Return the folder

Well I can't help but have a giggle about this little story. I was in the office today and one of my tasks was to review some documents for the Secretary General of the university. I needed to discuss the changes with a colleague and then type them up. So Abdul Nasser, the Chief Financial Planning Officer, dropped by. He had already done some work on the docs and had pencilled in changes he thought were necessary and put his documents into a folder. We discussed the changes and agreed on what needed to be done and then he left the folder with me to refer to as I was doing the typing and loading them onto our group on the uni portal.

Feeling very satisfied with myself I finished the review, loaded up all the documents, alerted people to some bits and pieces that needed doing and sat back to have a lemon tea. Cleaned up my desk and noticed I still had Abdul Nasser's folder. So I wrote a 'post-it' note on the folder and put it in the internal mail tray. The note said 'Please return this folder to Abdul Nasser, Chief Financial Planning Officer, Level 4'. The office boy came in and checked with me that he was going to the right office - 'yes, right, level 4 - up the same end as the Secretary general's office - yes - Abdul Nasser - ok, ok, everything good - I go now - return the folder' and off he went.

Just before I was due to come home he came back into my office with his face beaming and presented me the folder. I asked why he bought the folder back and he looked at me as if I was not quite sane and said 'yes, madam, bring folder back - good, yes, madam' Well who am I to argue? So I wrote an email to Abdul Nasser saying I didn't know why I got the folder back but that I hoped he had received the notes. He wrote back saying how he and his secretary had really had a chuckle because the boy had insisted on him only taking the notes and giving back the folder. He said he hoped I had good use for the folder and that he thought it was very funny that the boy had told him I had said 'Return the folder!!!!!' It took a few minutes and I just laughed out loud! - Do you get it? The note said - return the folder - so the boy did........and he had really had to convince the secretary to take the papers out so he could return the folder - TO ME!!!!