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TIFU by forgetting my sister is banned from my office and accidentally triggering a workplace lockdown
Obligatory this didn't happen to my sister, it happened to me, and it happened about three hours ago. I am still sitting in my car breathing into a paper bag.
For some background context, my older sister "Clara" has a bizarre habit of mimicking me. It went so far last month that she dressed like me, took my spare keycard, and tried to sit at my corporate desk for four hours doing nothing. My company had to issue a formal trespass order against her, and security has her photo at the front desk. Because of this and other family drama, I am currently staying at a motel.
Here is where I fucked up.
I work a hybrid schedule. Today was my day to work from my motel room, but I realized I left a folder with incredibly important client signatures back at my actual office desk. I was in a massive rush because my boss needed the data by noon. I threw on a gray hoodie, swept my hair up into a messy bun, and ran out the door.
When I arrived at my office building, I completely forgot that I didn't have my keycard on me (it was in my other work bag). I approached the security desk. The guard on duty was a new guy I hadn't seen before.
Still in a panic about my deadline, I tapped on the glass and said, "Hey, I forgot my badge, but I work on the 4th floor. Can you buzz me through? I'm just here to grab something from my desk."
The guard looked at me, looked down at his computer screen, and his face went totally pale. He slowly reached under the desk.
Before I could ask what was wrong, a loud, robotic alarm started blaring through the lobby. Heavy security doors began slamming shut. The guard locked himself inside his booth and shouted through the intercom, "Ma'am, step away from the turnstiles. The police have been notified."
I stood there frozen, completely confused, until I looked at my reflection in the glass elevator doors.
Because I was rushing, I had grabbed a giant, oversized gray hoodie. My hair was in a messy bun. I wasn't wearing any makeup. I looked exactly like the blurry, haggard security-camera photo of my sister from the month before—the exact photo pinned to their "DO NOT ALLOW IN BUILDING" list. To make matters worse, because I was stressed, I was pacing and speaking in a frantic, robotic cadence. The new guard thought I was the crazy stalker sister trying to breach security again.
It took forty-five minutes, three building managers, my actual boss coming downstairs to identify me, and showing two forms of government ID to get the security team to call off the police and turn off the alarms.
My boss was understanding but looked like he wanted to swallow his tongue out of awkwardness. The new security guard refuses to look me in the eye. I got my folder, but I am pretty sure I am now known as the "Lockdown Girl" across all four floors of the corporate office.
TL;DR: My sister is legally banned from my office for identity theft. Today I went to work without a badge, wearing her favorite style of hoodie, and security thought I was her breaking back in. Triggered a building-wide lockdown.
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