Jim Halpert wasn't naturally a risk taker. He preferred the comfort of familiarity, and it took a lot of effort for him to actually take a chance on something. He had done it in the past, and sometimes it worked out for him - like moving to Philadelphia - and sometimes it didn't - like that time he risked driving home after he had had too much to drink and ended up spending a night in jail.
It had been almost two weeks since the incident with Pam Beesly, and Jim couldn't get that girl out of his head. There was something about her, something strangely and perhaps ironically familiar. He thought about her every day, even finding himself drifting off into a daydream in the middle of a meeting on more than one occasion.
Maybe it was guilt. Just as he wasn't naturally a risk taker, he also wasn't naturally "that guy" that picks up girls in bars. But after a few years of practice, he was starting to turn into that guy and he kind of hated himself for it. He never really connected with any woman on a deeper level, and his love life consisted of a string of short-term relationships and one night stands. If he was being honest with himself, when he took her back to that hotel he was hoping to get laid.
But she was different. Once he got her back to her room, he knew he couldn't go through with it. Not that he didn't find her attractive; it was actually just the opposite. He knew she was too good for a guy like him. He just couldn't figure out how he knew it.
And those thoughts plagued him for the past couple of weeks. She was crazy, she had to be. And given how much she knew about his own life, maybe she was even dangerous. Logically, he knew that, but in his gut he felt like he had somehow betrayed her when he called her mom to come get her that night. Her mom had said Pam may be schizophrenic, and she would probably be hospitalized until it was determined exactly what was wrong with her. For some reason this made Jim profoundly sad, even though any rational person would know it was the right thing to do. It was so stupid. He didn't even know this girl.
So here it was a Tuesday, and he was at work preparing to go out on a sales call, still thinking of her and wondering if she was okay, wherever she was. He was absentmindedly getting his paperwork together when his buddy Matt, who sat in the cube next to his, came over to his desk and handed him an envelope.
"Picked it up by accident," he said.
"Uh-huh..." Jim replied, still shoving papers into folders to take with him to his appointment.
"You sure you don't want to go to the game tonight?" Matt asked.
"What? Oh, yeah... no, I have some things I need to do."
Matt laughed. "I never thought I would live to see the day Jim Halpert turned down a free ticket to the Phillies. What's up with you, man?"
Jim shot him a dirty look, and said, "Nothing. I've just been kind of stressed lately."
Matt nodded, apparently willing to let the issue drop. He pointed to the letter he had just given Jim. "So who is Pam Beesly?"
Jim's head snapped up and he stared at Matt. "What did you say?"
Again Matt pointed to the letter. "Pam Beesly. It's the name on the return address."
Jim looked down at the envelope, and sure enough, Matt was right. He felt his heart beating extra fast and his hands were shaking, but he had to get rid of Matt before opening it, so as calmly as he could, he said, "Oh, just an old friend. Thanks for giving it to me."
Matt gave him a look that said, "whatever, dude," and walked away.
He looked at the letter again, and realized whatever it said, he couldn't read it here, so he grabbed his stuff and rushed out to his car. Once he was inside it with the doors locked, he tore open the envelope. Inside was a note on plain notebook paper, and a... lid from a yogurt container? That's weird, he thought.
Dear Jim -
I know you don't know me and you think I'm a certified nutcase, so don't worry, this is the one and only time I will contact you.
I just want to say thanks. I will never forget you.
Love, Pam
It was short and simple and not in any way sinister, but something happened in that moment which completely changed Jim Halpert's life.
"Now the bronze are really blue, and they're also the back side of the gold, so no flipping."
"So what's it like dating a cheerleader?"
"You use fabric softener?"
"I'm really sorry if you misinterpreted things."
It was then that he knew he had made a terrible mistake.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks so much for the great response for this story!
There are still several chapters to go. In this one, the point of view changes over to Jim.
