I work in a public building (read: building paid for with public funds). For some reason, those members of the public who are
more than slightly off unique believe this means that the building, and everything in it, belongs to all. Once the doors open at 8:00 am, it is not unusual to find someone warming up in one of the public room chairs, washing up in our bathroom sink, or even showering in the employee shower. Usually I don't even bat an eye. But this afternoon, as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed a pineapple on the sill of the front window.
I did a double take. A pineapple on the sill of the front window.
Inside.
Some of our employees are
more than slightly off eccentric. Thinking perhaps there was a logical explanation for the pineapple in the window, or more likely a sentimental one, I queried one of the employees who works up front, near the window.
"
M, did you know there is a pineapple in the window?"
"
Oh, yeah. It's Bicycle Man's."
It turns out, one of our frequent visitors likes to use our building as his own personal hanging fruit basket. He buys nearly ripe fruit from the grocery store, rides his bike over to our building, and places the still green fruit in our window to ripen. He'll come back in a few days to pick it up. Theory has it that he has no home, no car... just his bike. Today he left a towel in the building. M very kindly placed it in the window, next to the pineapple. She figured we might as well consolidate his things for ease of pick-up.
I asked if M is ok with Bicycle Man leaving his fruit in the public room.
She said, "
No, but..."
Accepted.
