Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s ribbon.

But if you ask her nicely, she just might give it to you. My friend the receptionist had a length of ribbon, maybe a yard long and knotted into a loop, over by the scanner. It was leftover from a baby shower and had been there for a week or two: the palest rose, sheer, about a quarter of an inch wide, with a miniature plastic pacifier dangling from it. I kept thinking how nicely that ribbon would go with the necktie skirt, and I kept forgetting to ask her if she had a use for it.

But yesterday afternoon, when I went up to cover her break, I asked. And I received. Sometimes it really is that easy.