Ice breaker
August 1996 Stanford, California
Jenna fought the urge to yawn and took another sip of her water and waited for Barb to open her desk drawer and see the present she had been given. Jenna went back to her typing, wondering how someone would feel knowing that she had all their personal info and when she was done typing it in, it went to a telemarketer who called them during dinner or while their favorite TV show was on.
"Excuse me Jenna," said Mitch her boss. Jenna looked up and saw him standing there with a new guy who was a good six inches taller than her.
"Jenna this is Greg Sanders and he's going to be doing Mark's old job. I was hoping you could help me show him the ropes around here" Jenna looked at Greg and smiled. He was just too cute; he had gone through a lot of trouble to make himself presentable. Suit, tie that looked liked it was choking him to death and it appeared that he has tried and failed to make his hair stay flat. Jenna stood up to shake his hand and only came up to the middle of this chest.
"Jenna Bianchi, it's nice to meet you." She shook his hand and the poor guy looked so nervous.
"He really needs to loosen up," thought Jenna and she knew how.
"Mitch would it be alright if I went with you while you show Greg around the office? Just so we get to know each other?"
"Sure why not." Jenna saved her file and grabbed her ice water. She started following Greg and Mitch over to Barb's desk and tried to hide her grin.
"This lady here is a rock, Barb Leeds. Barb say hello to Greg," said Mitch. The older woman turned in her chair, seized Greg's hand and shook it hard.
"Barb Leeds, Assistant Floor Manager.
"To the Floor Manager. Barb breeds dogs on the side, isn't that right?" asked Mitch. Barb nodded gravely.
"Why yes one of them just won best in show." Barb opened the drawer Jenna was hoping for. "I have pictures here…GOD DAMN-IT JENNIFER!"
"It's Jen or Jenna, not Jennifer."
"Now calm down what's the matter?" asked Mitch. Barb reached in and pulled out a clear plastic bowl that had a two hole punch, held in ice. She tossed the bowl on her desk.
"She put my stuff in ice again!" Greg started to laugh, but pulled it in to a coughing fit. He looked at Jenna and she smirked.
"You are my witness," said Barb pointing at Greg. "I want her punished."
"Now how do you know it was me?" asked Jenna sweetly taking a sip of her water. Mitch tried to hold his poker face.
"Jen, we've talked about this. While it was funny all last week, it needs to stop. You need to stop putting Barb's stuff in ice. Now say you're sorry."
"I'm sorry Barb; you know I'm not cold-blooded." Jenna looked at Greg and saw him grinning.
"I'm sure Jenna isn't an ice queen," said Greg.
"See all better now. Barb that should melt in a few hours and everything will be fine. Jenna, I have other work to do, can you take care of Mister Sanders?"
"Yup." Mitch walked away from a muttering Barb. Jenna looked at Greg again and he seemed relaxed and his brown eyes were shining with glee.
"Shall I show you to your new home?"
"After you my kind lady," said Greg. When they were out of earshot from Barb, Greg leaned in and whispered. "That was so funny; did you really put her stuff in ice all last week?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny anything relating to the case in question, but when she stops calling me Jenny or Jennifer, hell will stop freezing over. I've been here since May and she just now starts calling me Jenny, it's just really annoying and I found a way to get even though." Jenna found a desk close to hers and got Greg set up. "This will do for now, when I'm done training you though you can move to another desk."
"But what if I like this one?" he asked falling into the chair. "I get a good vibe from this desk."
"Than you can stay right there. I have lunch at noon; you wanna grab some pizza with me? I can tell you all the really important things about working here. Like if you ever get a craving for mini candy bars, go see Marv, he has everything in his bottom left drawer.
"Sure," said Greg. Jenna pulled up a chair and sat next to him.
"Now let me teach you about the job that is so easy, I'm sure that someday we'll come in and find monkeys doing it." She turned to get a folder and didn't notice the silly grin Greg had while looking at her.
"So what made you want to work at the most boring place on earth?" asked Greg sipping his root beer.
"My need to eat and my want for textbooks, what about you?"
"My need for partying and my want for cool toys, I blew my savings in New York over the summer…wow that makes me sound like an ass doesn't it?" Jenna shrugged.
"Hey party for me please. My aid covered tuition and a roof over my head, but business textbooks add up and living off ramen till winter break isn't my thing," said Jenna biting into a breadstick.
"Let me buy lunch than," said Greg. Jenna felt her face go a little pink.
"No it's cool I have this."
"Please after the 'ice breaker' this morning I owe you."
"Well, I can't say no to a free meal. And it's been awhile since a member of the opposite sex treated me."
"So from that remark, I'm gathering that you're single," said Greg. Jenna took a sip of her Pepsi.
"We broke up over the summer. He wanted me quit after I got my Associate's next year, but I really want my B.S in Business."
"Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. It made me realize that we wanted different things in life. I want a business that is going to kick ass and he wants…I don't know," said Jenna putting some pizza on her plate.
"Forgive me for saying this, but you look too nice to be running your own business. I'm not trying to be sexist or anything, but you remind me of a grade school teacher." Greg decided to start stuffing his own face before he looked anymore like an ass. Jenna giggled.
"And what's your major, English…no wait Philosophy."
"Chemistry."
"No way. You don't look like the kid who got stuffed in a locker daily." Greg shook his head.
"Believe me I had the full nerd brace look going on and I was captain of the high school Chess Team."
"They have captains for Chess Team?" asked Jenna sounded shocked.
"Don't mock me, what did you do in high school?"
"I did some choir, but I worked mostly, my mom owns her own bakery and being her daughter means I'm slave labor. However, I did learn to make a good cannoli, it's been know to bring men to tears." Greg snorted and almost got root beer on his pizza.
"Wow, cocky aren't we."
"I take pride in my kitchen skills thank you very much." They finished their pizza and head back to work.
"Well I wish my current girlfriend would learn some kitchen skill, because I suck at cooking and Mac and cheese dinners are getting old." Jenna suddenly felt a little dishearten that Greg had a girlfriend.
"Figures the first cute guy to buy you a meal in months turns out to be taken. It could be worse he could be gay." Jenna told herself when they got back to work and Barb was bitching that the hole punch was leaking on her papers. Greg laughed and told Barb it could be worse.
"She could have put it in Jell-o."
"I just may have to try that," thought Jenna.