3.b.iii
It was called The
Office and it served as the secret headquarters for Corporate Man, as well as
frequent meeting place/weekend getaway of The Union, for a number of decades.
As previously
mentioned, there were four doors off the main hallway, five if you counted the
door coming from the entranceway. All
the doors were swing hinge instead of the much desired, and space efficient,
pocket doors. There was a practical
reason for this. An open door provided a
simple but effective way to hide a secret access to an escape tunnel and there
were two such passageways in The Office.
To the immediate left of the entrance door, obscured dim light, dull
wall color, and left inswing was a square panel affixed with magnets for easy
entry and speedy replacement. The other
escape tunnel was tucked behind the door leading into the walk in closet off
the master suite.
These tunnels
were employed on numerous occasions during financial downturns, economic
instability, and interoffice romance terminations.
The first door
on the right side of the hallway led into a spare room complete with bed,
nightstand, and closet for the occasional guest. A slim door in the far corner accessed the
utility room where, among other things, the generator, furnace, and massive
computer data bank were housed.
Door number
two in the main hall went into a large storage area of Union supplies. Spare costumes, gadgets, and various paper
products consumed the bulk of the space.
At the very
end of the hall was the door to the master suite. Corporate Man’s bedroom away from home. His bed and aforementioned walk in closet were
to one side and the master bath, complete with deep soaker tub, on the other.
The final door
of the main hallway, the one centered along the left hand wall, led to The Breakroom. A kitchenette sat along the far wall with
tables and chairs to one side. On the
other was a spiral staircase a small bathroom with shower stall. The staircase climbed up to the tower where
the telescope and infamous copy machine awaited. The plumbing in the bathroom suffered
terribly during The Elephant’s tenure as did those trying to eat their lunch in
the next room. This begs the question:
Why are toilets always installed in spaces adjacent to those designated for
employee rest and food consumption?
