The Circle

didn’t stand
     to meet her, so Mae extended her hand to him.
    “Nice to meet you,” she said.
    Alistair sighed with great resignation and extended his hand as if he were about to
     touch something washed ashore and rotting.
    Mae’s mouth went dry. There was something very wrong.
    Dan sat down. “Now, I hope we can make this right as soon as possible,” he said. “Would
     you like to start, Mae?”
    The two men looked at her. Dan’s eyes were steady, while Alistair’s look was hurt
     but expectant. Mae had no idea what to say, no idea what was happening. As the silence
     festered and grew, Alistair blinked furiously, holding back tears.
    “I can’t believe this,” he managed to say.
    Dan turned to him. “Alistair, c’mon. We know you’re hurting, but let’s keep it in
     perspective.” Dan turned to Mae. “I’ll point out the obvious. Mae, we’re talking about
     Alistair’s Portugal brunch.”
    Dan let the words linger, expecting Mae to jump in, but Mae had no idea what those
     words meant:
Alistair’s Portugal brunch
? Could she say she had no idea what that meant? She knew she couldn’t. She’d been
     late to the feed. This must have something to do with that.
    “I’m sorry,” she said. She knew she would have to tread water until she could figure
     out what all this was about.
    “That’s a good start,” Dan said. “Right, Alistair?”
    Alistair shrugged.
    Mae continued fumbling. What did she know? There had been a brunch, that much was
     certain. And clearly she had not been there.The brunch was planned by Alistair, and now he was hurt. All this was reasonable to
     assume.
    “I wish I could have been there,” she ventured, and immediately saw slight signs of
     confirmation in their faces. She was onto something. “But I wasn’t sure if …” Now
     she took a leap. “I wasn’t sure if I was welcome, being so new here.”
    Their faces softened. Mae smiled, knowing she’d hit the right note. Dan shook his
     head, happy to have his assumption—that Mae was not an inherently bad person—confirmed.
     He got up from his chair, came around his desk and leaned against it.
    “Mae, have we not made you feel welcome?” he asked.
    “No, you have! You really have. But I’m not a member of Alistair’s team, and I wasn’t
     quite sure what the rules were about, you know, members of my team attending the brunches
     of more seasoned members of other teams.”
    Dan nodded. “See, Alistair? I told you it was easily explained.” Now Alistair was
     sitting upright, as if ready to engage again.
    “Well of course you’re welcome,” he said, patting her knee playfully. “Even if you’re
     a little ob
liv
ious.”
    “Now Alistair …”
    “I’m sorry,” he said, and took a deep breath. “I’ve got it under control now. I’m
     very happy.”
    There were a few more statements of apology and laughs about understandings and misunderstandings,
     and communications and flow and mistakes and the order of the universe, and finally
     it was time to let it go. They stood.
    “Let’s hug it out,” Dan said. And they did, forming a tight scrum of newfound communion.
    By the time Mae was back at her desk, a message was waiting for her.
    Thanks again for coming to meet Alistair and me today. I think that was very productive
     and helpful. HR knows about the situation, and to close it out they always like to
     get a statement together. So I typed this up. If it sounds good, just sign it on-screen
     and send it back
.
    Glitch No. 5616ARN/MRH/RK2
    Day: Monday, June 11
    Participants: Mae Holland, Alistair Knight
    Story: Alistair of the Renaissance, Team Nine, held a brunch for all staffers who
     had demonstrated an interest in Portugal. He sent out three notices about the event,
     none of which Mae, of the Renaissance, Team Six, answered. Alistair became concerned
     that there was no RSVP or communication of any kind from Mae. When the brunch occurred,
     Mae did not attend, and Alistair understandably was distressed about why she would
     not respond to repeated invitations, and then fail to attend. This was non-participation
     in a classic sense.
    Today a meeting was held between Dan, Alistair and Mae, where Mae explained that she
     was not sure that she was welcome at such an event, given it was being hosted by a
     member of a different team, and she was in her second week of life at the company.
     She feels very bad about causing worry and emotional distress to Alistair—not to mention