Co-Worker Borrowed My Pen

[Jared]

I was at work the other afternoon and went to a co-worker to have him sign a document. He looked all around his desk for a pen, but couldn't seem to find one. I offered him my 1946 Parker "51" vacumatic, with an XF nail-stiff nib, thinking that he couldn't do it any damage. He held it horizontally in front of him, and jerked the cap off, spraying himself across his white shirt and yellow tie with a small amount of J. Herbin Perle Noire. I saw it, but said nothing. He said, "hmmm...fountain pen," and signed the document, jammed the cap on the pen, and tossed it across the desk to me. As it skidded to a stop, I thought to myself that I should tell him about the ink splatter, but was a little upset about him throwing the pen at me and didn't want to catch grief about my choice of "leaky" pens, so I decided against it. He never noticed the ink splatter.

 

I don't see him often, and wouldn't consider himself a friend. He's the type that would have said something, but in the few times that I have seen him since, he hasn't said anything about the ink. I feel bad. Sort of.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Jared

[novarider]

You feel bad even tho he threw a valuable fountain pen? What kind of a douche throws a pen he borrowed from someone??

[51ISH]

I feel bad. Sort of.

 

 

Do you really?

 

 

Nobody is that 'good' are they?

 

Anyway, maybe if he hadn't treated your stuff with so much 'disrespect' he wouldn't have got ink on his shirt & tie.

 

Don't feel bad....I forgive you.

[isaacrn]

That my friend was Karma...

[Titanic9990]

You feel bad even tho he threw a valuable fountain pen? What kind of a douche throws a pen he borrowed from someone??

My thought exactly

 

This is where I would set aside a nice old crummy ballpoint pen completely out of ink, chewed up, bent, discolored, etc. just for him

[emiliovillegas]

That was karma before the event

[Uncle Red]

Please, it's a shirt. It's not that important.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Although I carry a Fisher bullet Space Pen for "really should lend him a pen" situations like this, I wouldn't appreciate having that tossed at me either.

 

Just got my own Parker 51 Vacumatic, by the way. It's at work with me today, but nobody has asked to borrow it.

[aschup]

Please, it's a shirt. It's not that important.

To be fair, about 90% of the population would probably say the same thing about the pen.

[Redbarchettayyz]

Don't feel bad, not only did he toss a fountain pen, he tossed a vintage fountain pen. That is a declaration of intra-office war!

[Sasha Royale]

How much did a jerk respect your valuable Parker 51 by throwing it ?

 

How much did you respect your valuable Parker 51 by lending it to

a jerk ?

 

Do something nice for your P51. Sleep well.

[Pen2009]

Please, it's a shirt. It's not that important.

To be fair, about 90% of the population would probably say the same thing about the pen.

True.

 

So, the morale of the story is:

be choosey of which pen you are willing to lend

bad karma will hit a pen offender

??

[kayakjax]

I'm the Recording Secretary for my union. I usually use a pretty nice fountain pen to write the minutes at the monthly meeting. It turns a boring job into a joy.

 

Last month at our Executive Board meeting, we officers all had to sign off on a document.

 

Our Vice President, from down the table, "Hey Jackie, pitch me your fountain pen!"

 

I just looked at him, reached into my briefcase and retrieved a Pilot G2 which I tossed him.

 

He looked at me kinda insulted.

 

"What's wrong? You don't trust me with your pen?"

 

"Um. no... I really don't."

 

The pen was filled up eye-dropper style. I had a quick image of him unscrewing the section and dumping Heart of Darkness all over the conference table. Or bending the nib.

 

I might have hurt his feelings a little, but he's a big boy. He'll get over it.

[Draless]

I do think that the majority of people do not care because the majority of the population doesn't even think about pens. People like us on FPN take an interest and consider our pens valuable, therefore I wouldn't expect someone that doesnt even think about pens to consider them valuable. Thats why I carry and only offer a Pilot V7 retractable rollerball to any co-worker that asked for a pen.

 

I do though work with elderly people and had them inquire about my fountain pens when signing documents, I've let a few of them sign with them as well because I noticed their light writing with a rollerball and knew they would write like that with a fountain pen. If they inquired and I noticed they were driving my rollerball into the paper I wouldn't offer it for their use.

 

just my two cents

[Pen2009]

"What's wrong? You don't trust me with your pen?"

 

"Um. no... I really don't."

Or, I think you could've told him the pen is tuned only to your hands. By this way, your answer to his request could stay in neutral.

[Chris S]

That my friend was Karma...

 

+1

[kernando]

He jerked off the cap, and not the nib, right?

 

The shirt might wash clean, but the tie would need dry cleaning. Are you considering any of the more permanent inks?

[razr]

First off, why would you loan anyone else your FP?

[StephY]

I don't voluntarily lend my pens to anyone anymore. But that doesn't stop people from abusing my pens.

 

Just the other day someone asked to borrow my pen because they didn't bring one with them for the boss's signature (surely the big boy had a pen lying on his desk?). I said uh, it's a fountain pen, which usually stops people. She, being close to the age that likely had to write with them in school, said it's ok and grabbed it and pulled on the cap. I winced (probably visibly) but did not blurt out twist! or screw cap! fast enough. The horrid sound of plastic scrappy against the thread still ring in my ears. Thank goodness she stopped.

 

The pen? It was my custom Edison.

 

I have avoided her since. And the pen has stayed locked in my pen case.

[lovemy51]

man i can see that FP's don't make too many friends in work places!!

 

i still would have told him about the ink on the shirt and tie... Fp people are better people and follow the "golden (nib) rule".