Two Weeks Ago (Feb. 1)

“All I’m saying is, how can you be sure?” He leaned back in his chair and looked at Dwight.

“Jim, don’t be ridiculous. I watch each episode multiple times, and it’s impossible.”

“Mmm-hm. Or is it so impossible, that it’s possible? Like a twist?” Dwight’s face suddenly clouded with confusion. He had to remember to use Wikipedia more often against him.

“No. There is no way that Starbuck is a Cylon.”

Just as he was about to glance over at his computer screen and the Battlestar Galatica entry, he heard the door to Michael’s office open behind him.

“Jimboni, need you in the office. Big news.” Even though his back was turned to him, he could tell by the tone of Michael’s voice that he was barely containing his excitement.

“Alright,” he answered back and turned in his chair to get up. He automatically looked over at Pam, whose eyes and smirk were already on him. He put on the saddest face he could manage and mouthed, “help me” to her. Her giggle traveled all the way from Reception, and he entered Michael’s office with a smile.

Michael started talking almost immediately.

“So, first of the month, and I’ve got the final sales numbers from January.” He held up a sheet of paper and waved it around like a flag. “And guess what?”

“Uh, I don’t know, what?”

“Ha! I’ll tell you. You, my friend, for the first time in, uh, a long time, outsold Dwight. I mean, not just you, but the first time anyone has outsold that geekazoid. You were the top-seller in the entire branch!” Michael smiled, and rubbed his hands together.

He had to admit he was a little surprised, but not completely shocked. He knew that it wasn’t a coincidence that his best month of sales coincided with the month in which Pam had gone to the Poconos with Roy on vacation for a week.

“So….I’m thinking, party! Well, actually ice cream social.” Michael beamed over at him.

“Wow, ice cream social. That is an idea. But…I think—

--Mint Chocolate Chip! Right? We’ll get sprinkles, cherries, uh, nuts? I dunno. The works though.” Michael interrupted.

He sighed and tried to figure a way out of this. He didn’t want an ice cream social in his honor, which would inevitably lead to a speech from Michael, and possibly deflated tires from Dwight.

“I think maybe, you know, because of the booze cruise…we should go easy on the parties, Michael.” He could see that Michael was about to dispute his definition of the booze cruise, so he decided to change course, “I mean, that way, your birthday party will be bigger than ever.”

Michael was silent for a moment before he responded. “You, Jim Halpert, are a true friend. I mean, I know I messed up with the whole Pam love thing…”

“Nope, let’s not…go back to that. Okay?” He felt his entire body tense at the two words next to each other, and the fact that they were coming out of Michael’s mouth.

“Cool, cool. Alright so no party, but you should be rewarded for your contribution to Dunder-Mifflin.” Michael’s eyes scanned his desk, desperately trying to find something. They quickly did.

“Got it.” Michael picked up the Dunder-Mifflin Scranton newsletter that he made every month, by himself, and held it up to him. “Bam! Article about you on the front, and we’ll take your picture. Front page!”

He was about to protest, again, but thought better of it. Maybe, this was actually a good idea. If he could just…

“That is quite an honor, Michael. Though, do you think that instead of a photo of me, I could choose the picture that goes with the article?”

“Uh, sure Jim. If that’s what you want, you are the top seller. The man-dingo.”

His right cheek tightened in a half-smile. “Thanks. Uh, alright well I don’t want to slip behind this month, so…I’m going to get back.” He jerked his thumb towards the door and got up.

“Yup, yup, yup. Hard workin’ Jim Halpert, that’s what I call him. You get back to it.”

For a second, he wondered how to respond to that, but then stopped, and just left the office. Dwight looked ready to unload a bunch of Battlestar Galatica knowledge on him, but he wasn’t ready to hear it, there was only one person he wanted to listen to right now.

She was just hanging up the phone as he leaned against her desk and hunted for orange jellybeans.

She looked up at him and smiled, and the reason he had come over suddenly got hazy.

“What’s up? Oh. What did Michael want?” She grimaced comically for a moment, before it broke back into a smile.

He fought to keep from returning it, and leaned in conspiratorially towards her.

“Actually, it’s pretty serious. Uh, and I need your help.” He whispered, before he pulled back. He could tell from the look on her face, that she was his.

“Wha-Okay. Are you okay? I mean, is something wrong?” Her words were almost jumbled she spoke them so fast.

“Yeah, no, I’m fine. But, thing is…” he finally broke into a grin, “…I need an artist.”

She shook her head at him, and held her lips in a tight line that curled at the corners. “I thought something was wrong! Oh, and sorry, but I’m no artist Jim.”

He wasn’t going to be deterred by her lack of self-confidence. “Actually, you are an artist. An awesome one in fact, and that’s why I need your help. See, I’m awesome. I’m the top-seller in the branch, and accordingly I’m looking for someone with similar awesomeness to make a picture to accompany an article about my awesomeness in the newsletter.”

Her face was a mixture of confusion and happiness. “That’s a lot of awesomeness. You’re really top seller in the branch, though? Congratulations!”

He waved his hand in front of him. “No, Pam we can discuss my awesomeness later. Right now, I need you to focus. This article is going to put me on the map here in the office, and so I need something to go with it that echoes that.”

She was back to smiling, and she leaned forward in her chair now. “Echoes? Really? Let’s leave the artistic term to the artists, shall we? Uh, but, of course I’ll do it! So…what do you want, a sketch of you or something?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of ‘something’. It’s got to be Dunder-Mifflin related, so…I dunno, what about if you did like a drawing or sketch or painting or print or woodcarving of the building?” He raised an eyebrow at her and caught his breath. “I know it’s not that exciting, but if you do it, I’m sure it will be great.”

“Alright, picture of the building, it is. Oh, you’d better get back to your desk, Michael is at the door.” She nodded past him, and he turned to see that Michael was standing in the doorway to his office, hands grabbing the frame above him.

“Thanks, Beesly, and I expect to see some rough drafts soon, got it?” He smiled and started to walk back towards his desk.

“I’ll get right on that, Jim.” He heard her say from behind him. The fact that she was going to draw or paint something for him, even if it was just a picture of the building, made him happy.

He couldn’t wait to see it.