A Nous Experience

Somehow, quite suddenly, I have been given responsibility, or at least Point of Contactship, for Office Calls between our senior generals and other countries' miliacious dignitaries. Some turn out to be lunches, which require seating charts and menu items, and others are dinners, meaning we need to get someone from the Air Force Band to provide background music.
As I told a colleague today, I never thought that sixteen years into my Air Force career my job would entail crises such as baby squash being on the pre-printed menus when baby zucchini was all the Air House chefs could find at the store. ("Can't you just use food coloring?" said the helpful carnivore.)
Today at the last minute I was asked to sit on an Office Call, just in case notes needed to be taken or a tasker tasked, between our 3-star and the French Chief of the Air Staff. Because others with the responsibility were unavailable, I greeted Le General at the River Entrance ("Bon Jour!") and directed him and the Attache up the stairs, which, thanks to Miss Hoyt and Mr. Bentley, I could do on fron say. ("A la gauche, s'il vous plait.") Yet another cool experience to add to my short time in the office. Plus Mrs. 3-star made a chocolate brownie sponge cake dealie that the 3-star insisted we all try, so le bonus.
Later on, the Air Chief Marshal (British Chief of the Air Staff) popped by for some Office Calls, too, but I appeared to be a rather redundant member in the hallway entourage, so once I escorted him from one room to another, I asked the other Lt Col if he could escort them all out so I could get some bloody work done.
Plus I needed to go get my pen back from my 3-star.