A Fright

I went over to the other office building today to drop off some contracts. I walked by my brother-in-law's desk (Bryce and I work for the same company) to say hello, but all of his stuff was gone. His cubicle was empty! I walked over to the receptionist and asked what was going on.

She looked at me with a guarded expression, and said, "Oh, he doesn't work for us anymore."
I laughed, "No, seriously. Where is all of his stuff?"
She said, "Really, he doesn't work here."
I laughed again, "But I just saw him in a company truck."
"But when? Was it after noon?" she asked.
I began to feel uneasy. If she was just kidding me, she was doing a great job of keeping a straight face. "No, it was at noon."
She gave me a sympathetic nod and a sad look. I felt sick to my stomach. Images of my poor nieces and nephews began racing through my mind. The boys, wearing tattered knickers, stealing from fruit stands. The girls, dressed in rags and panhandling. My sister-in-law, Jen, having to take up running professionally to pay the bills. Poor Bryce!

Then the secretary began laughing and patted me on the shoulder. I felt very relieved. We laughed over the funny joke. Later, as I walked through the parking lot, I slashed her tires.