As Girly As It Gets - The Dress Code - Part 8

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On Wednesday, Terry got up a full hour and a half earlier than he typically had in the past.  He wanted to ensure he had time to get ready and get to work at least half an hour early.  Terry wore his new charcoal suit that Moira had purchased on Wednesday.  He had not done the wash and he was worried about the silkier fabric shirts.  Therefore, he wore the blouse with French cuffs.  Like the others, it buttoned the wrong way and had a much slimmer placket on the front.

Terry had used a blow dryer to fluff his hair and he did not forget his lipstick. He clicked the icon when he was done.  Moira received a video from Terry’s phone showing him reapplying his lipstick in the car while driving to work.  She wondered what the people in nearby cars thought about that.

Moira waited in a nearby parking lot and pulled in and parked next to Terry as he arrived at work.  They walked into the building together.  Terry had his clothes for the dry cleaner in a bag he brought each week.  Moira took the bag and put it with her things at her desk.  Terry did not want to take his coat off when he arrived at the office.

Moira highlighted the risk of creasing his new suit.  Terry relented and sat down at his desk.  Moira sat at her desk and pulled up the project.  She called Terry and he popped out of the office. She looked up and said, “I spent some time on the proposal and I’m into the boiler plate writing up the details.  But I wanted to try and make some real progress this morning.  Due to traffic, I didn’t get here till you did.  But I have a problem.” Terry brightened up, she needed his help with the proposal.  He leaned down to look at her computer.  “How can I help?” Moira brightened up.  “Thanks, Terry.  I think I have a handle on the proposal.

My problem is really pretty dumb.  The first person in is supposed to get the coffee going.  But If I do that I won’t get anywhere with this.  If you could do this little thing for me, I’d really appreciate it.”  She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “You want me to make coffee?” Terry asked. Moira quickly confirmed and dismissed him while returning to her work.  “Thanks, Terry.  I knew you would help just like you said you would.  Can you bring me a cup when it’s ready?”  Moira pushed her cup towards the side of the desk and never looked up from her computer.

Terry thought he was asking a question.  But Moira seemed to think he was agreeing to do what she asked.  It wasn’t like he didn’t know how to make coffee.  He just hadn’t made coffee in the last year.  When she didn’t look up again, he reluctantly grabbed her coffee cup and moved off toward the kitchenette.

A few people began straggling into the office.  Doreen, one of the executive assistants whose desk was nearby saw Terry bringing Moira’s coffee cup and another cup which was obviously for himself.  Doreen asked Moira, “Did you make the coffee?” Moira smiled, “No, Terry made the coffee.” Doreen could not help herself, “Terry, thank you for making the coffee.  You know the rules right?  You remember, from before your promotion.

Whoever makes the first pot of coffee, has to get it done before everyone arrives or get coffee for the people waiting for the coffee.  I take mine with one sugar.  If you hurry, you might not need to get anymore.” Terry was caught totally off guard.  Terry never made coffee since his promotion. He never came in first.  But he did know the rule.  Without much thought, he hurried back to the kitchenette and quickly returned with a coffee for Doreen. Doreen smiled.  “Thank you, Terry.  I love your new shirt by the way.”  Terry was happy that Doreen seemed to like his shirt and that she had not mentioned the styling.

Doreen on the other hand always bought nice clothes.  She noticed the high-waist slacks with a zipper that faced the wrong way.  And she saw the shirt had a reversed button placket indicating it was also a blouse and not a men’s shirt.  With that knowledge, she observed his departure and smiled at the short-heeled women's shoes.  Doreen needed to talk to Moira. Terry found himself checking his make-up regularly during the day so he could avoid the reminders.

He actually started checking his looks more often than before.  Moira observed that his lipstick was perfect throughout most of the day.  At lunch, Moira took both Terry and her clothes to the cleaners. Wednesday evening, Terry was worried about wearing the silkier blouses to work the next day.  Therefore, he decided to wash the blouses he had already worn.  Terry slipped off the blouse he was wearing while loading the washer.

He ran a small load and it was clear after they were done that they all needed to be ironed. While watching TV, Terry broke out an old ironing board and ironed his blouses.  He stood there wearing his bra and camisole since he had not bothered changing clothes.  Moira was fascinated by the periodic updates as Terry fixed his make-up and brushed his hair behind his ears while hanging around his home in his lingerie.

1st week in new clothes, Thursday Terry wore his new black suit with pink pinstripes on Thursday.  He again wore black shoes.  He arrived at work around the same time as Moira. Doreen arrived at work and waited in the parking lot.  When Terry and Moira arrived, Doreen took careful note of Terry’s suit.  The differences in the cut of the jacket were subtle.

But she was convinced that Terry was wearing a women’s pantsuit instead of a men’s business suit.  Smiling to herself, she waited a few minutes to make sure coffee would be started Moira immediately started working on her report and again asked Terry to make coffee. Reluctantly, Terry headed off to make the coffee. Doreen walked past the kitchenette as she made her way to her desk and seeing Terry working on the coffee asked, “Terry, can I please get a cup when the brew is done?

Thank you!”  Doreen was all smiles and surprised Terry simply nodded to her and set up another cup.  Doreen liked having an executive get her morning coffee.  She was interested in why said executive was wearing a pantsuit that looked like it was from the same designer from whom she purchased many of her own clothes.  She had not had a chance to talk to Moira yesterday, but at the break, she was going to drag Moira outside for a short walk. Terry delivered coffee to Moira and Doreen who both thanked him.  He went into his office and due to his newly developing habit, as he sat down, he grabbed his bag and checked his lipstick and his hair.

Later Thursday morning, Moira opened an inter-office memo from Human Resources.  The letter indicated that a review of Terry’s latest health evaluation and records from the company-sponsored health facilities dictated that Terry needed to get more active. With the massive changes in healthcare across the country and large increases in premiums for company-sponsored plans, the company had agreed to a new hybrid insurance program.

Basically, the company agreed to share the risk with the insurance company.  If employees participated in a certain amount of monitorable, documented, and approved healthy activity, the companies paid a lower premium.  If however, activity was below a certain level, then the company premiums would increase.  The increase was large to incentivize the company to get people involved.  At the last annual reviews, all employees had been told that they needed to meet certain goals or they would personally take on a higher portion of their own health insurance cost.

The company used the health insurance company’s plan as a model and the penalties were quite severe.  If employees met the requirements, the health insurance was almost free.  If they did not, then they paid for almost all of their healthcare costs out of pocket.  In today’s world and with the company’s premier health policy, this was an expensive penalty for the individual employee.  The company joined with a couple of local fitness facilities that partnered with insurance companies.  These facilities would register visits by members and track activities they participated in.  Points were assigned and different activities were categorized and tracked.

The insurance program required employees to spend a certain amount of time at the facilities and they required employees to complete a certain amount of specific types of activity.  The letter indicated that while Terry had done very well in the early part of last year, his activity in the last few months had dropped off to a level where he was in jeopardy of having to pick up his total insurance expense.  The letter noted that while Terry’s latest fitness evaluation found his weight generally unchanged, his BMI was trending in the wrong direction due to a loss of muscle.  (And, Moira thought, those breasts, inflated butt, and thicker thighs have more fat than muscle.) The letter indicated that Terry needed to participate in an approved, regular exercise class multiple times a week and at least one day of aerobic exercise like bike riding, walking, treadmill, or swimming.

Terry needed to meet with an approved trainer at the gym to define a plan.  Following Terry’s acceptance of that approved plan, Terry would be monitored to ensure he stuck with the program in the coming months until his next evaluation.  The company had scheduled an appointment for Terry and his assigned trainer on Friday before his nail and hair appointment at the All of U salon.  While normal exercise activity should take place outside of business hours, the evaluation and plan would be done during the day. Moira noted that the trainer worked at the fitness center that was part of the All of U salon complex.

Terry was not happy when Moira told him that he had failed the health evaluation.  The nurse had said nothing at the time.  Moira pointed out that it was not her job to make the determination.  The insurance company made the decision based on data provided from the health visit.  It was probably just another form letter generated by the system.

At around 10 in the morning, Doreen called Moira and firmly requested that Moira join her for a cup of coffee and a quick walk outside the building.  The minority of smokers at the company often took a break at 10 and many of the staff had taken to enjoying strolls and gossiping during the morning break even though they did not smoke.  They figured, that just because they didn’t smoke didn’t mean they should not have a similar extended morning break.  After a few pleasantries, Doreen turned to Moira and asked, “Moira, I noticed that Terry has gotten some new suits lately.  I was surprised to see that he has apparently decided he likes the same designer that you and I prefer to wear.  Would you care to explain?”

Moira smiled, “I don’t understand, are you suggesting Terry’s clothes don’t fit?” Doreen thought for a second and responded, “No.  In fact, his pants seem to fit him perfectly.  I only see him wearing his jacket when he arrives or leaves.  But the jacket he is wearing today is a little shorter than most of the other men’s jackets.  And since it is from our favorite designer, it seems a little fitted.  That shape seems to imply he has curves in the wrong places.” Moira continued, “So you think the shape of his suit is wrong?” Doreen, “No, it’s not wrong.

t just makes it look like he has curves.  And, the zipper on his pants faces the wrong way for a man.” Moira, “Are the zippers required to be on one side?  Does that bother you?” “It doesn’t bother me,”  Doreen answered.  “It’s just clear he is wearing women’s pants.  And the jacket matches and therefore it is a suit.  And I have the same suit in light blue.  Further, I think I’m bothered that it looks like it fits him too well.  If he ever bothered to button that coat, it would pull in his waist and he would look like he had an hourglass figure.

That suit was tailored to fit him.  How do you explain that?” Moira paused and said, “The suit was tailored for Terry.  He has always worn nice clothes.  He was having some trouble with his regular suits and I suggested our designer.  The tailor at the store fitted them for Terry at my suggestion.” Doreen didn’t understand.  “What kind of problem was he having with his other suits?” Moira probed, “Doreen, ignoring the sex of the person wearing clothes, what is the principal design difference between men’s pants and women’s pants?

If you set two pairs of pants of the same length with the same waist on a table next to each other what would be the principal difference?” Doreen wondered where this was going.  She thought for a moment and said, “The men’s pants would typically be pretty straight down while the women’s pants would balloon out to fit a women’s expanded hips and typically thicker thighs for the same waist.”

Moira smiled.  “So, the women’s pants would have larger hips and thighs at almost any size because women usually have broader hips, and smaller waists and can’t get the men’s pants to fit.  Right?” Doreen agreed, “Right.” Moira looked around conspiratorially, “You have to agree to tell no one what we are talking about.  This is my boss and I have to protect him so I protect my own job.” Doreen quickly agreed, “Of course.

We’ve known each other for years.  My lips are sealed.” Moira asked, “So if we ignored the sex of the person wearing clothes, you would agree that a person with broad hips, larger butt, and small waist should wear clothes designed for women and people with straighter waist to thigh would be wearing the men’s pants?” Doreen looked at her quizzically, “Yes, obviously.” Moira asked, “I thought earlier you said you thought the pants fit him like they were tailored.  You said they look good on him.

If you and I and Terry are wearing the same style of pants, can’t you draw any conclusions to explain why our pants look like they are designed to fit him perfectly?” Doreen was caught off guard by the question.  They walked and she thought.  She reviewed the conversation and her deductions.  If she took sex out of the question and simply asked herself why the pants fit so well, the only conclusion was that Terry must have a larger butt and hips in relation to his waist.  Therefore, his body shape was more like a women’s.

She turned and looked at Moira, “His hips and butt are expanded in relation to his waist and therefore, his lower half is the same shape as you and I?” Moira smiled and nodded. Doreen asked, “Why is he wearing a women’s coat?” Moira responded, “The dress code says he has to wear a suit.  If he buys the pants the coat comes with them.  He can’t get a different coat.  They wouldn’t match.  He is hoping that no one will notice.  He can’t afford totally custom-made clothes and he is waiting for the next raise cycle.  Several of his older suits were worn out and he had to do something.

I helped him out.” Doreen felt like she could see some weird logic in that.  “Okay, but why was he wearing a women’s blouse yesterday?” Moira said, “With his reduced waist, some of his shirts were bunching up at the waist.  It looked like he was wearing his big brother’s shirt.  I bought him a couple of blouses that had tapered designs that would not bunch up.  Since he seldom wears his coat in the office, I thought it might look a little more professional and I figured no one would notice.” Doreen nodded.

Again this explanation made some kind of weird sense.  She forgot about the shoes.  They wandered on.  Doreen asked a final question, “So, Terry is wearing suits with women’s pants, and sometimes he is wearing a blouse along with it.  He must be a nervous wreck.” Moira nodded, “Yes, he has been nervous.  But few people actually notice such things.  Of course, you are a clothes junkie always worried about what everyone is wearing.  But it has created a good opportunity for me.  Terry is letting me take the lead on a couple of proposals and I can’t have you messing this up.  I guilt-tripped him into doing the coffee and I might push him on some other things.

He owes me for helping him out and keeping his secret.  So you have to keep this our little secret.  Help me out by watching to make sure he doesn’t do anything to get detected.  I am working with him to ensure he is in total compliance with the dress code he always liked to ride people about.  Alert me immediately if you see anything I need to know.” Doreen laughed about the coffee and agreed to keep her secret.  She also made a mental note to review the dress code and refresh her memory on the rules.

Friday, Terry and Moira arrived at work about 35 minutes early.  Moira handed Terry her cup and got down to work.  Terry headed for the kitchenette as Doreen entered the office.  She waved to Terry and said good morning.  She assumed he would get her some coffee and he did. When Terry delivered coffee to Doreen and Moira, Moira raised her hand to Terry which caused him to pause. Moira stated, “Terry, I really appreciate your getting me coffee in the morning.  It has really helped me make progress on this proposal.  I think I can get something you and I can talk about in a little while.

I do have two problems I hope you can help me with.” “Sure,” Terry responded a little too quickly. Moira hoped he would respond without pausing.  “Great.  I know it sounds silly.  But, last night, I did not get two things done.  I need these three files returned to the file room and put back in the file cabinets before the office opens this morning.”  She paused and saw Terry’s reluctance but she decided to push things and grabbed a blue folder off her desk, “Second, I need you to copy this file and staple the copies the same as the ones in the file, grab an inter-office mail envelope for the copy and leave the inter-office mail envelope in the outgoing bin near the copier.  The recipient is on the post-it note.  Then just bring the original back to me.

Thanks.”  Moira did not pause or look up.  She quickly got back to working on her proposal.  Terry stood there for a second with the files in his hands.  He then slowly moved towards the copying room.  Terry wondered why he needed to do these things.  But, Moira was helping him.  He filed the folders, made his copies, and then returned the original file to Moira.

Moira smiled and thanked him before returning to her work.  Terry entered his office and as he sat down, he checked his lipstick and his hair.  He shook his head and tried to focus on his work.  Doreen sat at her desk and laughed to herself.  Moira had Terry working like her secretary before everyone got into the office.  Doreen reminded herself that she needed to observe and enjoy.  She also decided she would be coming in early every day for the foreseeable future.  It seemed that Moira was trying to reverse roles with Terry.  Doreen wondered how she could get in on the action.

At lunch, Moira picked up Terry and her dry cleaning and left it in her car for after work.  Like last week, Moira volunteered to drive Terry since they both had weekly visits scheduled at the salon on Friday.  They dropped Terry’s car off at his place and he jumped into Moira’s car.  Terry wasn’t even sure he wanted to go back.  But, now he had to.  He could not afford the drop in pay which would occur if he had to pay his full health insurance expenses.

He still had student loans to pay and with his car and housing, there was not a lot of extra cash to spare.  His recent wardrobe additions were putting a strain on his credit cards and he did not have a lot of spare cash flow.  He had been counting on a great raise after his first year in this job.  It had not materialized yet. Terry and Moira arrived at the All of U salon and Moira parked the car.  Terry looked quizzically at Moira and asked, “I thought we were going to talk to the trainer first, weren’t we?” Moira smiled as she opened her door, “We are meeting them first.  All of U has a fitness center as part of its overall services.

This place is like a high-end salon and a private country club all combined into one.” Terry smiled back and said, “That’s great but I already belong to a club the company pays for.  I figured that was where I would work out.” Moira hit the door locks as they started towards the door.  “Terry, the trainer they have assigned you is here.  I think that means you have to work out here.  This is also a company-paid fitness center and you will be coming here for other things anyway.”  Moira did not mention that they had gotten an interoffice note that the company only paid for one fitness membership and therefore, Terry would only have an active membership at All of you.

As they entered the salon, Natalie emerged with a bright smile on her face to greet them.  “Welcome back.  Let’s go to our lounge where we began last week and you can tell me all about your first week after our training.  I am so excited to hear how things went.  Your personal trainer will be joining us in just a few minutes.  Please sit down and tell me all about it.”

Terry was staring at her as he sat down on the couch.  He could not believe she was not gasping for air.  She had her eyes wide open look waiting for all the details.  He was just too shocked to respond. Moira tried to give Terry a push.  “I think Terry made a good effort this week to meet the dress code requirements.  Your help last week was very much appreciated.  Right, Terry?” Terry looked from Moira to Natalie before answering.  “Yes,” Terry began, “I tried to take your training and advice to heart.” Natalie responded, “Well, you look much better than you did last week when we met.  We got notice this week that you would be using one of our trainers and some of our fitness services.” “I don’t know why I need to use your fitness center.  I’ve been a member of another gym for years.” Terry stated. “That’s interesting Terry.

But, your assigned trainer is here.  So you should probably plan to work out here.  We have to report on your performance and activity to ensure you meet the expectations the company has set.”  Natalie continued to look him in the eye. Natalie continued, “Our fitness team will get you lined up for some regular group exercise sessions and that will be paired with some personal sessions to help you get yourself into better shape.

You mentioned this was your personal goal last week when we met, right?” Terry nodded, “Yes, I said I wanted to start working out again.  But I planned to do it at my gym and on my own schedule.” Natalie shook her head saying, “Well it appears the company would like you to accelerate your planned fitness program.  And they are willing to pay for you to do it.  Sounds like a win-win to me.  But, you will be doing it here at our facility.” Natalie explained, “We find that most people like to work out in the mornings.

I discussed this with Moira and we have scheduled you in exercise classes in the morning before work.  Moira mentioned that you two usually arrive at work before 8:30.  We have put you in our seven o’clock aerobics classes which will give you time to get showered, clean, and look perfect to arrive to work right on time.” This was not a big relief to Terry.  It meant getting up even earlier than he had been lately.  Natalie opened a folder and showed Terry some flyers on their exercise programs.  “Now Terry, we have you scheduled for aerobic exercise sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Your trainer will go through the specifics as she develops a plan for you.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you will work with your instructor on a weight and machine regimen.” Natalie turned to Moira, “I understand you’ve decided to restart your own workout sessions.” Moira said, “Yes, I guess I don’t want to get a letter like Terry got.

I figured I’d get going on it before some hidden program tagged me.” Natalie seemed thrilled, “That’s great.  I’ll get you both in the same aerobics class.  We’ll schedule you both starting next Monday.” There was a knock on the door and the door opened.  A cute redhead stepped into the room. Natalie waved to the door, “And let me introduce you to Amber.  Amber this is Terry.  You’ll be taking over as Terry’s personal trainer.” Hands were shaken all around.  Natalie turned back to Moira, “Moira if you want I can schedule you to work out with Terry and Amber.

That way you two can be workout buddies.” Moira smiled, “That would be great.  Terry and I both work in the executive offices and we are doing a lot together lately.” Amber sat down and explained, “Terry we need to get you toned up and get off some of the fat you have added lately.  I plan a series of machine-oriented workouts including treadmills, stair steppers, and stationary biking.  That will help us get you into shape and build some good body tone.  Combining that with the aerobics sessions we should see some good progress in a short period of time.”

Terry agreed that it sounded good.  Moira agreed that she would follow the same workout plan.  Natalie signaled the end of their session and said, “Okay, let’s get Moira and Terry into their salon services and get them ready for a Friday night out.”