I'm Gonna Need You To Get Your Supervisor To Come Down Here

So Juniata and I were terminated.  At least that's what the computer said when we got to work yesterday.  I didn't think anything of it when my badge would not let me up to my floor.  I just piggy-backed off of someone else in the elevator going to my floor.  I just figured my badge wasn't feeling well or some such, so I let the paralegal in charge of our project know that my badge didn't work this morning - she said she would report it - and away I went.  An hour later I get an frustrated call from Juniata.  She couldn't find a single parking space in our outside parking lot (did I ever tell you that they raised the ban on Contractors parking in that lot?  Well, they did.  We are welcome back in the lot.  I feel all warm and fuzzy).  She wondered if that had ever happened to me and what she should do.  I had no clue, but suggested she go to the inside lot and ask if she could park there.  She said "This is a sign that I should just go on home.  It's going to be a bad day, I can just tell."  I went on about my business figuring she would eventually find a place to park . . . or that she would just go on home.  Anyway, I left our desk (oh, did I tell you that they moved us out of Conference Room C???  YES, it is a travesty!!!  We are both crammed into a small interior office now - me behind the desk and Juniata on the opposite side of the desk.  Juniata insisted I take the "behind the desk" spot since I am here more.  Regardless of where they put us, we will always be the "Ladies of the Conference Room"  - "Ladies of the Interior Office" just doesn't have a great ring to it).  Where was I, Oh yeah, I left our desk for a brief moment to grab some water and when I got back I noticed another missed call from Juniata.  I started to think "uh oh, maybe I should tell her my badge didn't work to get me up here in case hers does the same thing."  She was already in a suspicious mood and she would not be happy with me if I didn't warn her of potential additional morning annoyances.  Anyway, I tried to call her back.  She didn't answer.  So, I texted her "hey, my badge didn't work today - I just rode up with someone else."  She texted me back and said her badge wasn't working either and what should she do.  I said to see if security would buzz her up.  Next text said "they are telling me I need my supervisor to come down."  I ran to our supervisor's office and let her know that our badges weren't working and that she was needed at the security desk.  When Juniata finally entered our office - with a look on her face I won't describe - she gave me the full story.  Apparently when she went to ask the security desk to buzz her up, they took her badge and scanned it with something.  Juniata said the security lady looked at the computer screen and then slowly looked back up at Juniata and said "I'm gonna need you to get your supervisor to come down here."  When Juniata reached for her badge the security lady wouldn't give it back.  Juniata said "You gonna keep that?" The security officer responded "Yes, ma'am."  When our supervisor got down to the security desk the security officer said "Could you step over here for a minute."  She actually pulled her away from Juniata so she couldn't hear!!!!  Well, Juniata was straining her best to hear and all she could make out was our supervisor saying "But I'm her supervisor, I know she has not been terminated."  So apparently when the security officer scanned Juniata's badge - a big fat "TERMINATED" (probably in all caps and in bright red) came up on the screen.  In the security officer's mind, she was having herself a full blown sensitive situation.  She assumed that all hell was going to break loose if she told Juniata she had been terminated (maybe was even a little bit scared given the look on Juniata's face) so she needed to get the supervisor down there stat to explain to this poor employee trying to access the floor that she was no longer employed. Anyway, it was all straightened out - they didn't throw Juniata out on her ear - the security officer avoided a super sensitive situation - and our supervisor was allowed to take Juniata up to our very secure floor.  We now have our badge situation worked out.  We have not been terminated . . . .at least not yet.  Of course Juniata was annoyed that I was able to avoid the Inquisition - but hey, it just wasn't her day.  She should have just gone on home when she couldn't find a parking space.