I’m Emi Maruyama, 31, a mom raising a first-grade son. This is a story from a little while ago. Because of my husband’s job transfer, we had just moved to a new place. Once our new life settled down, I decided it was time to start working part-time. But every time I applied, I got rejected… I had limited myself to office jobs with flexible hours, which made it tough to find something. Then finally, I was hired as an office worker at a company.
At my new part-time job, I met Yukako, who was both a coworker and my mentor. We had so much in common that we became friends. Since I had just moved and was nervous about working again, I had no friends around. That’s why meeting Yukako at this company meant so much to me. We’re the same age, and even our kids are the same age! Our time working together is short, but I’m just so happy to have made a friend. When Mr. Tajima scolded me, I felt down—but that moment actually brought me closer to Yukako, and I was truly glad.