Sometimes Robin likes to pretend he’s tough.

Before you can understand how funny it is, you have to know some things about Robin. He’s nice. Like REALLY nice. He’s that guy in the office who gets walked all over because he’s so nice. He’s also the guy in the office who actually has one of these at his desk.  And it currently looks like this:

He likes to listen to music but is kind enough to use earphones (unlike me) so it doesn’t blast out the whole office. I know because sometimes his radio beeps and he can’t hear it, so I invade his cubicle to tell him he’s beeping and he jumps all startled-ly (we’ve already established that I like to make up words, right?) and rips the earphones out of his head. Then he says mumbles something about how he’s listening to Twisted Sister. Sometime I’d like to pull a Best Two Years move on him and yank the headphones from the computer so we can all hear what he’s really listening to.  Maybe a little Hillary Duff?  Maybe Celine Dion? Who knows. Until I’m brave enough, we may never know.

Today he needed to sign something for someone else in the office, when I asked him if he’d already called her he sauntered over to my desk, put his hands out and started examining his fingernails (in the manly way, not the femme way, like you’d expect him to whip out a pocket knife and start digging any second. That way. ) He looked at me kinda crooked and said “Nope. And I’m not gonna do it.”

“OK.” I replied in my best I don’t really care one way or the other voice. “But if she asks, I’m tellin’ on you.”

“Well go ahead and tell. I won’t be a slave.” He said in his very best I don’t really care what you tell her, cuz I’m the toughest tough guy there is voice.

Then he turned and walked back to his desk. Once in his own cubicle he shouted over the wall that he had already stopped by and signed it. That’s how I know he really is a softy, even when he’s trying to play like he’s the tough Army guy he used to be.