January 10
 
 

see that tower of paper behind me?  that's the reason i haven't been updating.  blame the stack.
 
 
 

A story for a Friday.
 

Part 1

A few months ago, I was eating lunch in a empty little classroom on the 2nd floor, one building over from mine.  Reading, eating my lunch, not bothering anyone.  A cleaning woman (Environmental Associate?) comes in.  She looks into the garbage pail, and sighs dramtaically, pulling out a napkin I'd thrown away and tossing it into her giant cleaning pod thing on wheels.  She says "Can you PLEASE not make a mess?!  I cleaned in here already' shoots me a dirty look and walks out.

I continue to eat my lunch.  Five minutes pass.  The door opens again, and again, she comes in.  "I need to wash the blackboard." The board is totally clean, without a mark.  "Of course you do",  I reply, keeping my head in my book.  She makes about as much noise as possible when washing an already immaculate blackboard, says "Okay, try and keep it clean in here, I've already cleaned!!"  and leaves.
 

I finish eating, but decide that the world won't end if my lunch is over an hour, so I just stay where I am, reading.  The door opens again.  "I need to wash the table!!", and no shit, she begins spraying the table with cleaning fluid.  She makes small talk as she squirts and scrubs.  "Are you a student?"   I glare at her, and try to give pleasant answers through gritted teeth. "No, I work here, and I'm just trying to eat my lunch in peace." I emphasize peace, and look pointedly at her   She ignores my words totally--her scrubbing is, by this time, right next to me.  I feel droplets of windex.  I decide that it's not even worth trying to sit there while she cleaned, because certainly, she'd come back in to vaccum or dust or something. I gather my things.  "Oh, I'm not disturbing you, am I?"  I snort, gather my stuff, and walk out.
 

Part 2.

I am passing through the second floor, right near the little classrooms.  I realize that before I reach my destination, a trip to the bathroom is necessary.  I see the giant cleaning pod thing, then the cleaning woman.  She smiles at me and says hello as I open the bathroom door.  I set about doing what people usually do in the bathroom, and am almost finished when there is an urgent knock.  "I'll be right out!" I call.  There is another knock.  "I WILL BE RIGHT OUT", insistantly.  Another knock.  "CAN YOU PLEASE GO AWAY FOR A MINUTE????" this time, yelled.   I finish, wash my hands and I open the door.  She is standing right outside.  "I need to get in there and clean!!!"
 

Is she stalking me, you think?
 
 

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