1. A Patron of the Arts Part Three - Karen


    Date: 11/18/2016, Categories: Anal Author: Boss01

    As part of the function of the foundation that I set up in memory of my deceased wife and daughter to support the local performing arts community, I often had to meet with the directors and other supporters of programs seeking monetary assistance. At first I took these meetings at home, but soon realized that I would need a formal office/meeting space; especially since one time a group showed up at my home with about forty people who were under the impression that head-count was an important part of their presentation. I finally ended up leasing an office suit that had a reception area, some private office space for me, a meeting room big enough to hold a table that sat twenty, a small kitchenette for preparing refreshments, and a room left as an open area in case a presentation included a “performance”. The build-out was finished at the beginning of March, and it took another two weeks to furnish and decorate. I had not, as yet, hired a receptionist. So, when people came to the locked, large glass front entrance, all they saw was an empty desk and a hand-drawn sign that said, “Please Knock Loudly ”. I was now open for business. Most days I went to the office, even if there were no appointments, because it felt good to get out of the house. Plus, the space was in a building where some of my consulting clients were located, so I was more readily available for them, and actually picked up some referrals. I spent enough time there that within a week I had kitted out my ...
    ... private office space with a huge “big screen” TV that was internet enabled, as well as a very comfortable leather couch and two club chairs. The first week in April, I had received a call from a group of jazz dancers looking for a contribution toward a trip to a competition. I told them that I needed to see their tax-exempt paperwork and some other organizational documents, plus details on the trip itself. Rather than send them electronically, the person I spoke with told me that Karen, one of their members, would bring the required information over personally later that same day. So, I hung around until almost six; but Karen was apparently a no-show. I locked up and left for the evening. For whatever reason, I woke pretty early the next morning. I did the “Three S’s”, picked up a coffee and a breakfast sandwich at a coffee chain, and hit the office parking lot at six AM. I got off the elevator, turned down the hall to the office, and immediately felt that something wasn’t right. As I got closer to the glass front, I realized that one of the side panels was totally missing. On closer inspection, it had actually been broken out, all the way around the frame up to the track where the glass panel fit in. But, there was no sign of any broken glass on the floor. It was perfectly clean. Without unlocking the door, I stepped through where the missing pane had been, expecting to see that everything in the reception area had been stolen, but it wasn’t. I opened the door to my office, and ...
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