Some guys never learn. Even after you've told them a dozen times or more.
"Hey Boss, ain't that your wife?"
I didn't even look up to check. Bob's sense of humor runs to the obvious and mundane. One of the girls from the architectural firm upstairs probably wore a short skirt today and Bob thought he was being funny or subtle. He was rarely either.
Jill couldn't really be here. Despite the importance of today, she was at work. The medical field is not one to go into when you're looking for lots of time off or the ability to set your own hours. I understood. I wasn't free to set my own hours either, so we would have to celebrate her special day after we both finished our appointed tasks. It had me a little annoyed, but Bob had no way of knowing it. I bit back the mean-spirited comment that first came to mind and went for light-hearted sarcasm.
"Nope, can't be her. C'mon Bob! You know County General is clear on the other side of town. Not enough time to get back and forth to make lunch dates feasible. Must be my girlfriend."
"First I've heard of a girlfriend. Is she cuter than me?" said a sexy voice that certainly did not belong to my balding and rotund assistant.
"Honey? But you had to ...I mean, I didn't expect...What are you doing here?" I left the figures on my screen to appreciate one far more enthralling.
"What, a girl can't get taken out for lunch on her birthday?"
"Well, unless your present was a new car and you changed your mind about the validity of the speed limit, we don't have time for lunch Ten minutes and you're going to have to turn around and get right back on the road. That's barely a cup of coffee."
"Then let's go have a cup of coffee...or something stronger."
I shrugged and smiled up at my wife. The look she returned was odd: a mischievous grin. Just as I wondered what she had up her sleeve, she straightened, and I could see that she didn't have any sleeves. She wasn't wearing her scrubs. I automatically expected to see her in work clothes, and their lack caught me by surprise. Something was definitely going on here.
Instead of asking more questions, I logged off the computer and went to the coat rack to get my suit jacket.
"Hey, Bob?"
"Yeah, boss?"
"I'm gonna go get some lunch. If they call back on that Walker file, tell them I'm in a meeting and I'll give them a call after the market closes."
"Will do, boss."
"Thanks," I said as I walked out of the office and around to meet my lovely wife in the lobby. "I'll see you in a bit." I took Jill's hand and headed out the firm's glass doors into the relative privacy of the city streets, my first goal to ask about the surprising change in attire.
"Now, since when do you bring a change of clothes to the hospital? You were wearing your scrubs when I walked out the door this morning. I'd bet money on it."