Lucifer worked very hard all week without really considering his special project for God. By Thursday, he felt he should probably attempt something at least resembling rebelling. He spent most of the evening muddling it over in his mind, but he eventually decided to tread the water lightly and do something small that would get angels noticing without getting him in any major trouble.

Friday morning came along, and Lucifer put his plan into action. He spurned his normal business clothes in favor of jeans and a sweater. Ha, he thought, wait until everyone sees me in my casual clothes. This will be sure to cause a mild scandal; these aren’t even business casual.

He walked defiantly up to the office building with his head held high. Stopping in front of the main doors, he took a deep breath. Okay, here goes, Lucifer thought.

He opened the doors and wandered into the lobby. Passing the angel at the front desk, Lucifer decided to bring the scandal to his attention. He smiled, his eyebrows uncontrollably flickering with excitement, and he said, “Good morning.”

The angel looked up and responded, “Good morning.”

This was followed by a brief smile of his own, after which he looked back down. Lucifer found himself a bit disappointed that there was no awkward reaction, but no matter. There was plenty of time for others to appreciate the scandalous nature of his attire.

He walked forward to the main elevator, where his jaw practically fell to the floor. There was an angel in front of him reading the newspaper while she waited for the elevator wearing jeans. He couldn’t believe his eyes. How can this be? he thought. Why in Heaven would someone else decide to wear jeans today?

Ding! The elevator doors opened, and they both stepped inside. The angel pressed the button for her floor, and she looked up at Lucifer. He stared at her for a moment, still puzzling over the scandalous nature of her attire. When he realized what she was waiting for, he finally said, “Oh, uh…number fourteen.”

A small smile crept to her face, and she pressed the button. The doors were beginning to close when someone’s hand reached between them. They opened again, revealing another angel in jeans and a plain dark t-shirt. Lucifer was dumbfounded. The angel pressed a button and stood on the other side of Lucifer.

The doors of the elevator closed, and they stood in silence, one angel reading her paper, the other looking forward, sipping his coffee, and Lucifer looking from one to the other uneasily. The angel reading her paper looked up at one point, feeling someone’s eyes watching her; sure enough, Lucifer was looking, rubbing his hands and slightly swaying back and forth. Seeing her make eye contact, Lucifer looked to the floor immediately, then up to the ceiling, and then the floor again. An insecure smile reached her face once more, and she went back to her paper, trying to ignore whatever was transpiring beside her.

Ding! The elevator doors opened, and a fidgety Lucifer stepped out onto his floor. He was immediately passed by an angel wearing jeans and a short-sleeved collared shirt with a bright floral print, writing on a clipboard as he walked. Lucifer quickly made his way to his office.

He sat at his desk, still rubbing his hands, staring at the door. Several minutes passed, and then in walked Raphael in jeans and a polo shirt, carrying a briefcase. “Good morn—”

“This is some kind of joke, right?” Lucifer interrupted.

Confused, Raphael stopped in his tracks. He looked behind, then back to Lucifer, eventually responding, “What do you mean?”

“What is going on today?” Lucifer said much more loudly, standing back up.

Raphael just stood silently in the doorway for a moment. Having considered it further, he still couldn’t make heads or tails of Lucifer’s line of questioning. “Um…what are you talking about?”

Lucifer paused. He was frustrated, and it came across noticeably in his voice, “Everyone’s wearing jeans!”

With no response from Raphael, Lucifer shouted, “Why is everyone wearing jeans today?”

Raphael’s confusion grew. He carefully said, “Aren’t…you…wearing jeans?”

Lucifer looked down at his jeans, then back up to Raphael. Frustrated still, he responded, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Take it easy,” Raphael replied, raising his hands in front of him with his palms out, facing Lucifer. “I’m just saying: If you’re wearing jeans, why are you so confused that everyone else is?”

“Just humor me for a second,” continued Lucifer. “Why is everyone wearing jeans today?”

Looking unsettled, Raphael placed his briefcase on his desk, then wandered slowly to the corkboard on the far wall. He pulled out a tack and removed a sheet of paper. He came back toward Lucifer, cautiously handing him the paper. Dated yesterday, it read:

As a token of employee appreciation, Fridays will be Casual Day at the office, starting tomorrow. So leave your ties behind, and wear your jeans and t-shirts. However, please do not wear anything that other employees may find inappropriate or offensive. Any complaints about attire can be brought to the attention of your department manager.