Click, click, click....

These two statements shocked me and cleared my head quickly, this could be trouble. I repeated the “cuse me” and pushed forward attempting to pass. They closed ranks with their shoulders and looked down at me, Mr. Bitch inhaling deeply. “Thaz som fine smelling pussy yo got there”. Chuckles.

Clomp, clomp, clomp…the uniform was making way down the hall, the mountain in front of me parted slightly but not enough to escape thru. “Wazz up dogs, this lady ah…drop sompin”. “Yah b*o, we wazz wishin its wazz her panties”. More chuckles. “OK guys, let’s go in the office and sort this out.” Click, click, click as I was held by the arm and moved down the hall by Mr. Peekin. Wait a minute I thought, what’s to sort, I didn’t do anything. The office door opened, a white man rose from the chair of the clean topped desk. I assumed it was Mr. Thompson, the guy I came to see. I had expected to be greeted and seen by him, and only him. All this other presence of manhood was….exciting, disturbing, imposing.
Mr. Thompson asked “now what happened Walt?” The uniform nodded toward me, I started to speak but Mr. Peekin cut me off. “I wazz leaving the john and this woman runs me over in the hall, nearly dropped me”. “Yeah, nearly dropped the brother”, Mr. Bitch adds. I start to protest and Thompson holds up his hand then turns to Walt, “was that it?” “Yeah, pretty much, she was pushed up real tight against the bro when I came round the corner”. With that I’m off to the races talking fast and excited about how I was just coming to the office, wanted to get the envelope, wanted to see Mr. Thompson, got accosted in the hall, how dare they…… I take a breath. Then realize my voice is wavering in the falsetto I have so carefully mastered. I look up. Damn. Everyone is smiling, Thompson, Walt, Bitch, Peekin, and Mr. Quiet.