The Last One

I feel kind of odd breaking my streak of non-blogging with this lameness, but...

Right now in the break room where I work there currently sits one more Ferrero Rocher chocolate truffles. The Last one. It has been sitting there for a little bit. How do I know, cause I ate the second to last one. Effectively, the last one. The odds of the last one being taken is slim to none. The ensuing guilt and shame might be enough to push the taker over the edge.

Have you ever noticed this. The politics and bureaucracy that emerge when the second to last one is taken.

Imagine with me for a moment; You're at a party, pizza is being served and the chubby guy with the Duke baseball hat just took the second to last piece of pizza, leaving only one more piece of pizza. Effectively, the scarlet letter or pizza. In proper circles boldly taking and eating the last piece of pizza without asking would cause transference of the social stain to the eater. You know that everyone in the room wants it.

The potential stress of breaching the conversation is often enough to break up the party. The party-host would often do better simply throwing out the last piece once this point has been reached.

...The truffle is still there.