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Paper Rings
chapter sixty nine
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EVELYN SLIPPED INTO THE BULLPEN, A BAG HIDDEN BEHIND HER BACK. Instantly, her eyes met Dwight's. Dwight shot out of his seat, alerting almost everyone that he was up to something. His head nodded toward the break room. "Good morning," Evelyn hummed, smiling over at Pam before making her move toward the break room. Dwight followed close behind her, glaring at anyone who looked their way. "Did you get it?" he asked, closing the door behind them.
She held the bag out for Dwight to take. He did, snatching it from her grasp and almost ripping it open. Inside was a hand embroidered tie. "Wow," Dwight whispered. He ran a finger over the lettering before dropping down to the coffee mug. On the navy blue tie were the words, Best Boss with a coffee mug that looked just like the mug he had gotten from Dwight years prior. "How much was it?" he asked.
"Well, when she found out it was for Michael, she was going to charge an arm and a leg," Evelyn replied. "But she gave me a daughter discount and I paifor the tie and that was it." Dwight was careful not to scrunch the fabric. He looked proudly at Evelyn. "Thank you," he sighed. "And thank your mother for me. She did an incredible job." Her eyes rolled. As if Nicole Takahashi needed anything else to fuel her ego. "It's no problem. Just... try not to call me at three in the morning again, please."
Dwight nodded his head, and she knew that he was storing that information away. He did his best to be respectful with her, with their newfound friendship. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my desk." She gave Dwight's shoulder a pat as she passed by him, not waiting for him to respond.
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EVELYN
Every year on Michael's birthday, we all have to sit through his constant energy. There's cake, there's music, there's laughter. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact its
mostly only his laughter... and sometimes Dwight's.
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Maybe bringing cards to the party planning committee meeting wasn't a smart thing to do. But it didn't stop Evelyn from dealing them out for a fun game of Go Fish. "Dwight made the reservation so we can head out around two or three," she filled in the committee with a small smile. Angela glanced toward the brunette for a small moment. Evelyn was almost certain Dwight had informed his lover that Evelyn knew, but she didn't know for sure. "Does anyone have a seven." Pam asked, continuing their game.
Phyllis dishes out her seven of spades with a small pout. Pam grinned, wide, setting her two to the side. "In that case, when should we bring out the cake?" Phyllis asked. "One or one thirty? Any queens?" Evelyn huffed, coughing up her Queen of Hearts. That was going to be her next inquiry. "One's good," Pam answered while she handing of her Queen of diamonds.
"One thirty," Angela argues. Evelyn's lips pressed together. Pam covered her mouth as she yawned. "I'm sorry. Are we boring you?" Angela asked. She always got even more ?irritable during Michael's birthday. "Got any twos?" Evelyn asked. The blonde ripped her two from her hand and slammed it onto the table. "Thank you," the bespectacled woman replied softly.
It was then that Dwight barged in. "Party planning committee, listen up. Michael— are you playing cards?" The four women all looked at Dwight with blank stares. "It's the most important day of the year and you're playing cards?"
"Just give us Michael's demands already, Dwight," Evelyn snapped. He huffed at the stiffness of her words. Shaking off his dislike, he turned back to his clipboard. "Michael would like trick candles for his birthday cake. So make that a priority." Angela was already finished with the demands. She set her cards down on the table, face down, and crossed her arms. "Where do we get those?" Phyllis asked.
"Evelyn can get them," Dwight replied with a new sense of urgency. "Here's a list of things that Michael would like to be surprised by." He plucked the paper from his clipboard and passed it to Pam. It didn't take long for her to find a problem with the list. "Michael wants a strippergram?" she asked incredulously. Evelyn's nose scrunched up. The idea that they'd have to watch Michael get a lap dance made her queasy. "Yes, but he doesn't want to know when or whom," Dwight confirmed.
"No," Angela stated firmly. "This is a closed door meeting." She not once broke eye contact with Dwight, not even when he was practically begging her to let him speak. After an awkward amount of silence, he left. The door closed tight behind him. "It's, um, your turn, Ange," Evelyn spoke up, leaning back into her seat.
Despite her actions and the scowl on her face, Angela rejoined the game. "Does anyone have any jacks?"
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Skin cancer. Cancer alone was scary. Knowing, though, that the sun was what could have caused it made it even scarier. "When is he supposed to find out?" Evelyn asked. Oscar sighed, arms crossed. The accounting team was very worried for their co-worker. "Sometime today," he answered solemnly. She couldn't imagine Kevin having skin cancer. She couldn't imagine him being riddled with a disease that takes and takes until there is nothing left. She couldn't imagine never seeing him again.
"It's probably nothing," Angela chimed in before taking a sip of her tea. Evelyn nodded in agreement. The more people that hoped, the better the outcome would be. "Yeah," Oscar said. "Probably nothing."
Evelyn turned toward the break room as Kevin exited. Her fingers drummed against the back of Angela's chair. "Thanks for telling me, guys," she whispered, reaching for the blonde's hand. Angela gave her digits a soft squeeze before returning to her work. Evelyn passed Kevin, offering him a kind smile, and moved toward Jim's desk. The moment he noticed her, he was smiling. "I have something to tell you," she whispered, taking a seat on the corner of his desk.
He cut his eyes toward Dwight before sliding even closer to the brunette. "Spill," he replied with a big grin. She pouted slightly. "Kevin might have skin cancer." Jim didn't look surprised and that confused Evelyn. Had she been the last to find out. A soft look filled his eyes. "Kevin told me," he informed her. "Its scary."
"Super scary," she agreed. Her arms crossed over her chest in hopes of keeping it inside her ribs. "Could you imagine? Cancer." Jim swallowed. He could, very well actually. His hands slipped to his lap. "My grandfather had cancer," he said. "It was tough, but people beat it. You know?" She frowned. Gently, her hand reached for his. Fingers interlocked. "I'm sorry."
His shoulders lifted in a half shrug. It had been many years ago. He couldn't really recall it much. He remembered the funeral and the food. He remembered how it impacted his parents, especially his father. But he didn't remember the disease. Not really. Just the deterioration. And the heartache. "He'll be okay," Evelyn sighed, hopeful.
Jim nodded in agreement. "Yeah, totally. He'll be fine." She squeezed his hand. Deciding to change the subject just a bit, she asked, "If you knew that you only had a week left to live... what would you do?" He sat back, their arms stretched between them. Thumb ran over skin. "Uh... maybe travel? Eat good food... be with you." Her skin flushed. A soft laugh slipped past her now smiling lips. "I could get on board with that."
"What about you?" he asked. "What would you do?" She pursed her lips. Evelyn had quite an extensive bucket list. There was going to Japan to see her family, and paragliding in Rio. She wanted to see the Great Library of Alexandria, and the Great Wall of China's. She wanted to drink tea in a rainforest while interacting with the exotic birds. She had so many ideas, but now... only one thing screamed at her. Marry you, she thought. With one week left, she wanted to spend it as Mrs. Evelyn Halpert.
But she couldn't tell him that. "Go to Japan," she said. "See family, read books, see the sights." Jim hummed. He hadn't ever really thought to go to Japan. He'd go now, if she asked him to. "Niagara Falls," she said, a twinkle in her eye. "I've always wanted to see it." He nodded his head. He needed to store that information for later. Niagara Falls. He was sure he could swing that somehow.