and Dale. Quiet. He turns to me and goes "hey. do you like seafood."

I said I guess, why.

He said "no reason. just planning something for the floor."

FOR THE FLOOR. PLANNING SOMETHING FOR THE FLOOR. I said what do you mean planning what and he just smiled and walked out and did the wave without looking back. The man dropped "just planning something" and LEFT. Like a villain in a movie. Except this villain has a mini fridge and a laminator and I don't think he's joking.

Something is coming. Something involving Dale, seafood, and his understanding of what's appropriate for a shared workspace which as we've established is WILDLY different from everyone else's. This man laminated a sign. He brought a fridge. He earned a promotion microwaving fish. Whatever he's planning, he will execute it with absolute certainty and zero pushback from management because his code is clean and apparently that's all that matters.

His desk plant has a second pot now. He's expanding on every front.

Will update when I find out what the seafood plan is. Pray for me.

2nd UPDATE: the seafood event happened. also we moved offices. also dale brought his fridge.

so the seafood thing happened.

I need to start there because the last post ended on "he's planning something for the floor" and I know some of you said to claim an allergy in the elevator and I want to be clear: I had the window, I did not take it, and the seafood thing happened and I was present for the entire thing and I need you to know this before I get to the other stuff.

Dale organized a floor hotpot. He called it "floor culture building lunch." Thursday night WeChat message, whole floor, seafood hotpot tomorrow, bring appetite. He attached a photo. Not a link to a place, not a shared order. A photo of a hotpot. From what I can only assume is his own phone. Just a pot. On a Thursday night. No other context.

Management had apparently approved it. I don't know when he asked or how he framed it but by Friday morning there was a portable hotpot on a table in the middle of our floor and Dale was unboxing seafood from bags he'd carried in from home. I stood there longer than was professional just watching this. He had shrimp. Things I recognized. Things I genuinely didn't. At one point he added something that made the person next to me go completely still in the way people go still when they are privately reconsidering their life choices.

Dale gave a short speech. My colleague translated the part that mattered: he said sharing a meal was the foundation of team trust. He said this while stirring a hotpot he had personally transported on a Friday morning. Nobody clapped. Everyone ate. The smell lasted through the weekend and someone filed something with HR and HR said it was a team event so nothing happened.

anyway. our company got funded.

Happycapy made it into some tech news which was exciting for maybe a week and then our CEO announced we were moving. Scaling up. New floor in a WeWork in Shenzhen, proper branded setup, real kitchen, the whole thing. They put capybara stuff everywhere at the all-hands. Mugs, wall prints, stickers. I took a couple because honestly the capybara is kind of cute, I don't know, it grows on you.

Dale took the whole sheet of stickers.

I was standing right next to him. He picked up a full sheet, put it in his bag, made eye contact with no one. I watched this happen and said nothing. I have no idea what he needs that many capybara stickers for. I've decided not to think about it.

The new office is legitimately nice. Open floor, glass meeting rooms along one wall, proper kitchen with ventilation. I was optimistic. Thought maybe a fresh start, new space, he'd use the kitchen, whatever. That lasted about a week.

By the end of the first week Dale had claimed a meeting room.

He didn't do it officially. He just started booking the same room every day 12 to 1. Calendar subject line: L. Just the letter. I asked our office manager what it stood for. She said Lunch. Just Lunch. Daily. The whole room. He sits in there alone. The walls are glass so you can see directly in and I walked past one afternoon and he was in there, lamp off, container open, metal chopsticks, no sound. Just Dale. In a glass box. In a WeWork. I stopped for a second because sometimes you need a moment to confirm that what you're looking at is real and not something your brain has constructed.

The WeWork community team noticed the smell after a week or so and sent an email to our office manager asking about "food preparation concerns on the floor." She forwarded it to the CEO. He forwarded it back to her. Nothing happened.

Dale put a laminated sign on the meeting room door. New one, he must have found a laminator in the building. Same text though — quiet lunch zone, 12 to 1, please respect. WeWork staff took it down. Next morning a new one was up. They took that one too. Third one appeared. I think after three attempts everyone just gave up because the sign has been on that door for two weeks now.

oh and I should mention. The fridge came.

Dale's unauthorized personal mini fridge made the move. The moving company packed it, someone put a company asset tag on it because they assumed it was office equipment. It is now technically a Happycapy company asset. The capybara sticker and the smiling fish sticker are still on it. It's under Dale's new desk. His plants came too. Three pots. I don't know what he's been giving them but they are doing incredible. Best-looking desk plants I've seen in any office. Thriving. Expanding on every front as always.

New person joined last month. Desk closest to the glass meeting room. First day she came over to me around 2pm, stood there for a second, and said "is that guy okay."

I didn't know what to say. I said his code is very clean.

She came in with noise-canceling headphones on day two. I've had mine since February. We don't talk about it. We're just both wearing them by noon.

I think I've stopped fighting it tbh. Dale is weather at this point. You don't argue with weather, you dress for it. The forecast at this office is fish. Has been since November. You bring a headset.

will update when something happens. something always happens.

Notable comment that I can agree with:

>I’m sorry you’re living this, but it’s my favorite read. Keep up the series.

This is a repost. I am not the OOP. Do not harass the OOP!