of men and dry erase markers

We sat there, chatting, wondering what the strange impromptu meeting was about as others of our kind filtered into the room.  Eventually, all were present and the mystery would unfold.

Years ago, after college and before kids, I was an engineer at a large corporation in upstate New York.  At the time of the mystery meeting, I was working at a site that was specifically built for our team that was developing a family of new products.  There were about 100 to 120 of us there. 

This new facility was a "showcase" for the time.  The layout and design of upper management offices, cubicle areas, laboratories, etc. were well thought out.  Technically, we had plenty of the latest tools at our disposal. 

Another nice feature was whiteboards whiteboards whiteboards.  Everyone had a whiteboard in his/her cubicle.  There were whiteboards in the break areas.  Conference rooms had floor-to-ceiling whiteboard walls.  There were even whiteboards in all of the bathrooms... *dun dun duuuuhhhhn*

It was a nice assignment, morale was high, we were getting stuff done.  So it was strange, that morning, to have been beckoned by the chief engineer to this meeting of unspecified topic. The strangest part was - it was a meeting of only the womenfolk of the facility. 

There we sat in the cafe area, about 30 or so of us.  Our chief engineer was a friendly, very approachable guy.  He didn't waste time with small talk and seemed rather somber as he began to speak. 

He'd called us together that morning because he'd received complaint.  Or rather, he'd received word from his boss about a complaint from within our team. 

One of the women complained to higher ups about whiteboards in the men's bathrooms, so he was going to have all bathroom whiteboards removed.

"The whiteboards in the men's bathrooms enable the men to have secret meetings where women aren't allowed".

In my mind...

SOURCE

OMG, what?

The looks on the other faces mirrored what I was thinking.  My friend Jill, an electrical engineer sitting next to me, began to snort/gag/choke/ laugh as she was sipping a coffee when the explanation for the meeting was revealed.  

Many began to protest and explain that we didn't feel that way at all.  I, for one, got along great with my male coworkers - many of whom I'm still in touch with today.  This was silly and absurd.  Plus... we kinda liked having whiteboards in the bathrooms.  For one, it was an easy way to let maintenance know when something wasn't working.

Besides, if some guys want to have a secret meeting in a men's bathroom, the non-presence of a whiteboard wasn't gonna stop it!

Chief engineer quelled our protestations.  In part, we realized, because the complainer was sitting there among us, whoever she was!  Even he didn't know who had lodged the complaint.  He went on to say that he hoped that, if any of us had an issue with anything regarding our team or facilities, etc., that we feel free to speak with him about it.  Like I say, he was a real laid back, approachable guy.  He wore Buddha beads for heaven sake!

And that's how we lost our bathroom whiteboards.  

And of course all the men learned of it quickly because obviously they asked us why there was a women-only meeting, and we straight up told them.  It became a sort of running joke at the place, but not too blatant, because she-who-remained-unnamed could be listening.

A few years later, when we'd decided I would "retire" and become a stay-at-home mom, many coworkers understood and wished me well.  However, one (single) woman (with no kids) came and asked why?  Why didn't  I just take an extended leave?  She subtly tried to talk me out of leaving for good.

She became my prime suspect for Whiteboard Woman.  But it remains a true mystery to this day.

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Linking up with Mama Kat for the prompt:

1. A memorable day at work