Today was a corporate meeting at the Scranton office. Everyone was excited and nervous because Ryan was making his first trip down since accepting the corporate job.

He was coming down with David Wallace to talk about and introduce his improvements into the Scranton office. It was a private meeting with Michael, Jim as well as Karen and Dwight demanded to be included because he was the top salesman.

When Ryan walks into the office, he seems genuinely happy. It wasn’t that fake smile, or that annoyed expression he had when he worked in Scranton. It was as though taking the corporate job made him truly happy and he couldn’t want for anything else. Pam sees that Ryan is looking happy and greets him with a cheery, “Hi. How are you?” Instead of the usual ‘Hey’ or the non-committal nod he used to give when she would ask him the question, he responds with a ‘Hello,’ and ‘I’m great. And you?’

Before Pam has a chance to answer, Michael comes out his office and gives Ryan what to Michael would classify as a death stare, but to everyone else it looks like he is trying really hard to remember something. He adds a brisk ‘Hello’ to the stare. Pam catches Michael’s look and thinks that if he really wanted a good death stare he should ask Angela for pointers.

Everyone is a little shocked by Michael’s cold and somewhat professional greeting. Everyone thought that he would be joking around and trying to make Ryan look bad in front of David. Jim turns his chair, cocks an eyebrow and shoots a quizzical look to Pam, she returns the look by raising her eyebrows and shrugging her shoulders. Michael ushers Jim, Karen, Dwight, David and Ryan into the conference room. Just before Jim walks into the room he looks over at Pam and gave her a look that says, this meeting is going to be a disaster and I will fill you in after.

Pam smiles and turns her head so she could giggle silently at the look. It had been about a week since they went on their “date”. It had been a nice evening. Jim was a gentleman all night. He told her that he had found her note and the Office Olympics medal and that he loved her, well that he was still in love with her and always would be, but it just wasn’t the right time for him to jump into a relationship. He said he had to think about the past year. He still had some feelings for Karen and he needed to sort everything out. He said that he just needed a little time. Pam was more than willing to give him that time, and it had given her hope because she knew that after he had his time they would be together.

The meeting had been going for an hour. Every so often the sound of Michael’s grumbling and Dwight saying ‘Question:…’ would float into the office. No one was really doing anything, there was no sales being made, no Michael to entertain them, and with Jim in the conference room all Pam can do is stare at her computer and attempt to get through some games of freecell. Occasionally Phyllis gets a call from Bob or Angela hisses something to Kevin and Oscar, other than that the office is silent.

After getting bored of freecell Pam checks all of her emails and with no one calling she takes some time to indulge in a little sketching. She starts with the items on her desk, then getting bored with them, starts with an image from her imagination. She has gotten so into the sketch that she doesn’t notice Phyllis standing by her desk.

Phyllis has a sad expression on her face. So Pam being Pam asks, “What’s wrong Phyllis?" Phyllis pauses before answering. “As I was walking past the conference room, on my way to the washroom, I overheard something. I heard them talking about firing, and then I heard Michael saying something. It was something to do with you. I didn’t catch the whole thing but he I know he said he let you go or was going to let you go. I am so sorry Pam”

Pam stops breathing, “What? Are you sure?”

Phyllis nods. Pam is in shock. She can feel tears stinging the back of her eyes, and she’s got that itchy feeling in her nose but she isn’t going to let anyone see her cry. She had sworn she would try never cry at the office after that time being caught crying in the hallway by Dwight.

Pam looks around at everyone in the room. And she smiles. She thinks that this can be something good for her. She has already been commissioned for two more portraits, so she would be getting some money. Maybe this is her chance to start over. 

It is almost time for lunch. Pam has packed up most of her small things. She will come back tomorrow for the rest. She hugs Phyllis, and says that if anyone asks where she is just to say that she went home sick and would be back tomorrow. With that Pam walks out of the office, head held high and steps into the elevator smiling.

On her ride home she thinks about the meeting. She remembers that Jim was in that meeting and her mood falls. He hadn’t stood up for her. He didn’t even say not to fire her; he just went along with it. She feels betrayed by the person she loves the most, by her best friend. The tears start to drip from her eyes, she can’t stop them, why hadn’t Jim stopped this she thought. These thoughts stay with her as she changes into her painting clothes, and as she puts finishing touches on her current portrait.

About 30 minutes later the meeting ends. Everyone comes out of the room grumbling, looking bored and in Michael’s case angry. He failed to make Ryan look like a slacker or a bad employee in front of David. He even brought up past pranks that he claimed Ryan was in on, and he even mentioned that Ryan had started the fire. David had been unfazed by the attempts and just ignored Michael.

As Jim comes out of the room, he looks over to reception, to where he expects to see Pam’s smile and a look that said break room ten minutes, only to find Phyllis sitting at the desk.

He walks over and asks, “Hey Phyllis, where’s Pam?”

“She said if anyone asked just to say that she was sick. The truth is she heard that she was getting fired by Michael so she took the rest of the day off.”

Jim’s eyes widen. “What? That was a joke that Michael was telling. How long ago did she leave?”

Phyllis looks on the verge of tears, “About half an hour ago. She said she was going home to paint.”

Jim runs to his desk, grabs the keys to his car and runs down the stairs out of the building. He has to get to Pam’s to tell her what really happened.