A Scorpion Love Story

Office romances usually spark whispers, but this one left the entire workplace speechless. What started as a simple project pairing turned into a bizarre love story sealed with… a dead scorpion.

A Scorpion Love Story

I (50m) have worked in many offices and have seen many people hook up, and once in a while, it works out and they get married. All offices have their romance stories, but this one is the most bizarre I have ever witnessed.

We had a new employee arrive at the office, Johnny. He was in his mid-30s and married. Sadly, the long work hours the job demanded took a toll on his marriage, and he ended up separating and divorcing his wife. During one of the projects, he was teamed up with Margie, who was also divorced. She was very difficult to get along with, and most people in the office tended to avoid her.

I recall one time the IT guy came by to install a new computer for her, and he made a passing remark about how I was single. She immediately shook her finger at him and told him to mind his business, and she had zero interest in any office romance. When Johnny was assigned to her project, we all expressed some level of concern. However, I started noticing a shift in her attitude at work in the weeks after their project began. She was not as agitated by minor things. She greeted everyone in the morning now, and even said things like she hoped we had a good weekend.

This was very odd behavior for Margie, at least for those of us who have worked with her in the past. We also noticed Johnny was coming by her desk often. I assumed it was because of the project, but it was clear they did more socializing than actual work. Ultimately, they ended up going to a week-long conference in Phoenix together. Nothing seemed different when they returned, and their typical office behavior resumed. I figured they had hooked up, but I did my best to mind my business.

After about a year, Johnny was being transferred to one of the European offices. The week before his departure, we all held a farewell party for him at the office. Everyone was in attendance, including Margie. After everyone gave him some parting gifts, came the obligatory speech for Johnny. He begins by discussing his experience at the company and how much he has learned. He was discussing how he had enjoyed working with everyone when his attention suddenly shifted to Margie.

He tells everyone in the office about their trip to Phoenix. Around the third day, they had departed early and decided to go on a small hike outside town. At one point during the hike, they paused to rest and take a drink of water. All of a sudden, Margie started twitching and shaking her leg. She then slams her hand on her pant leg, and out falls a dead scorpion. She brushes her pants and then continues the hike.

Johnny then starts describing the dead scorpion, as it's the first time he's ever seen one in real life. Unbeknownst to Margie, he actually picks up the dead scorpion and puts it inside a Ziploc pouch he had with him. As he's talking, I look over to Margie, and she is beaming with glee. Johnny then tells everyone how he felt jealous since the scorpion had crawled up her leg. Almost all of us looked uncomfortably at each other at this point.

I look over to Margie again, and she's still smiling. The office knew Margie became very agitated when discussing office romances, especially if she was the focus of the conversation, so this was definitely weird. Johnny digs into his pocket and produces a small lucite dome. He tells the room that after they got back, he had the dead scorpion encased in lucite so he could give it to Margie. As he hands it to her, she squeals with delight and gives him a big hug. We were all absolutely dumbfounded by what we just witnessed. Were we all being punked? There is no way this was real.

The next day, we find out they both got hitched. Margie quits her job a day later and moves to Europe with Johnny.