Sexual Harrassment in the Workplace

Picture this: me standing next to my co-worker J discussing a map that has been taped to the wall.

Me: I need a smaller map of just this area, from here to here.

I'm standing on my toes and reaching up to gesture to an area. My arm is outstretched to the top of the paper which is well above my head.

Just then a different co-worker walked past us reaching out and, wait for it...tickled my armpit. While making some kind of Tickle Monster noise. You know, like you would with a baby.

I wish I was joking.

I stopped talking to my co-worker J and looked at the other co-worker in shock ... surprise ... maybe even fear? In the interest of protecting the guilty (not me this time), I will just refer to him as A. For a moment (that seemed to last an eternity) we just stared at each other guiltily. There was immediately so much shame between the two of us. It's like we suddenly had this dark, dirty secret.

J was confused. He heard the, ahem, Tickle Monster noise, but did not actually see the aforementioned weirdness that had just taken place. My face was red, and surprisingly, so was A's. And we were still just looking at each other, although by this point A kept looking away.

J: What just happened? What was that sound A made?

M: Oh, my gosh. A just...he just...tickled my armpit.

I am laughing so hard that I am hunched over and practically gasping for air. Did he really reach out and tickle my armpit?

J: Really? I thought he grabbed your butt.

M: No (still gasping), I think I would have rather he'd just grabbed my butt. It would have made things a lot less weird.

A (his face still red): Yeah, I don't know what just happened. I had a much different picture in my mind.

M: Did you really? I can't imagine what was in your head.

A: Yeah, um...

A just trails off while J and I laugh hysterically in the hallway. He looked so embarrassed that I almost felt bad. Almost. Not enough to stop laughing.

I will admit though that A and I had a hard time looking each other in the eye the rest of the day. Think nervous laughs and awkward eye contact. That was us.

Turns out today is A's birthday. Both J and I called out to A, "What do you want more, tickles or spankings?"