Dec. 26, 2006
"Jim, did you know that Pam is showing her artwork in a gallery downtown? The opening is Friday night."
A mouthful of ham and cheese kept him from admitting that he knew this fact quite well. He'd caught the listing in the arts section of Sunday's Scranton Times. The name had jumped off the page at him, and he'd filed the information away. He doubted he'd go to the opening, but he planned to swing by a few days later to see the exhibit.
"You make it sound like it's just my paintings they're showing," Pam protested. "It's really not that big of a deal, I swear."
"It is a big deal, Pam," Karen said. "I can't draw or paint or do anything artistic to save my life. I think that is so cool that you're taking art classes, and in Manhattan of all places. All I do most weekends is laundry."
Jim sat there contemplating how to play this. He agreed with Karen. It was a big deal that Pam was showing her artwork in real gallery exhibit. In fact, Karen didn't know just how big a deal it was. A year ago the extent of Pam's artistic endeavors was her doodling between phone calls at the reception desk. Now she was taking classes at night and attending art seminars in New York City. Fancy New Beesly, as he'd called her once and had taken to thinking of her, was making big strides. He wanted to encourage her, but he didn't want to seem overeager.
"Well, I've got a load of delicates I simply must attend to, but I think that can wait until Saturday morning," Jim said. "What time is the opening Friday?"
"It's at 7:30," Karen answered before Pam could. "We should get everyone in the office to come, really pack the place."
"You guys, seriously, I appreciate the encouragement," Pam said. "I really do, but it's not like it's just my work that's on exhibit. It's my entire class, and the exhibit is a temporary thing. The museum is letting us set up easels in their reception area. It's total amateur hour, I promise."
"Jim, you've seen her drawings," Karen said. "Will you please tell her how amazingly talented she is?"
Jim turned and looked at Pam. He felt like there was a heat lamp aimed at his face. Was she blushing? He felt like time had stopped. Say something. But what? Of course she was amazingly talented. And amazingly beautiful. And just plain amazing. Don't say that, not in front of Karen. Oh God, this is not good.
The thoughts swirled in his head like a tornado. Pam looked down at her lunch just to break eye contact. Karen started to laugh.
"Sheesh, you can't think of one nice thing to say, Halpert?" she said.
"No, of course I can," he stammered. "Pam your drawings are great. I can't wait to see your exhibit."
Pam just looked up and smiled, a little uncomfortably but not enough for Karen to pick up on. At least she thought so.
"Well that was uncomfortable," Karen said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there was some kind of bad history between you two."
This time Pam spoke up first.
"What? No, there's nothing like that," she said.
"Relax, Pam, I'm just teasing," Karen said. "I forgot my sarcasm doesn't play well here in the heartland of Pennsylvania. I have to work on that. I know you guys are friends."
Jim was thinking again about ways he could dig a hole in which to bury himself. But the moment passed, and he figured the tension would pass with it. The thought still hung in his head as Roy walked into the lunchroom.
"Hello everybody," he said. "OK if I join you for lunch?"
This was the new Roy, Jim thought. Six months ago he grunted at people, including Pam sometimes. Now he said hello and spoke politely to people, and not just when Pam was around.
"Sure," Pam said, hardly looking up.
"What a morning," Roy said, unpacking a nonfat yogurt, a banana and some kind of sandwich on whole wheat bread. "We got a double shipment and had to turn it around before the next outgoing truck left. Business must be good up here. Is that because you're running sales now Halpert?"
"Don't give him a swelled head, Roy," Karen said while Jim just shrugged. "Don't forget there's been a 50 percent increase in the size of the sales team. Plus you've got me out there setting the pace and picking up the slack for you Scranton-ites."
"Oh really?" Jim said. "Never mind the fact that you're one of us now, but I'd hardly say you're setting the pace when you need me to step in and close major deals with certain municipal supply managers who find you're Connecticut snobbery off-putting."
"That is so unfair," Karen said, throwing a potato chip at Jim. "That woman was evil. And just because you were able to step in and sweet-talk her doesn't mean I don't get credit for doubling the sales revenue Dwight ever made from that account."
"True, but Dwight never called a client a frigid witch, either," Jim shot back.
"She called me a hussy!" Karen said. "I can't believe you're taking her side."
Pam and Roy watched the exchange and said nothing. For Roy it was because he had no idea what they were talking about and only came by to spend some time near Pam. She, on the other hand, was cringing on the inside at how well they seemed to get along. But she'd never let it show, she swore to herself.
"So you guys are an item, huh?" Roy observed, cutting the banter to a screeching halt. "Very cool. I told you this guy would settle down, Pam."
"What was that?" Jim said, half-annoyed, half intrigued.
"Pammy and I used to talk about how you were single for so long," Roy said. "I told her guys aren't always up for a relationship the way women are. She used to say you needed to get out of Scranton to find the right girl, right Pammy?"
"Roy, that's rude," Pam said, glaring at him. "And that isn't what I meant, anyway."
"Well, you were probably right," Karen said, unsure of her place in this conversation, but eager to jump in. "He had to leave to find me, right?"
Jim smiled at her, but he was irked inside that Pam had once said that about him.
"I really have to get back to work," he said, avoiding looking at Pam now. "Can't let these Stamford transplants steal all the sales, right."
Pam just sat there, no longer glaring at Roy but just feeling sick to her stomach at the thought that the distance between her and Jim had just grown a little wider. For his part, Jim was feeling the same way. The only problem, as it always had been between them, was that neither knew the other was feeling exactly the same way.