Notes from the Office

I knew for some time that we were getting a new colleague in the office, a German woman who was formerly running our office in Spain. I call her Frau Foxtrot because the first time I ever saw her was at the big Bank Party in Mainz in April. She was the first one on the dance floor when the band started up. "Is that our new colleague?," I asked. And, "Is that the Foxtrot she's doing?"

The only things I knew about her was that she was moving to New York all be herself, she spoke fluent German, English and Spanish at least, and her main hobbies were tango dancing and bowling. Look out! We got a live one here! I went up to her in the buffet line to introduce myself. I was jet lagged, tipsy, and talking to a woman who plays the accordian and was soon to be another new supperior of mine. Yet I felt it was okay to tell her, "You can be the Princess if you want, but I am the Queen of that Office!".

Frau Foxtrot started last Thursday and she is a dream to set up compared to New Guy. Yesterday, I had lunch with her. She has been divorced for a year and we talked about being single in the city, although she is nearly twenty years older than me. It turns out, on her second day in this country she was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and a man was jogging by and smiled and waved and such. A couple of hours later, in Chelsea, they ran into each other again! Yes! They exchanged numbers and went out for a drink. Already Frau Foxtrot has proven herself to be my kind of woman.

But she lammented that she never heard back from this guy, even though he mentioned getting together over the weekend. I tried to explain that men are a total mystery in this way. Who knows why they call, or don't call? Certainly not I. But since it had only been a week, I told her he might still call. She was skeptical. Anyway, she came up to my desk today and said, "Nancy, remember that man I told you about yesterday? The one I met on the bridge? Well, he called! You were right. He had the flu. I couldn't believe you were right!"

So I'm very happy for FF, but let's recap here: this German woman is in the country for less than a week and a half, funny German haircut, glasses, accent, the whole deal, and she already scores a date and a follow-up call just by sitting on a bench in Chelsea. I swear to God, I must be the world's most repulsive person.

Meanwhile, the Boss has hired another Director, and he's starting Monday, so I've been getting ready for his arrival. Then the Boss drops the bomb that he himself, will be at a Golf outing on Monday. I asked if the new New Guy would still be coming in. Affirmative.

"Well, I guess I'll just plan on being extra charming and helpful that day."
"Just be your regular self," said the Boss. I'm going to pretend that's a compliment. I think it was.