New Year’s Eve:
Pam Beesly sat on the bed in her bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel. She stared at the dress hanging from the front of her closet. Why did I buy this dress? Yesterday, she went to the mall to catch some of the after-Christmas sales. She saw the dress in the first store she went in, but refused to buy it. The bright blue dress haunted her for the rest of her shopping trip. She had to buy it and now it hung there, mocking her.
The dress was perfect. It perfectly accentuated her slim frame. It was the shade of blue that brought out her eyes and hair perfectly. The perfect dress.
Pam sighed. She didn’t want to go to this wedding tonight. It was New Year’s Eve and everyone would be at the reception with their respective partners while she was alone. She continued to stare at the blue dress.
Finally, she stood up and walked through the living room on the way to the kitchen. Her apartment looked so empty without Roy’s belongings.
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Pam had gotten married in June, separated in September and divorced by November. She felt bad for those celebrities whose short-lived marriages filled the gossip magazines. With the gossip surrounding her in Scranton, she could commiserate.
It was Roy’s idea. He left her.
One evening after work, they were eating dinner. Roy put down his fork and turned to her, “Pammy?”
“Hmm,” she replied as she absentmindedly speared a carrot on her fork.
“This isn’t working out.”
“What’s not working out? Dinner? I thought that you loved meatloaf.”
“We’re not working out. You and me. Marriage.” Pam looked up at Roy as if she saw him for the first time. Roy continued, “I just don’t think I’m the marrying type after all. And I know you’re miserable. I’m not blind, I’ve noticed.”
“I’m not miserable,” she mumbled, looking down at her plate.
“You’ve been weird and moody since May. At first, I thought it was wedding nerves, but you didn’t change after we got married. I can‘t remember the last time we made love. All we do is fight.” It was true. They had always argued, but from their wedding day onward, all they did was fight. Every day. About everything.
The first fight of their marriage occurred as they walked out of the church as husband and wife. Roy had gotten drunk with his buddies the night before and showed up to the wedding hung over. She couldn’t remember a single detail of the ceremony because she was so mad. They argued and didn’t speak to each other for two days. Giving her husband the silent treatment was not how Pam always imagined her honeymoon.
Pam’s bottom lip trembled as Roy continued, “I’m not happy either. I don’t like being tied down. Being married is tying me down. I can’t breathe.”
Pam tearfully suggested that they attend marriage counseling and try to work out their problems.
Roy said, “Pam, we’ve had years to work out our problems. I’m tired of this. Let’s just end it before it gets any worse.”
Pam did not try to argue with him. She was too tired to fight any more.
Roy moved out the next weekend. Before he left, he kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll always love you, Pammy.”
Word spread pretty quickly through the office when Roy quit the warehouse and took a job in the next county. Luckily, most people left her alone. Most people, of course, excluded Michael Scott.
“Wow Pam, getting divorced after only being married for a summer. You and Roy are like the Renee Zewellger and Kenny Chesney of Scranton, P.A.” She slammed Michael’s office door shut and cried in the stairwell.
By Thanksgiving, everything was sorted out.
For Christmas, she had gone to her parents’ house. On Christmas morning, she woke up alone in her childhood bedroom. Not exactly how she imagined her first Christmas after getting married.
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Pam walked into her kitchen and opened the cabinet. She was looking for a casserole dish she had borrowed from her mom. Pulling out the dish, she found a small mint green teapot. Months ago, she had put the teapot in the cabinet because she cried every time she looked at. She placed it on the counter and stood back, getting a better look at it.
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Last May, Jim declared his love for Pam and then kissed her. She was shocked. No, she was more confused than shocked. She loved him too, probably always had, but she suppressed her feelings for him. She was getting married. How could she possibly have feelings for another man?
That night as Jim kissed in front of his desk, Pam did the only thing that she knew to do. She pushed him away, literally and figuratively. The look of pain on his face still haunted her at night.
As Angela drove her home, Pam tried to figure out what to do. For once, Angela did not say anything as Pam cried. She just looked at her with compassionate eyes.
She didn’t tell Roy what happened. She fell asleep on the couch in her dress and shoes. The next morning, he did not ask her why she slept on the couch. He just assumed she had too many drinks at casino night.
She called in sick to work. By noon, she received half a dozen calls from people at work, including Michael. Every caller told her the same thing: Jim was transferring to the Stamford branch. He didn’t call her though. She waited by the answering machine all day.
Jim’s last two weeks were hell for her. They did not speak, not even a “hello” or “goodbye.” In fact, he left his desk and worked in the back, next to Kelly’s desk. Pam received sympathetic looks from everyone, but as far as she could tell, no one knew what had happened on casino night.
At Jim’s farewell party in the conference room, they avoided each other like the plague. It was too much for Pam and she escaped to the break room. She leaned against the counter and cried, hugging herself. Jim found her. He took her into his arms and let her cry. After a few moments, he pulled away from her and cupped her face with his hands, tracing her tears with his fingers. She lifted her face and he kissed her lightly. Her mouth responded to his.
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Jim and Pam jumped apart. Ryan had opened the door of the break room and quickly shut it again.
When Pam returned to the conference room, Michael gave a stirring and emotional farewell speech about how much he meant to Jim. Stanley’s head was nodding. Kevin was picking out red M&Ms from a bowl. Meredith was mysteriously pouring a small bottle into her punch. Toby looked at his watch while Angela picked at a hangnail. Oscar was talking on his cell phone. Only Dwight found the speech stirring.
When the party ended, Pam cleaned up the conference room while Jim packed up his desk. They silently walked to the elevator. The elevator door opened but she pushed the button so that it would close, leaving them standing there.
Pam turned to him, tears streaming down her face, “I’m sorry. I…I…I don’t know…what… I’m going to do…without you…here.”
Jim placed his box on the floor and hugged her tightly but did not try to kiss her again. It was as if he wanted to memorize the moment. Then he released her and they stepped into the elevator without saying anything. When the door opened, Roy was standing there, waiting for Pam.
“Goodbye, Jim.” Her voice weak from her tears.
“Goodbye, Pam.” His voice barely audible.
“Halpert, have fun in Australia and good luck in Stamford.” Roy patted Jim on the back and Jim nodded at him before getting in his car. That was the last time she ever saw Jim.
Roy put his arm around Pam, “Let’s go home, babe.”
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Pam picked up the teapot one more time before placing it back in the cabinet. She grabbed a bowl and poured cereal in it. She collapsed on the couch and turned on the television. A marathon of The Office was playing on BBC America. She loved this show but never watched when Roy had been around. He thought British humor was gay.
Pam sighed as she ate her cereal. She did not really want to go to Phyllis’ wedding. Phyllis had invited all of the office employees and she was expected to be there.
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On the last day at Dunder-Mifflin before the holidays, the women of the office, including Stanley’s wife and Kevin’s fiancée held a lingerie party for Phyllis. Actually, everyone but Angela brought lingerie. Angela’s gift was a set of dish towels and potholders.
Before the party, Pam sat at her desk and stared at Jim’s empty desk. For financial reasons, his position had not been refilled. So his desk sat there, empty. Though every day, Dwight put more and more of his belongings on the desk.
“Pam?” Phyllis gently patted Pam on the shoulder. She shook out of her reverie. “You’re still coming to my wedding, aren’t you?” Phyllis asked timidly.
“Of course.” Phyllis had asked Pam the same question two or three times a week for the past four weeks.
“Good. It means so much to me that you’re going be there,” Phyllis smiled genuinely. Pam knew that they were friends but outside of the office walls, they didn’t really have much of a relationship. Still, it pleased Pam to know that her presence meant so much to Phyllis.
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It was the end of the “Christmas Special” of The Office. This was Pam’s favorite episode. Tears of joy streamed down her face when Dawn and Tim got together at the end. They were meant for each other. Sighing, Pam looked at her watch. Oh no! She had spent all afternoon watching television and had less than an hour to get ready for the wedding.
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Pam stood in the narthex of the church, where she took off her coat and draped it across her arm.
“Bride or groom?”
“Bride,” she replied to the young man who stood at the door. She remembered Phyllis saying that both of Bob Vance’s sons were in the wedding party. As she walked down the aisle, she looked ahead at the beautiful decorations in the sanctuary. Red and white flowers filled the room. The display could have looked cheesy if done the wrong way, but this was breathtaking.
“Here we go,” Bob’s son said as he released Pam’s arm so she could take her seat. She turned to sit down and gasped.
Jim Halpert was sitting in the pew and he was sitting next to a very pretty blonde.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Fluff, pure fluff! Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: Don’t own The Office, US or UK. By the way, the ending of UK’s The Office is mentioned in this story. If you haven’t seen it, you should, its great.
Disclaimer: Don’t own The Office, US or UK. By the way, the ending of UK’s The Office is mentioned in this story. If you haven’t seen it, you should, its great.
