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Previously: Another mysterious post gets published on Pr3pSF.
01:07 PM - Wednesday, November 5, 2014
US Park Police Office, Ft Winfield Scott, The Presidio
“Hey Jeannie — here’s that print out you asked for. Sorry it took a minute.” Today, Meg’s red braids were now just one braid down her back. Her brow was furrowed as she brought Jeannie the file. Raj barely glanced up at her from across the table.
“No worries at all — thank you.” Jeannie took a final bite of a Blue Barn salad, scraping the bottom of the paper carton. Fergus sat next to her, his huge head right at her elbow while he monitored her bites.
“You know, it’s — it’s really cool.” Meg’s blue eyes were wide, laying it down on the table.
“Really? What else do you think?” This came out garbled as Jeannie chewed, blocking her mouth with a paper towel. Meg placed the file on the table and slumped down into a chair.
“I’m - I’m not really sure, I mean, I probably shouldn’t even have read it, right?”
“No. Always read what you’re asked to work on.” Jeannie raised her eyebrows. “In our jobs, a lot can be learned from just reading through everything. You’d be amazed at how many people don’t read anything, and how much gets missed.” She paused, making sure her words landed as a slight smile formed on Meg’s face. “So tell me.”
“Well, it’s very smart, and…artful? Not just because it’s a culture project, but like, it’s elegant in a way? Sophisticated? I mean, there’s a lot of artsy stuff in there — things I’d never heard of.”
“These kids are pretty savvy, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, I even made a list of things to look into.” Meg giggled a little. “Overall, I’d hope that she at least got a good grade on the thing.” Meg rose and headed toward the door.
“Thank you, Meg.” Jeannie rose to toss the salad box in the kitchen garbage, returning with a paper towel to wipe down the table. Everyone was eating wherever they could find space, and the table needed a refresh. There were going to be some rules about garbage. Picking up the waste paper basket from the corner, she began disposing of the cups and napkins on the table at will.
“Why are you cleaning up?” Raj asked quietly.
“What do you mean? You’re one of the worst — how many partial bottles of whatever beverage do you have over here?” Raj’s laptop was surrounded by full-to-empty cups and bottles. “I mean, I like drink options, but this is ridiculous.” Jeannie approached with the waste paper basket. “Give — “ She began pickup up the cups.
“Wait — “
“What, you’re going to drink the end of this two-day coffee? What about the end of this juice? Gross, Raj.” Raj huffed and started putting the drink detritus in the bin. “See — there’s hope for you yet. Clean workspace, clean mind.” Raj rolled his eyes and grunted slightly.
Jeannie emptied everything in the big garbage in the kitchen, with Fergus following closely, still hoping for a random snack.
“Here, I’ll get you a cookie.” Jeannie said to him, leading the way back to the conference room. She dug out a large dog biscuit from a stash in her tote and presented it to Fergus who took it gently between his front teeth, glancing into Jeannie’s eyes. Prize won, he curled up under the table again to enjoy his nosh.
“And no one gives me a cookie.” She muttered, beginning to wipe down the table, avoiding the congestion of Raj’s multiple computers on the opposite side. Jeannie found that cleaning, or watering plants the night before — anything simple that just required a slight effort — always seemed to calm her down and clear her head. It also made everything feel fresh and spacious, exactly how she needed to feel as she flipped open the file Meg had made for her. Flipping through the pages she decided to post them to the bulletin board as she read.
Omg you have outdone yourself!! You are amazing
I miss Blue Barn salads now.