Oddie spent a few weeks away from his desk at the News office in the past month or so, and while still filing on the road he needed someone to take care of his beloved plant while he was gone.
Plant. Singular.
Oddie’s desk-buddy, who will remain anonymous, happily obliged, watering the plants.
Plural.
Oddie walked back in after his office sabbatical to find his plant happy and healthy, and his desk-buddy, a day or two later, emptied the last few drops from water bottle into a plant on Oddie’s desk as they prepared to go out for lunch.
The only problem, dear reader, was that this plant was fake.
Oddie has one real plant on his desk, and one fake one, and in the two weeks he was away, both plants had been receiving a thorough watering in an effort to keep them alive.
After about 15 minutes of laughter, Oddie’s desk-buddy was finally able to get a word out ... only to reveal they thought the plastic plant had grown in the past few weeks.
Cue more laughter.
However, as Oddie badgered more people around the office, it was revealed many people thought the plant, which has been on Oddie’s desk for years and years, was real.
The fake plant is a bamboo replica, a species that can famously grow inches in a day and metres in a year.
Oddie’s going to start bringing his pet rock into the office to spread a bit of love and joy.