New digs, new picture, new friends

Arron had never been in a position like where he found himself in but he knew one thing: he liked it.

The university was well known for two things: its lavish appointments when it came to offices and organization. More importantly, though, it was also known to indulge their employees rather well. In the scheme of things, appearances were the new weapons in an unspoken arms race between colleges as the student population, with its wireless mobility, made competition for their tuition dollars that much more image conscious. Here, at West Haven, they had old money coming in from donors and that money not only paid for top-notch professors, it paid for assistants to be taken care of.

The office of administration had sent him to the undergraduate office where the woman running it then got up from her chair and motioned for him to follow her. A few interested people looked at the two of them as they moved down the hallway until she stopped and motioned for him to enter the office. When he pushed in, there were two things that stunned him, left him speechless, and not a bit uncomfortable at the sudden change of circumstances.

He had his own office!

It wasn't a palatial mansion like some of the directors, he was sure, but this was at least twice the size of the one he had back east before moving out here. There was a simple wooden desk and chair for him to use, a pair of bookshelves and cabinets, and a rather decent computer with triple monitor set up. All in all, it was very well apportioned if not simplistic in style.

"What do you think?"

Arron took a moment to find his voice. "Um...am I waiting here for someone...?"

She laughed and shook her head. "We get that a lot, actually. No, your job is Administrative Assistant, yes, but your references were so spot on that they've added another job aspect to you. Technically, you're an Administrative Assistant Director, meaning you have both your basic functions in the Administration office as well as working with the other mid-tier department heads. Sort of a surrogate, if you will. That," she said, with a wave of her arm to the office room surrounding them, "has earned you this office here."

Arron mentally made a note to send Marjorie a gold certificate ensuring his presence at any future pride march she wanted him to be in. "Wow..."

"You're impressed now, you haven't seen this yet," the woman pulled out what was basically the school's equivalent to an Ikea catalog (he wasn't too sure that it wasn't actually one.) "Every person at the director level gets to outfit their office. This is what we call 'basic pallet one', or a standard setting. You can take the rest of the day today putting together an order for new chairs, desks, rugs, designs, anything to make this office yours." As Arron skimmed through the booklet, the more impressed he got from this development. "Each office is rather modular so our crews can come in and fix things up pretty quickly. It would probably take them a day to do it, max 2 if you really go balls to the wall on it."

After a few minutes worth of talking, she turned and Arron walked with her out of his office with his mind still spinning a bit. They headed down the stairs and walked over the quad to the personnel office where he had his administrator photo taken. A few more moments and both his personal card and professional lanyard was made. He spotted his made up face smiling back at him with the name ANDREWS, ERIN A. Adminstrative Assistant Director, Business School imprinted below it. The picture was done very well, actually, and there was a bit of pride mixed in with embarrassment at the idea of having yet one more thing stamped that bore him as a woman. You need the money and it's not like this is going to be forever, he thought to himself as they walked back out of the personnel office.

"Well, that takes care of the first part of your day. Why don't you go and head over to the cafeteria? I'm sure you can pick up some food before spending your afternoon nose deep in that office..."

Arron nodded and then stopped her. "Thank you, for this morning..."

She smiled and nodded. "It's Cynthia and don't worry, it's good to have another woman in the office. Between the two of us, that makes it now 2 in that sausage fest." Arron, for his part, kept his mouth shut at that.