Gerald had to make sure that none of his colleagues noticed. He had been teased so much in the past that he didn’t want to give his co-workers more ammunition.
Carrying a file and trying to hide as much of his face as possible, he made a beeline for the break room. Looking around, he didn’t see anyone watching. Once in the break room, Gerald hid out of sight for a minute to be sure no one was following him. It seemed the coast was clear. He grabbed a paper towel, opened the box of donuts and saw to his delight that their was, indeed, one donut left. He opened the file, put the donut in the paper towel, put the bundle in the file and gently folded the top closed, careful not to squeeze his sweet treasure. As quickly as he could yet still trying to appear nonchalant, he ducked into the storage room and stood against the wall behind the door.
He did it! At least today he wouldn’t be ribbed or yelled at for taking the last donut! He opened the file and sunk his teeth into the melting sweetness of the bakery treat, his eyes closed in pleasure. When he opened his eyes, several of his co-workers were gathered in the storage room around him. A panicked look came over Gerald’s face
“Ha! We caught you red-handed!” shouted Karen, a smug look on her face. The others murmured in agreement, nodding their heads and looking at Gerald like he stole the Hope Diamond.
“Oh, this?” Gerald asked, holding the donut out and looking it over. “I’m sorry. I was saving it for you, Karen,” he said and shoved the donut into her face. Gerald ran like he was on fire, yelling out to anyone sitting in the office that he was leaving early.
Tomorrow was going to be rough, he thought.
Copyright ©2026 Lisa Paul. All rights reserved.
This week’s Story Starter teaser is:
Gerald had to make sure that none of his colleagues noticed.
A Little Bit of Everything, With Love 
Loved it 😊 very clever take.
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