The fluorescent lights of the office hummed, a sound that gnawed at David’s nerves. He slammed the stapler down on his desk, the force of it rattling the cheap particleboard. Across the room, Sarah, with her perpetual cheerfulness, was already chirping about the weekend. “I’m thinking of finally hitting up that pottery class!” she exclaimed, her voice bright enough to cause a physical ache in David's skull. He focused on the spreadsheets, a wall he needed to build between himself and the relentless pleasantries.
“Pottery, huh?” he mumbled, avoiding eye contact. He just wanted to get through the day.
She didn't seem to notice his curt response. "Yeah! They have a wheel and everything. My friend Emily went last week and said it was amazing. You should join!"
David felt his jaw tighten. "Maybe," he said flatly, grabbing his coffee mug and retreating towards the break room.
Later, as he was waiting for the microwave to finish its cycle, he overheard Sarah talking on the phone. "… and the counselors were the *best*! Remember Counselor Ben, with the crazy hair?" It was then he heard a familiar name from his past – Camp Whippoorwill. His shoulders tensed.
He stalked back to his desk, grabbing a pen and pretending to busy himself. He refused to look up. Camp Whippoorwill. The place of scraped knees, terrible food, and a summer he'd rather forget.
"Oh my gosh!" Sarah was suddenly standing beside his desk. "David, did you ever go to Camp Whippoorwill?"
He sighed inwardly, "Yeah, a while back."
"No way! Me too! When were you there?" Her tone was so relentlessly enthusiastic that the muscles in his neck were clenching. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and told her the year.
"Oh my god," she shrieked. "I was there too! We probably know each other!" She leaned closer, her voice dropping conspiratorially, "Did you ever get a crush on Jenny?"
He felt his cheeks flush, and a muscle twitch in his eye. "Look, I'm really swamped right now," he mumbled, turning back to his spreadsheets. "Maybe we can talk about this later." He hoped that was a strong enough deterrent.