The pandemic affected all of us differently. For me, the sudden change from going into the office every morning, socializing with co-workers and the occasional after work get-together was a very difficult adjustment. For the first few days and even weeks, we all expected that we would soon return to the normal work routine -- working at home for more than two years was not what we expected or, for that matter, what we wanted.
When I received an offer to return to the office, I quickly accepted and pulled my things together. Tuesday morning it actually felt a bit odd to get dressed and head out the door in the morning, it had been a couple of years since I had even used the public transport system. I walked through the building front lobby and past the security desk. The notice by the lift told us to restrict the number to three per trip, with spots on the floor indicating where to stand.
I got off on the 3rd floor and wandered to my cubicle. On a floor that was normally home to more than two hundred people, I saw evidence of, maybe, 6 or 7. As I set up my laptop, a colleague waved from across the floor. The cubicle walls were only a foot taller than our desks, so we can look over the entire floor while sitting at our desk. I powered on my laptop and immediately saw that I had an email from Pierre, a former team member. He and I had played together a couple of times over the years, and he was now located on another floor.
"Long-time no see! I heard you were coming into the office today. Since the cafeteria is still closed, I brought in a coffee pot -- come on up for a coffee and to catch up. -- Pierre"
"What the hell" I thought and grabbed my coffee mug from my locker and walked to the elevators. The first lift was full, but the second arrived empty, so I got in and pressed the button for the 12th floor. Curious to see who else might be back, I walked the long way around the perimeter corridor. I was soon nearing Pierre's cubicle and had not seen a single person along the way.
Pierre was located in the south-east corner of the floor. He stood as I approached and met me in a make-shift seating/meeting area outside his cubicle entry. "Hey man! I was getting lonely up here all alone. Grab a coffee and join me in the lounge area" he said while pointing to the grouping of comfy chairs around him.
Pierre and I caught up on family and work-life changes, and chit-chatted about things in general. He eventually got to the reason he was happy that I took him up on his invitation. "I've always had a fantasy about sex in the office" he explained, "but until now I've never had the opportunity." The rest of the people on this floor were not due to start returning until Thursday and with security so tight, he knew he was totally alone until then. He looked at me with a grin, "Interested?"