1.

I get a job as a sort of glorified file clerk in Pam’s office. Things go well at first, but then we get an attractive young intern, and she and I become friends, laughing and hanging out. I’m still totally able to fulfil my less than taxing duties, but I can tell from Pam’s frequent dagger glances that she’s not very pleased with this development, and one morning without warning or explanation I’m transferred to grounds and services, where I wind up wearing coveralls, driving a little truck and picking up recycling.

A week or so later I’m on my rounds and there’s Pam, waiting for me by the mixed paper container. She’s in tears, confessing that she engineered my transfer out of jealousy, sobbing that she’s felt sick and guilty about it ever since. I put my arm around her and tell her that I’m in the middle of my rounds, but if she’ll ride with me we can talk about it.

As we jolt along I say the truth is that I actually like my new job and the pay is better, but my only regret is that I no longer have the pleasure of seeing her every day. This calms her down and she even gives me a hand with the largely automated collection process.

The crisis seems to have finally broken through the reserve which had always inhibited the attraction between us before, and we speak frankly about how much we’ve missed each other, and even make plans to get together later off campus.

Finally I circle back to where we began and when I stop the truck we kiss and embrace feverishly, that moment marking the real beginning of our affair.

2.

We meet for the first time as putative lovers in the cliched confines of a motel room. I’m there first, and grab her the moment she comes through the door, but after a few kisses she pushes me away, saying she wants to take things slowly.

I say, opening the bottle of wine I’ve brought. We sit at the little round table, drinking out of water glasses, talking as easily as when we were just friends, but seemingly at a loss as to how to proceed as lovers.

Eventually I propose that we play a game of strip poker without the poker, each of us taking off a piece of the other’s clothing in turn. It’s both funny and very, very exciting, and by the time we’re both naked we jump eagerly into bed.