Two Conversations

Thursday, April 28, 2005 at 05:23PM
Jen

One

he:    Ma'am, if you could just come over here, I'll be able to get your bill for that propane.   [pause]    I've given you two extra air miles today, Mrs. *****

me:  I think that since you've just called me MA'AM and MRS, you pretty much owe me extra air miles, buddy.

he:   Oh, I'm so sorry.    [pause]  So, you're single?

me:  ---And you're a foot and a half shorter than me, a few years older, wearing a really sad goatee and working in a gas station. My life's not quite that bad. Yet.---

And yes, that last part *was* just in my head.

Two

**background: we've known for a while that we have to go on call. Typically, to this point, there's been people who take the emergencies but they are just the two people who've been around the longest. The rest of us, we've never had to but that's not really very fair, right? At least, I don't think so. And apparantly, neither do those two people.**

she:  So, I'm just not sure what exactly you're asking of me here. You want us to go on call? One week in every three?

more senior she:  Yes.

she:  And the expectation there is? What? I'm in a movie? At the theatre? Out drinking with friends? And I have to take the cell phone call?

more senior she:  Yes. But I can tell you in 20 years, I've only ever had to come to the actual site maybe a dozen times.

she:  And what if I'm at a friends place? Drinking wine? And I'm drunk?

more senior she:  Well, you can't be. There's a zero tolerance policy.

she:  I see.

more senior she:  If there's a problem around that, then we're going to have to discuss it.

she:  Oh, we WILL. Privately.

It was actually a lot more errm.. *loaded* than that, but you get the point, I'm sure.

So, yanno, I'm thinking.... every time that phone rings - it's a $100 in my pocket. Wahoo! Ring baby ring! We're in 8 months of NO OVERTIME.

I'm pretty sure if I wanted to go out and get pissed, someone else would take the damn phone. I'll be the first to admit I could use a 'cap' on the ability to sit out here alone and drink, considering that it absolutely destroys me emotionally and physically for days afterwards. (See? I just admitted it.) Besides, the expectation is that it would be bad all around if it rang all the time, so if things were working out that way..... it wouldn't be a viable plan to continue, financially and staff-wise from a business point of view.

Plus.... you're 47. Learn to control yourself cause you just SO came off sounding really really really bad. Especially since no one else drinks but me. And I don't talk about it. And you do.

A lot.

Sounded

Really.

Bad.

push just a little too late
I wanted more than this
push just a little too late
I expected more than this

Article originally appeared on if you're not a penguin...shut it (http://www.airbornepathojen.com/).