Must be the season

[fbhjr]

So, the VP of operations (used to be head of purchasing until promoted last month) calls me with the Chief Operating Officer on the phone with him.
“Where are all the new top caps for your new design?” he asked me.
“In stock?” I respond.
“Not any more,” he said. “They were there, now they’re gone. Did you have them moved out of stock?”
“No,” I say. “I had quality control release the ones they had to stock so you’d have enough for the orders.”
“Orders?” he asked.
“Do you mean we might have shipped them?” the COO asked.
“Well, if you had stock, and now you don’t, that may be what happened,” I said.
They hung up the phone.

Then, I got a call from our UL safety inspector.
“I’ll be able to finish your project as soon as I’m done with the test,” he said.
“OK, I said, what do you need to finish the test?” I asked.
“The samples,” he told me.
“The ones we sent you in October?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “As soon as I get them, I can start.”
“You have them,” I said. “You have for two months.”
“Then I can start right away,” he said, and hung up.