Rumors on campus

So I was randomly approached by M.

"Hey, did you hear that your boss announced that you need to leave."

I'm a little taken aback. "Huh? What?"

"No really, he did. He was giving a talk during the symposium and he said you need to leave."

Now of course, this is M who tends to exaggerate, so I shrug and let it pass. I'm curious what was actually said, but I need a more reliable source. I find X.

"So did you attend my boss's talk at the symposium?"

"Oh yes, I was there."

"So did he say something about me?"

"Yes, well, he said that you had a lot of offers and you need to make a decision."

"Hmm.." I'm thinking to myself, that's pretty different from "You need to leave", but still.

X sees my expression and he knows what I'm thinking. "I think he was trying to be funny. I wouldn't think about it."

"Well, I guess. He has a weird sense of humor." (I would go into the details of how he introduced me for my thesis defense, but I'm trying to block the memory.)

I return to the lab. I talk to MR, she'd be interested in shit like this, knowing her. Also, I'm surprised she hasn't mentioned it to me, this is just the sort of thing that would get her panties all tied up in a twist. Turns out she missed the talk as well, but she's not surprised.

TM is around, he tries to offer an alternate hypothesis "He has to brag you know."

I like TM, this guy would have been the last guy to jump off the Titanic, (I imagine him saying "The ship's not sinking. It's just a little wet.")

"Brag?" I ask

"Yeah, he wants to show how good you are, that you've got a lot of offers. And that you'll be picking one soon."

I smile on the inside. Like my old pal Andrei, TM likes to put out fires, not fan them. I walk away. I'm not sure any more if I should be offended or pissed.

Oh, whatever. I've got too many things going on right now. I don't have time to be pissed. Got a big week coming up.