Free Lunch

Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered that today was "report back to work" day, so on my way to the gym I picked up the phone and called the department chair. His response was something along the lines of "if your going in, punch in for me as well. " Unfortunately I did have to go in and pick up a form from the dean office. Only one of the office assistants was around but she was able to direct me to the paperwork I needed.

"Do you know what time the all college meeting is tomorrow?"
"12:45 I think"
"I guess they do that so they don't have to serve us lunch."
"Oh? You didn't get a lunch card?"
"Lunch card?" I said quizzically, enough that might suggest I had forgotten but not so much as to suggest I never read my emails.
"They are up in the provost office. Do you know where that is?"
"Yes. Thanks!"
On my way out of the office I stopped one of the student workers. "Which way is the provost office?"

I have a perfectly legitimate excuse for not knowing where the main administration offices are, I work on a different campus. Nonetheless I eventually found my way up, introduced myself to the administrative assistant at the door, and was given the choice sushi or german food. Hungrily I snatched up a sushi voucher, my eyes beaming like I had just won a major award.

On my way out of the building I ran into a few colleagues.
"Well I just got my lunch voucher."
"Us too, unfortunately all they had left was a choice between german and sushi."
"I know I said excitedly, my mouth rewatering at the prospect of my bento box. Then thinking of the german food voucher made a slight noise of disgust.
"I know" she said "Can you believe it" responding to my grunt of disgust. We spoke in unison, but had very different ideas about what was the prize and what was the punishment "Sushi" they said even as I voiced "German."

We stared at each other for a few seconds each with a look of complete disbelief at the others comment. After an uncomfortable silence there was a collective shrug of the shoulders at which they returned to their tasks and I ran off to my car, clutching my gift coupon tightly in my hand. Briefly I had a thought that one mans trash is another's treasure or some such thing, but the prospect of my favorite food as someone else's trash was too disquieting. "Nah" I said dismissing any vestiges of tolerance. "They're nuts."