;0

Oh, sorry, Joanne. I'll come back. Looks like you’ve got quite a stack there.

Not at all, MG, you go right ahead. I have a million and two - that's what I say when there’s just too much photocopying to count. A million and two. If you just have that one thing to copy, you just go right ahead.

Thanks, Joanne. I appreciate it. I’ll just be a second.

Of course, of course. You’d be waiting all day for me to finish this. I don’t mind, though. It’s kind of peaceful. Open, place, close, copy, open, fold back, place, copy, open, fold back, remove… it’s like ironing the tablecloths. It’s its own kind of soothing rhythm, soothing rhythm. Don’t you think?

Sure.

Oh my goodness, MG! Where’s your pevpak?

Sorry? My what?

Your pevpak! Your personal evacuation fanny pack?

Um, it’s in my desk drawer.

Well, it won’t do you any good there! MG, don’t you see? That’s just what they want! They want to catch us unprepared! If you’re here in the copy room and they cut the power to the building, how will you see your way back to your desk drawer to get your emergency flashlight? Well, of course, if they did it right now, I’m here and I have mine right here in my pevpak and I’d lead you out, but if I weren’t here! What would you do?

Um…

What if they – god forbid and I’ll only whisper this because I don’t even want to say it out loud – what if they bombed the building and dust started suddenly flying everywhere and you had to make your way all the way back to your desk drawer with no flashlight to get your pevpak particle mask and plastic poncho? What then?

Well, I guess if the building were bombed, then the first thing on my mind wouldn’t be dust, but…

MG, you are not taking this seriously. Security is something you have to think about all the time. You can’t let your guard down, not even for a second. Don’t you see, that is exactly what they want you to do? They want you to let your guard down. If you stop thinking about the terrorists, that’s when they can get you! And that’s how they win. Everyone’s security is everyone’s responsibility. Like we all repeated at the meeting, remember?

Right.

MG, I want you to promise me you’ll think about the terrorists a little bit more, and a little bit more seriously.

Um, okay, Joanne.

I bet you didn’t even hang up your evacuation guidelines poster, yet. Promise me. Promise me, MG.

Okay, okay. I promise. It’ll go up right next to the poster of the kitten in the laundry basket that you gave me.