Sherry, the Secretary

The front door opens into a hallway. To the left I see another door way, with a sign reading "Admin." That's where I belong, so I go there.

The main administration room has a large desk with a large phone and a large computer screen, doors leading to two other offices and a bathroom, and a bunch of cubby-holes for mail. These are labeled with the names of the teachers.

Behind the desk sits a skinny, pretty, Asian woman. She looks to be about 40 years old. She has short, straight black hair and a welcoming smile.

"Can I help you?" she asks. Not many men come into the training schools -- not that they don't want to, but men are only allowed in the schools under strict educational supervision. It's part of the safety aspect pioneered by our predecessors.

"Hello," I say. "I'm James McMaster, the new principal."

Her smile gets even bigger, and she stands up. She's roughly my height -- short for a man, but average for a woman. She holds out her hand. "Oh, hello! My name is Sherry Abe. I'm the administrative assistant, but really that just means the secretary. Welcome to Centerville!"

I'm pleased so far. Sherry at least seems good at her job, though of course her job doesn't involve any instruction.

"Thank you, Sherry. I'm very excited to get started. I wonder if you might show me to my office and introduce me to the VP?"

The VP is the vice principal. In our system, women do all the hands-on instruction, and the VP oversees their work. The principal, who might be a man or a woman, is in charge of administrative tasks and staffing. Whatever problems Centerville had, the VP probably had a role.

"Of course, sir!" she said. I like her even more now. I'm a sucker for submissive trappings.

My office is the rightmost door, just to the right of the bathroom. I set down my briefcase and take off my jacket. The office is nondescript. The windows are at street level and look to the front of the building. It has relatively high ceilings, due to the age of the building. The walls are white. There's a desk with a PC. There's a bed, freshly made up with crisp white sheets. Normal principal's office stuff.

Sherry is waiting in the doorway as I look around. "Seems nice," I say. "Lead on."

She takes me to the office on the other side of the bathroom. I didn't really need her to lead me to these places -- I could see them from where I'd been standing. But, personal service is a good habit for her to get into, I muse.

She knocks. This is already a bad sign, I feel, as my policy preference is for open door.

"Come in," comes a voice. Sherry opens the door.

"The new principal is here," she says, and the two of us walk in.