As the activities neared the end, her boss came over and suggested that she should get some photos from the platform for a better vantage point. She reluctantly agreed. What else could she do? Describe that conversation.
Mary was the last one through the mud pool swing and most had made their way back to the main house for refreshments. Mary made a remark about Lauren not participating which made Lauren angry. Describe this conversation.
Then, as Mary was reaching out for the rope, Lauren had an idea. From a few feet behind Mary, she daintily extended her right Keds-clad foot and gave Mary a small nudge on her backside causing her to lose her balance and fall into the mud pool. Mary landed on her feet so she was clean from the knees up but her brand new custom made Nikes were totally ruined instantly soaking in mud and water. Describe Mary's reaction. What did she say? What was the look on her face?
How did Lauren feel as she lightly tapped Mary with her little white sneaker? Why did she like it?
### The Boss’s Suggestion
As the day’s activities began winding down, Lauren had been blissfully wandering around the paved paths, snapping photos with a practiced casualness that ensured not a bead of sweat would ever dare form on her brow. She was just about ready to head back for some well-earned refreshments when she spotted her boss, Richard, walking toward her, his usual warm smile plastered on his face.
“Lauren, great work today with the photos,” he said as he approached, his hands tucked into his khaki pockets.
“Thank you, Richard,” she replied with a polite smile, already sensing something more was coming.
“I’ve been getting some feedback from the team—they’ve said you’ve really captured some fantastic moments.” He paused and gestured toward the rope swing over the mud pit, where Mary was preparing to take her turn. “But I was thinking it’d be great to get a few shots from the platform itself. You know, just to really capture the, uh, thrill of things. Get in on the action.”
Lauren’s immediate instinct was to recoil at the thought of stepping closer to the mud pool, let alone standing on the platform where the risk of a misstep—or worse, a splash—was far too great for her level of comfort.
She fought the urge to protest.
What am I supposed to say? No? She had already skillfully avoided participating in every activity that day. If she refused such a simple task, it might come across as… difficult.
Reluctantly, she smiled again, this time tighter, and said, “Of course, Richard. I’ll, uh, get right over there and grab a few from the platform.”
“Excellent!” He patted her shoulder. “I knew we could count on you, Lauren.”
And just like that, she was committed.
---
### The Encounter with Mary
Comfortably perched on the platform, Lauren took a few shots, grumbling to herself under her breath as she watched Mary prepare to take her final turn on the rope swing. By now, most of the team had either completed the swing or had gathered near the main house for drinks and refreshments. Lauren glanced enviously in their direction.
Mary, still in her custom white-and-pink Nikes, was the last one to attempt crossing the mud pool. Lauren was about to frame another shot when she heard Mary’s voice call out—playful but with a teasing edge—to the group still hanging around.
"Well, well, the
great Lauren finally gets close to the action!” Mary’s voice was clear and intentionally loud enough for Lauren—and everyone else—to hear. "Must be nice to just walk around all day in your cute little shoes and not actually
do anything."
Lauren’s face stiffened. She spun slightly, just enough to make eye contact with Mary, but not enough to descend from her poised position on the platform.
“I’m making sure this day is
documented, Mary,” Lauren said, her tone sharp, no longer caring about the thin veneer of professional politeness she had been holding up all day. “Someone had to stay clean and keep track of the memories.”
“Well,
someone also seems really good at avoiding what this day is all about,” Mary shot back, her eyes narrowing slightly as she prepared to grab the rope.
Lauren’s jaw clenched, a flicker of anger bubbling under the surface. How
dare she suggest that Lauren wasn’t contributing?
I volunteered to take these photos—a job none of them wanted! Yet here was Mary, all smug and assuming that somehow this ridiculous bonding event mattered more than Lauren’s impeccable presence and documentation.
Mary turned, now focusing on the rope in front of her, unaware of the irritation surging behind her. It was in that split-second as Mary prepared to leap that Lauren’s eyes dropped to her own pristine white Keds, unblemished, spotless—and suddenly, an idea unfurled itself like a perfect, mischievous gift.
---
### The Nudge
As Mary extended her arm toward the swinging rope, bending slightly at the waist, Lauren acted on impulse. From where she stood, just a few feet behind, she elegantly—and almost daintily—extended her right foot. The clean white canvas of her Keds brushed lightly against Mary’s backside, nudging her with perfect, calculated precision.
It wasn’t enough to shove her. No, it was much subtler, almost delicate. But it was enough to cause Mary to lose balance at the crucial moment.
“Whoa!” Mary yelped, flailing as her outstretched hand missed its grip entirely. Her body teetered for a second, time hanging in the air, before she fell forward—not into the mud with a full-body splash, as others had—but straight down into the center of the muddy pool.
Mary landed squarely on her feet, balancing just long enough to look down in horror. Her legs were stuck knee-deep in the sludgy water, her new Nikes utterly submerged. The white mesh fabric was instantaneously transformed—soaked up to the laces, the pink swoosh now streaked with streaks of brown muck. Her shoes were ruined, sinking into the mud like they had been swallowed whole.
---
### Mary’s Reaction
There was a moment of stunned silence as Mary stared down at her feet, her eyes widening in shock and dread as the full horror of her ruined Nikes hit her. Slowly, as if trying to process what had just happened, she lifted her right foot out of the mud with a sickening squelch, only for more of the filthy water to rush into the void her foot left behind.
“My shoes…” Mary’s voice trembled. She stared straight ahead, her face a mix of disbelief and rising anger. “My
brand new shoes!” She managed to choke out the words as her bottom lip quivered, the distress turning into fury. She turned her head slightly to look at Lauren, eyes ablaze, her body shaking with the realization of what had just occurred.
"You...!” Her voice was sharp, angry. She raised an arm, pointing at Lauren. “You
intentionally did that!”
Lauren, standing comfortably a few feet behind, felt a wave of satisfaction crease across her lips. She tilted her head innocently, her white right shoe just barely touching the edge of the platform, looking down at Mary, who was now filthy from the knees down.
“Oh, Mary," she murmured in a voice barely concealing her amused glee, "I honestly didn’t think you’d be that unsteady.” She gestured lightly with the camera in her hands. “Perhaps next time you should focus a bit more on your balance.”
---
### Lauren’s Satisfaction
As Lauren had extended the toe of her pristine Keds and made contact with Mary’s back, a strange, pleasant thrill shot up through her. The sensation of the light nudge—just enough to set a chain of events in motion—was exhilarating. Leaning in with her immaculate, crisp white sneaker, pushing against the last vestiges of Mary’s self-importance, gave Lauren a control that she didn’t often indulge in so overtly.
She had liked the feeling of it: the elegance, the subtlety. The satisfaction of knowing that no one could outright prove the intent behind her delicate nudge. The fact that Mary would never have the satisfaction of pinpointing Lauren's precise motive, yet they
both knew exactly what had happened.
Watching Mary’s clean yet silly Nikes descend into the mud pool, her prized shoes, designed lovingly online, soak into nothing more than a squelching mess—it was perfect. Lauren felt relieved, even giddy, as the mud ruined not just the shoes but Mary’s entire mood, washing out her earlier bravado with each squelching step.
And so, as Mary sputtered in her dirty, soiled shoes, Lauren stood above her, the model of calm and composure—her white Keds, still unblemished, firmly planted—feeling, for perhaps the first time that day, like she had truly participated in this team-building exercise.
