“I like the way you two work together and I think you’d make a great addition to the staff here. What do you say?” Martin said as he leaned in close to them.

“Can we have some time to decide?” asked Ben.

“You have until the internship is up.” With that, Martin went back to checking up on the other employees.

Pam and Ben looked at one another in shock. Pam didn’t know whether to let go of her life in Scranton and stay in NYC or not. She had some great friends now and if Ben stayed, she would consider it.

Ben leaned over and hugged Pam. Pam hugged him back in pure joy.

“So, are you going to take the position?” Pam asked Ben.

“I don’t know yet. I kind of have a girlfriend that is waiting for me back home. What about you?”

“I don’t know either. I think it’s way better than a receptionist job. The pay would be better too.”

“We have until our internship is up to decide. Do you think you can make up your mind by then?”

“Definitely.”

Pam was excited about her new offer. She had never thought about actually having a profession with design and art. Her dream was coming true and Jim was the one who had pushed her a long time ago to do it. She owed it all to him and yet, she hadn’t spoken to him since he walked out the door. Kelly had given her updates over the past few months, but hadn’t said anything specific.

----

Jim stood in the tailor’s shop waiting for the older gentlemen to finish adjusting the hem of his new pants. He felt the man tug and then pin, then stitch. In the mirror, Jim saw a new man before him. He was more mature looking, and had a great haircut that made him look younger in a way. He also noticed that the same man in the mirror wasn’t happy at all. Soon it will all change, Jim thought.

“Do you have any more of these in another color?”

-----

Pam was sitting on her bed looking through her art book when, she heard a tap at the door.

“Are you naked?”

“No. I’m fully clothed. Come on in,” Pam said with a giggle.

Ben stuck his head in the door with a quick glance around the room and a smile.

“Hey. Do you want to go out tonight and celebrate? I mean, just a little celebratory pizza. Nothing much.”

“Sure. Let me get my coat.”

----

They found Ben’s favorite pizzeria in all of New York City. They took a cab and the F train to get there. Finally, on the other side of the island, next to the Manhattan Bridge, they found their way up Rutgers Street. The small shop was lit by a large sign that flashed, “Frank and Tom’s.”

Pam looked at the little pizzeria and furrowed her brow. “You’ve been here before?”

“Yeah. When I came up here in the summer to visit family, we scoured the city for the best pizza. This is my favorite place.”

They stepped inside and got their slice of pizza. As she sat across from Ben, Pam noticed how much she had changed. She was wearing new clothes, all hip and relaxed, her hair was shorter and with loose curls. She now attempted to put on make up and she was sitting across from a guy that she thoroughly enjoyed talking to. She missed Scranton and the people, but loved being someone else for a change.

“Good huh?”

“Yes. This is delicious.”

“Told you so.”

“I never denied that it was good.”

Ben stopped eating to wipe his face. He put his pizza down and looked intently at Pam.

“Why are you the way you are?”

Pam wasn’t sure if that was an insult or not. “Excuse me?”

“I mean, why are you so amazing?”

“Ben, I’m not that great. I’m just a normal girl that has had her share of heartache.”

“Like what?”

Pam decided that she could trust Ben and told him about Roy and Jim. She told him about her pouring out her feelings and him denying her after she gave up her marriage.

“So, are you going to go back and see him?”

“I don’t know. I’d eventually like to see him again.”

“You should. Your eyes light up when you talk about him.”

Pam gave a half smile and stared back down at her greasy pizza. All she could muster up to say was, “Yeah.”

----

The next day in the graphic design department, Pam sat at her computer making the computerized sketches that Martin had requested. Ben sat across from her doing the same thing. Pam felt a little tired from the night before and got up to grab some coffee.

“You want something while I’m up?”

“A coffee would be great. Thanks.”

In the break room, Pam overheard two employee’s giving the latest gossip. Pam poured two cups of coffee and tried to avoid listening in on their conversation.

“Did you meet the supervisor? The one that is taking over Jan’s job?”

“His name is Jake I think….”

Jan quit? Pam didn’t know why she felt sad at the thought of Jan quitting, but felt like Jan had got her this far and didn’t want her to leave. Pam turned around with her coffee and walked back over to Ben. Putting down Ben’s coffee, she asked him about Jan quitting.

“Did Jan quit?”

Ben looked up at Pam as he sipped his coffee. “No, she got promoted. There’s been a lot of that going on lately.”

“Oh, good. I was about to freak.”

“Yeah, she was pretty excited about it.”

With that, Pam went back to staring at her screen and clicking the graphics to form patterns.

----

Pam spent most of her time focusing on her projects, her job offer, and the people that she had left behind. She wanted to visit them soon but didn’t know if she should. Would they be excited for her? Would they even remember who she was?

Pam decided that she would save her return trip until she finished her internship. It would be easier that way, she thought.

----

Martin came over to Pam’s desk often. He would always glance at her screen or at her easel to see what she was creating. She liked it when he did--it gave her affirmation that he enjoyed her work. In one of Martin’s visits, he told the art department that the company wanted to have a meeting with all the departments.

“They want us to all meet the new corporate people. I don’t know why, but I was told by Jan that we had to attend. So, make sure your stuff is done by four. Get crackin’!”

Pam looked up at Ben, who rolled his eyes. “I hate company meetings. This is why I’m not a salesman.”

“Same here. I could sit behind a desk all day and not meet anyone new. I’d be fine with that.”

“Maybe we could skip.” Ben said as a slow smile crept upon his face.

“Ben, your cousin says it’s mandatory and you want to disobey?” Pam thought and bit her lip. “I’m game.”

Ben laughed and went back to his sketch pad. “See you at four Pam.”

----

When the rest of the group from the art office had left, Ben and Pam followed behind them until they came upon a corridor that lead away from the conference room. Ben stopped in the hall and motioned for her to be quiet.

“Are you ready to see the mother ship?”

“Ten-four good buddy.” Pam said with a grin.

They walked towards the doors that lead to the main offices. This is where the associates and supervisors, the official corporate people, had their offices. They had a few salesmen cubicles in the center of the room and Pam thought the place looked like a fancy Scranton office.

Pam walked over to the cubicles and looked at the pictures, memos, trinkets, and other junk that was tacked up on the walls. Some people kept their desks clean and other had mountains of paperwork, folders, awards, and mementos sitting on their desks.

Ben found a picture of a guy and his wife hanging in a cubicle. Ben pulled it down and showed Pam. The couple looked happily married.

“I’m going to say that she’ll dump him in two years. She’s way out of his league.”

Pam slapped Ben’s shoulder. “Don’t say that.”

Ben put the picture away and followed Pam over to where she was looking through a window. She peeked into the window like a kid in a candy store. Pam noticed that this is where the supervisors worked. They all had their separate offices, their own secretary and a couch. She leaned close to the windows to see inside the office, not even looking at the name on the door. Ben imitated her.

“Curious Pam?”

“I have always wondered what corporate offices looked like. I’m kind of jealous.”

“Yeah, I used to come up here and enjoy the perks with Jan. Coffee, lunches, snacks, and the occasional free stuff. You know, paper, pencils, oil changes, and all that junk.”

Pam pulled away from the glass and glanced around the room again. She walked over to the large window and took a peek outside. She had never seen the view from the building yet. Her department was stuck in a dark corner of the building. She saw the cars and the people scurrying by and the city changing every second right in front of her eyes. When she felt dizzy from staring at the cars, she turned to Ben.

“This is a crazy city. It’s completely changed my life.”

“Mine too.” Ben nodded, then turned towards Pam and placed his hand on her arm.

Pulling away from his touch Pam spoke, “We should get back. They probably noticed that we were missing.”

Ben replied, “Okay.”

As they walked towards the doors Pam wondered, “I don’t get what they even do up here. It’s not like the supervisors are actually supervising. I mean, what do they do anyways?”

“We sit at our desks all day long and play solitaire.”

When Pam turned around her eyes fell upon a tall, handsome, manicured, lanky man leaning against the reception counter with his hands in his pockets.

“Hi Pam.” He said with a million dollar grin.

Pam’s jaw fell to the floor and she let out a little squeal as she ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck.

“James Halpert!” Pam said in a high pitched voice.

“Pamela Beesly!” Jim said, mocking her high pitched squeal.

Pam squeezed tight on to his neck and then finally let go when she felt his hands gently touch her lower back. Pam was flushed and could feel Ben watching on in confusion.

Jim was smiling from ear to ear and it made Pam weak in the knees to see him looking so good. He had started doing his hair differently, and although she liked his old style, he looked more professional like this. Her heart was beating at an alarming rate and she took some deep breaths to calm herself. Pam saw that Ben was being less vocal than normal and she decided she needed to introduce them.

“Oh, sorry Ben. This is Jim Halpert. And Jim, this is Ben Levinson. He’s Jan’s cousin.”

Ben stuck out his hand and nodded at Jim. “Nice to meet you. I‘ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. She keeps trying to involve me in office pranks. She says she got it from you.”

Pam stood swaying back and forth and smiling like a little girl. She was thrilled that Jim was working in corporate. He had moved and changed everything about himself. He seemed like a new Jim all over again.

“I learned from the best,” Pam said with a wink to Jim.

“She was one of my best students. The only student actually.”

They all gave a little laugh and then Jim was distracted by his secretary handing him a slip of paper. He pulled his hands from his pockets and read the memo then looked back up at Pam and Ben.

“Hey, I’ve got to get back to my solitaire. I’ll catch up with you soon. Nice meeting you Mr. Levinson.”

Pam’s giddy demeanor suddenly was crushed when he walked towards the secretary, gave her a smile, then into his office.

“See ya Jim,” Pam said as her heart fractured into little bits.

-----

She and Ben walked back to their dark corner of the building as Pam’s energy rush suddenly hit rock bottom. Ben noticed that she was starting to slow her walking pace. He stopped to see if she was okay.

“Pam, are you sick? You look a little flushed.”

Pam shook her head right before her vision faded into white and she hit the floor.