Awkward situations and those who cause them

Last week I was sitting in my office, minding my own business, when a fellow co-worker came in. I will call her Wendy. She is newfie. That should pretty much explain her behavior for those who may soon be flabbergasted by it.

Wendy tells me, “There is a hot guy on a ladder next door! You should go check him out!” This is the same woman who suggested I hook up with a 40-something from the fourth floor, so I am not taking her that seriously.

“Okay, Wendy,” I say with a smile. I turn back to my computer monitor.

“No, seriously! There’s a hot guy on a ladder next door! Go check him out!”

“I will –” I start to say.

“– I just checked him out. He’s hot!” the married, middle-aged Wendy exclaims. Keep in mind we are right next door to the subject of her desire. He can definitely hear this conversation.

“Yeah, okay I will,” I tell her, with no intention of actually going.

She leaves and goes into the lunch room to heat up her Timmy’s coffee. I hear the microwave beep and try to make myself look busy as she walks by my office again. “Nicole, did you check him out?”

“No,” I answer without looking at her. She walks away and I think it’s all over with. But no, I don’t get off that easily.

I hear the sound of her voice next door, “There’s a hot single girl in the office next door! You should go check her out!” I don’t hear the guy’s response, but at this point I am flabbergasted… but not that much, because she IS newfie. I should have expected her disregard for normal, professional behavior. (Wendy is the mayor’s executive secretary.)

All I can do is continue working and hope the guy next door thinks Wendy is as crazy as I do. But no, I don’t get off that easily. A few minutes later I hear a male voice say, “Um, excuse me…”

My initial reaction is, “Shit! I can’t believe he actually came in here!” But then I look up and see who it is and I am no longer surprised that he came to check out the hot girl next door.

It is Ryan MacNeil. Yes, Ryan MacNeil from Merc’s graduating class of 2001. Ryan I-check-out-your-ass-before-you’re-fully-turned-away-from-me MacNeil. At the very least, I am relieved that I know him so we can laugh about the situation and not make it more awkward than Wendy already did.

Ryan and I spend 15 minutes catching up and he shows me the work he was doing in the boardroom next door. In the midst of our conversation, he asks for my number and makes me program it into his phone. Fair enough. I mean, I did look pretty hot that day.

How did Wendy react when I told her I knew him and we were able to laugh off the situation? She was disappointed. Disappointed that she didn’t embarrass me (close, but no cigar), disappointed that she didn’t “hook me up” with the hot guy on the ladder, or maybe disappointed that she didn’t cause sitcom-like mayhem or drama she hopes for. Ah, whatever. That’s newfies for ya, buy!