Keep my mouth shut

Tom looks like he is telling a joke, suddenly waving an arm wide as he takes a large step backward. The person listening to him in good humor stiffens and issues a warning when they notice Victoria swiftly rounding the cubicles.

The collision is sudden. Tom's backstride crosses into her narrow path. Their legs tangle, then in an effort to twist and catch himself, he grabs onto her, pulling then down together. Victoria lands on her ass, her back sliding against a cubicle wall at an awkward angle. The office goes silent. No one wants to be the person to offer either one of them a hand. Tom groans as he recognizes who he just hit, his daily nightmare coming true. He frantically untangles himself from her. Victoria's lips thin. She slaps her palms to the floor and thrust herself up from under him, rolling him off. She stands tall, turning to him with a darkening face. Whatever she is saying to him is said without raising her voice. Tom gets to his feet, never rising above a partial crouch. Without ever standing straight, he turns and flees the scene. Then she continues to the elevator. Once she has left, People start buzzing.

I grab the coffee pot and make a round of offering it to people as an excuse to ask about what just happened. Tom looks mortified. "Aw shit, I can't believe I did that. She said I have to clear my desk before she gets back. Shit. Shit. Shit." He looks like it was going to take him at least that long to remember how to stand upright.

Rachel has more information. "Sydnee just got fired. Out of nowhere!" I look over at the cubicle that had been cleared out in record time. "Two people in one day? What is happening?"

"I don't know. She just left for lunch. Hopefully she will have mellowed out by the time she gets back. We had all better lay low the rest of the day."