Tuesday at the Office! The Bomb Squad?

It was late in the afternoon and I only had 40 minutes until I could head home from work. I remember looking at the clock and thinking time had really flown by today. I had a few more things I wanted to complete before I left and was hard at work when a soft voice could be heard over the intercom. It said something about evacuating the building quickly.

I looked out the window and didn't see the fire truck, so I knew it wasn't a fire drill. I started to wonder if I really heard a voice telling us to leave. Other people heard something too, but seemed just as confused as me. We all wondered if we really had to leave. Some people started to leave and some people continued to work. I looked at the clock and seen it was 3:24 p.m. I thought if I am leaving the building I am signing off my computer and locking up. I grabbed my laptop and put it into my bag and headed out the door. That is when I received a text message that said...Its a BOMB SCARE GET OUT!!!

Another co-worker (Barbara) and I walked down the three flights of stairs and headed out the building. We stood there wondering if it was all a joke because we didn't see anyone. We just walked out of a six story building, never saw anyone coming down with us and didn't see anyone outside. Where was everyone? We started complaining about the whole thing and then saw a policeman heading toward us. He told us to get out of there and pointed the direction he wanted us to go.

We slowly walked in the direction the police officer had told us to go, still wondering why this was happening now at the end of my shift. I had all my stuff and was ready to go home, so I turned around and asked the police officer if I could go into the parking garage and get my car and leave. He said a suspicious laptop bag, which might contain a bomb, was at the exit/entrance of the parking garage and no one was going to be getting their vehicles right now.

Barbara and I walked away and discussed how this was all happening the same week as tax court and so soon after the horrible accident in Texas (where an angry taxpayer flew his airplane into the IRS building). We began to wonder why the announcement on the intercom was so soft it could barely be heard. And why wasn't the person more convincing and tell us it was not a drill but a real emergency?

We finally meet up with all of the other people from the building. Another co-worker laughed at me for taking the time to get my laptop. I told her I was not losing my information and laughed. However, the real reason I brought my laptop with me is because I didn't think the whole thing was real. After all, the announcement didn't sound too urgent!

Around 4:15 p.m. workers were being released from the area and a co-worker (Pam) decided to leave. She happened to be parked in an area where she could get to her vehicle, so I hitched a ride with her and we headed home. I got home around 5:30 p.m. and turned on the news to see the bomb squad blowing up the suspicious laptop bag and saying they still did not know what was in the bag.

Anyhow, I wish these crazy people who don't agree with taxes, wouldn't take it out on us (the workers). After all we don't make the laws!

Update: The 10:00 p.m. news said it was a bag full of personal belongings and not a bomb! Thank God!