The Office Receptionist

There I was, the newbie of the group, the youngest of the department, sitting quietly in the tea room trying to enjoy my lunch while the odd receptionist sits in front of me, reading a magazine and chewing away.
It shouldn't have taken that long, but I eventually initiated a conversation with the receptionist. And so, after using Britney Spears as an ice-breaker, Bernie the receptionist and myself, talked for another 20 minutes before she headed back to her desk.
From then on, whenever I wasn't over at the Bio21 having lunch, I'd be sitting in the tea room enjoying Bernie's company.

Soon enough, I found out that Bernie yielded from my home country more than 20 years ago, is still single and living alone, cooks, and is a very polite person who says "Pleasure" whenever you say "See you later" or " thanks".
Despite the many times I reminded Bernie that I was a humble Honours student from the Biochemistry Dept and not a medical student, she manages to still sneak in the "I'm sure you'll be a great doctor someday" line. I gave up telling her I'm not a medic student and just took it in my pride that someone thought I'd be a great doctor.

Bernie was quite traditional in the way she did things. She still had a Phonebook on her desk which she uses to jot down telephone numbers. I quite honestly didn't think people still used Phonebooks, not with the technology available to you right now! Nevertheless, she was still a very helpful and polite receptionist that went out of her way to get things done for you.

Yesterday, I went to look for Bernie to ask her if she had some transparency film I could use for a presentation. Bernie was busy on the computer and being polite, I knocked on her door to get her attention, even though the door was WIDE open and you were meant to just walk in. Bernie greeted me with the usual hello, and I put forth my request and then she redirected me somewhere else to get the film. So I went to the IT person's office to get the film and walked back, passing by Bernie's office.
As I was about to approach the end of the corridor and push open another door, I turned my back and saw Bernie walking towards me. She held up her hand as if to make a "stop" or "hold the door" or " it's ok" gesture. I couldn't decide if she wanted me to stop, or to hold the door or whether it was ok to go off because she was heading to a different direction. So, I just closed the door behind me and headed for the stairs. Then I heard the door open again and Bernie stepped out. She called out to me, and so I stopped.
Bernie: Hey Xiaowen, I wanted to tell you something
Me: mm hmm
Bernie: Next time you come into my office, don't knock on the door. Just come in OK?
Me: Oh..er.... OK
Bernie: Alright. That's all I wanted to tell you. Ok See you later.
Me: Alright. Thanks. I'll just walk in the office next time. See ya!
Bernie: Pleasure.

I then continued down the stairs, rolling my eyes at myself and wondering why Bernie chased me down the corridor just to tell me not to knock on her door before entering. Weird!

I still like Bernie though, in spite of her oddness!
LOL