The Office Nickname
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Simon spends a week confused about why the whole office calls him 'the Sandwich Guy,' until he learns it was actually someone else's nickname all along.
Somebody at the office starts calling Simon "the Sandwich Guy" during his second week. Nobody will tell him why.
It starts small. A coworker he barely knows waves and says, "Morning, Sandwich Guy," as if it's completely normal. By Thursday, three more people have used it, including his manager. His manager says it with a straight face during a meeting.
Simon asks Reese, who sits next to him, if she knows where it came from. She just shrugs. "I assumed you knew. Everyone's been calling you that since Monday."
"Since Monday? I don't even remember doing anything sandwich-related on Monday."
"Maybe it's not about you," Reese says. "Maybe it's about someone who looks like you."
That night, Simon can't stop thinking about it. He replays the whole week, searching for any moment that might explain a nickname this specific. Nothing comes to mind.
The next morning, he finally asks Micah directly, since Micah seems to know everyone's business in the office. Micah laughs so hard he has to put down his coffee.
"Oh, that's not about you," Micah says. "There was a guy named Simon who worked here two years ago. He brought a sandwich to every single meeting, without fail. People still talk about it."
"So there's just… a legendary sandwich guy, and I happen to share his name?"
"Basically, yes. When you started, people got confused and started calling you by his nickname instead of your actual name. Nobody ever corrected it."
Simon isn't sure whether to feel relieved or more confused than before. At least it isn't about anything he actually did.
He decides there's only one reasonable way to end this. The next day, he brings an enormous sandwich to the team meeting. He sets it down in the middle of the table without a word.
Reese starts laughing first. Then the whole room follows. By the end of the day, half the office has heard the story. And the nickname, somehow, has only gotten stronger.
