“Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam.”
Michael approached reception and rudely smacked his hands on the counter. “Pamala!”
Pam looked up annoyed. “You have a call waiting in your office Michael.”
“Its not Jan is it?” he asked and bent down closer to her so he could whisper. “She’s probably calling about the sexual encounter we had last night.”
Pam was disgusted but oddly it didn’t phase her next sentence. God how use to this place was she? “It’s Ryan, Michael.”
Michael straightened up and smiled. “Well let’s hope he’s not calling to complain about anything last night! Thanks Pam!”
He took off into his office and she looked to the ceiling and rolled her eyes. Was one normal day here way too much to ask?
~*~*~
“Ryan! What can I do for you?” Michael asked, then suddenly, “That’s what she said!”
You could literally hear Ryan’s eye roll of un-amusement. “Very funny, just like the last time I heard it.”
“Why thank you sir.” Michael replied, not at all picking up on Ryan’s annoyed tone. He started playing with his little white truck on his desk.
“Ok last time Michael, Merrimack Paper Company canceled their meeting for today. It’s going to be tomorrow at Concord Inn. That’s a half an hour away understand?”
Michael made a vrooming noise, pushing the truck off the desk.
“Michael, understand?”
“What? Yeah, yeah.” Michael muttered adding something ignorant, making Ryan hang up the phone. “Like I don’t know where Concord is.”
He looked up at the camera men for a moment and then at his computer, typing away. “See? Concord, New Hampshire. Told you I knew where it was.” He stood making his way to the door. “Time to tell my posse.”
As he opened the door, Dwight was yelling something at Jim.
“I know you did it Jim!”
“Ok what is going on?” Michael asked.
“Michael, Jim super glued all my bobble heads to the front of my car!” he said coming to stand next to him.
Jim shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the reception counter. “Now wait a minute Dwight. That’s a pretty mean accusation. I think you’re confusing me with someone else.” He said coolly and turned to look at Pam. “By the way thanks for letting me borrow this.”
Pam grinned widely as she took the superglue from him and Dwight, needless to say, threw a fit. “Michael I demand you punish him!”
Michael threw a dismissive wave at Dwight. “Dwight nobody cares about your dolls right now alright? Right now were concentrating on an important meeting taking place tomorrow. Now let me ask this…have any of you ever been on a road trip?”
Everyone turned to look at him but nobody acknowledged his question except Dwight who raised his hand stupidly. “I have Michael!”
“Great nobody! Well let me be the first to excite you all, corporate has asked us to go to Concord, New Hampshire and give us a business proposal to Merrimack Paper Company.” He grinned widely.
But instead of getting smiles and excited replies he got the complete opposite. Everyone started complaining.
“Who is going to feed my cats when I’m away?” Angela complained.
“I don’t do well in other climates Michael!” Kevin warned.
Michael let out an exasperated sigh over the uproar. “Don’t you people understand what this means? Have none of you seen the movie ‘Road Trip’?”
He got a lot of blank stares except for Jim, who was giving the camera men an amused look.
“Those people have a great time out on the road, driving miles away from home! And all in search for a lost bike. Except in this case…paper.” He pressed on.
Jim raised his hand. “Uh, I believe you’re confusing ‘Road Trip’ with ‘Pee Wee’s Big Adventure’.”
Michael looked at him, not amused. He, of course, knew what he was talking about. “No, I’m pretty sure they were looking for a bike Jim.”
“Pretty sure it was Pee Wee.”
“Ok main point is paper people!” Michael tried again.
Pam jumped in sounding confused. “I thought it was a bike.”
Jim nodded agreeing with her and further tried to puzzle Michael.
“No Pam…ok the bike is not important here!” he announced to everyone “What is important is paper! We leave tomorrow!”
As Michael went back into his office, Pam yelled out to him one last time. “So Pee Wee was really looking for paper?”
Jim smiled down at her and made an obvious face. “That’s where we were confused.”
~*~*~
So the agreement was to meet in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot around 4 am to head out on their road trip. They all arrived and stood out in the freezing weather and waited for Dwight to announce something. He stood in the back of someone’s pickup truck and everyone gathered around and waited; cold, tired and annoyed.
“Alright, for this five hour and forty-five minute road trip you will be assigned riding buddies. If you do not receive a riding buddy when I am finished, bring it to my attention.”
“What if we want to trade?” Jim asked.
“Shut it Jim!” Dwight grit out.
Jim smiled that Dwight was even easier to annoy at 4 in the morning. Although that meant he would be even angrier when he realized there was now a bobble head glued to his steering wheel.
Dwight held his clipboard closer to his face to read the names off. “Jim and Pam…”
Pam rolled her eyes. “Damn I wish I could trade.”
Jim gave an aggravated sigh and grabbed her gloved hand. “Yeah, me too.”
Pam smiled giving his hand a squeeze as they headed for his car.
“Oscar and Kevin, Phyllis and Stanley, Meredith and Creed, Andy and Kelly, and Toby’s with Michael.”
“I’m riding with Andy.” Angela spoke up.
Dwight shook his head. “I already assigned you as my riding buddy.”
“I’m sorry for your misunderstanding, but I’m riding with Andy.” She said again, somewhat forceful.
He looked down disappointed and glanced at Angela walking to Andy’s car. “Fine.” He said quietly scribbling something on his clipboard. He descended from the truck and called out, “I’m with Michael! Toby you’re with Kelly!”
Kelly walked up and hugged Toby from behind. “Oh my gosh! It’ll be just like old times Toby! Before you got that allergy and everything! I have like, so much to tell you. So like last week I was remodeling my living room from this thing on T.V., because who wants their living room like totally boring right?”
Toby gave the camera men a “dear God” expression. This was going to be a longer ride to hell than he expected.
Story Notes:
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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Chapter Notes:
=] comments are welcome!
Chapter End Notes:
=] thanx to all who read!
