WHAT THE HELL?

The paralegal announced that we were moving out of the conference room and into the offices where we would be working. I made my way to the door and stood behind her. I figured if I flirted with her a little I could get a good office. She certainly wasn't the type of woman I would go after. Her face was mousy, with small, dark eyes and her hair was white and wispy although she looked like she couldn't be more than thirty. The only thing that made her worth looking at was her shapely body and the tight dress that she wore to bring attention to it.

We marched down the pristine halls of the firm like a row of elementary school children passing extravagant vases and original wood carvings. The art that lined the walls was stunning and the carpet soft and plush. The corridor walls glowed white as if they had just been painted. Everything was clean, shiny and expensive. I was reminded that I had occupied this world of luxury and sense of pride rose inside me when I thought about the fact that I had managed to reenter this rarefied environment such a short period of time. I basked in the light of my own unmitigated resilience as I thought about how nice my office must be.

At the end of the hall we entered an open area where there was a different bank of elevators than the ones where we entered the firm. I continued to stay close to the paralegal as we boarded an elevator. I was determined not to be cheated out of the best office. We went down to the basement level and exited. I recalled that the supply room at my old firm was in the basement so I began to wonder if perhaps she was taking us to the supply room to collect our supplies before going to our offices but as that thought crossed my mind she said, “Here we are”, with a broad smile. She was happy to have brought us to this dim, musty basement. There were boxes stacked up against all of the walls. The room was set up with rows of folding tables end to end from one side of the room to the other. Computers and keyboards on the tables were two inches apart and for each computer there was a chair at the table. There were computers and chairs on both sides of the rows of table and the hard drives were under the tables in between the small space that separated the chairs. I watched the experienced people immediately fan out scoping for the best seat among bad choices. I was still trying to figure out what exactly was going on when I tried to lift my foot to take a step. That’s when I noticed that the floor was cement and still streaked with glue from the carpet having been pulled up. As I surveyed the place I looked up and couldn't see the ceiling through the pipes, wires and tile frames that blocked it. The place was a dump. I finally asked the paralegal if this would be where we would work. She replied rather rudely, “Yes. Did you think you would actually get an office?” Then she walked away, laughing audibly as she entered the elevator. I hated her from that moment on.