Office Comrades

Work friends. Is there anything stranger?

You spend most of your time with them. Unlike your other friends, you see them everyday and if they are the slightest bit talkative, you get a play by play of their lives, who they saw the day before, what they had for dinner. But, unless you cross that boundary into outside of work friendship, there is still a boundary. When out and about you feel the incessant need to talk about work.

I like the people I work with. They are young and very Victoria. It seems a naturally thing to go out with them. But once out, I'm not exactly sure how to act.

Last night we went out for Tawny's birthday. Tawny is the girl in the office that sparks conversation about strange things, and makes everyone laugh. So, she was turning a quarter of a century and out we went.

Met up with the others for dinner. We did the normal conversation of work and then food. Then we headed to Tawny's. Immediately upon entering the house, I was struck by how young everyone there was. Many of them looked like 1st year university. And seeing as I entered first year Uni in 1998, well.... needless to say I felt old.

So, not really fittin' in the youngins, we were left to our own devices. We played drunk pin the tail on the donkey. No really, there was a pin the tail on the donkey game. When you've been drinking, spinning around blindfolded is not the good idea that it seems. They blindfolded me, spun me and immediately I felt like a bad hangover. You know the kind that taking one step makes the world tilt and hurts every inch of your being. Yup, that's how I felt. Stephen tried to point me in the wrong direction, but I knew where he was standing as he spun me in relation to the board. You can't pull the wool over this girl's eyes.

We went to the karaoke bar next and things proceeded to turn into a gong show. Other people from work showed up and drinks, drinks, drinks. I found a new shot called a King Kong (whiskey and banana liqueur) which I drained and then remember I can't drink whiskey. Bad 19th birthday memories floating around.

I got to a happy, not flailing drunk place and proceeded to watch the office weirdness. See, last time I went out with them, one of the girls (who has a boyfriend) and one of the guys, well... we're not sure what happened. There was touching and then we left them at the bar. Since them, things in the office have been different but none of us have been sure. It's not exactly something you can ask right? Hey... you cheating on your boyfriend with the guy that sits across from you? No, you can't. But you gossip when they are not in hearing range and you give the other coworkers meaningful looks.

Well, I'm pretty sure we don't need to think anymore. It's moved from "think" to "know" last night. They both got hammered and forgot the protocols of having an office affair that no one is supposed to about. They weren't making out, but they were definitely touching each other like, well, people who are used to touching each other are.

What are you supposed to do? Pretend you don't see it? Acknowledge their "coupleness" and get on with it? See, with my other friends, if they were doing this kind of shit, I would call them on it. But work friends... awkward.

Monday should be fun.
S.