Green Lake 4

I show for my first day (back) at work. I see the tension hanging in the air.
Deadpan, I start, "done heard there was a pool. You Corporal, how much was in it?"
"Two thousand rupees Capn."
"Is that all? A joke! An insult! Thought you people wanted rid of me."
"Begging your pardon Capn. Was the day before payday, everyone broke. Payday, we'd have bet real money."
Everyone roars with laughter, including me.
I enter the office marked Capt J Khan, start practising my signature.
The paper storm starts up.
Lunchtime I'm with Meena in the mess.
"So how'd it go?"
"Lot better than I expected."
"Yeah, hang in there. What you really need - go out this weekend - get laid - smoke lotsa dope."
I raise an eyebrow, "this from our goody-goody MP?"
"Stow the MP bit, your friend. When was the last time you got laid?"
"Never, I think."
"Close enough to never, gotta be at least 5 years. No wonder you're such a b****, people dislike you so much."
"And just who are you to talk?"
"Friend, clean the wax outa them ears and listen up. MPs are supposed to be hated, goes with the territory. Good, bad; religious, secular; male, female; matters not, the job is hated. You, they hate you the person, not you the office job."
"Oh."
I stop in the PX (Post Exchange) on the way back to buy a little bag of candy. Hmm, look at that, ice cream, yeah I got plenty of money.
Just before afternoon break, I rise, "listen up y'all, let's all go to the PX. Ice cream for everyone, I'm buying."
Everyone files out, laughing and joking.
A Cpl falls into step with me, "changes everything, don't it?"
"Yeah, it does."
She asks, "so what was it like?"
"Scary. You come back, you know you been on a rough trip."
As we saunter back, everyone joking, I realize things will be ok. I make a decision to do that every week.

As Meena and I sit in her BOQ (Bachelor Officer Quarters) apartment after supper, she starts, "you're looking remarkably cheerful. Way better than at lunchtime. So what happened?"
I explain about the ice cream.
She hugs me, "sometimes, the children's answer is best. Who'd have ever thought of ice cream?"

Next day, I'm not so cheerful. Whole morning tied up in a meeting of the Library Committee. Endless longwinded debate on which books to buy. Compared to this, even Mrs Sanderson seemed interesting.
Afternoon is Recycling Committee. Oy! Oy vay! And those office staff think a Captain's pay comes easy.
Suppertime I ask Meena, "why am I on so many committees? Counted 18."
She chokes back a laugh, "you really don't know? You're asking?"
"Yeah."
"You is da Grinch. Say No to anything taking any real money."
"And this state of affairs comes about because our illustrious CO views me as a less than wonderful person?"
She gives a wicked grin, "amazing how quick you catch on."