What's in a Name?

This year, I handed out Christmas cards to the people in the office building - the cleaning lady, Jean, and the Maintenance, Rocco and Bruce. There was a reason for this besides being nice, I wanted Bruce to know what my name was. Yeah, I have been waiting for Christmas for months just for this reason - I am so devious...

I planned on putting the cards under the door to Rocco and Bruce's office, but I ran into Jean and knew she had a key and would put them on their desks. I didn't think to much more about it.

About half an hour later, I heard an unfamiliar voice talking with loudmouth Lisa, but I didn't pay to much attention. I went back to work and a moment later, I could feel someone standing behind me. I turn around, there is Bruce.

At first, I am taken back by the fact that he's standing at my desk talking to me. I'm not sure what he wants - is it to thank me for the card? All sorts of weird questions are flying around my head. After what seemed like forever, he asks if I was the one that called in the ceiling leak.

At this point in time, my entire periphrial vision disappeared and all I could see was him. It was like looking through a telephoto lense before taking a portrait of someone.

I gave him my best smile and said, "No, sorry. I haven't heard anything about a ceiling leak."

He said good bye and left. As I sat there gathering my thoughts, I realize how stupid I must have sounded. Then I couldn't concentrate or remember what I was supposed to be doing.

When I finally got back to work after agonizing over what I was working on, I feel someone standing behind me again. Then it happened, he spoke my name.

"Margie, I wanted to thank you for the Card. I was really nice and you didn't have to do that."

The lense just closed in again and it was just him and I. I was bumbling for words and finally came out with, "You guys are always so nice to me, it's the least I can do." I rambled on about something else, then lost eye contact.

He had to have known I was really embarassed, my face must have been 500 different shades of red. He said bye and left.

Looking back on it now I have to smile, my plan worked - He knows my name