SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112c)

SLOWING THINGS DOWN... time to regroup (Part 112c)

Since the season was over and it would be eight months until the next season began there was no rush to get started on the project. Ferd(inand) was the name of the guy who said he’d help me. We agreed to wait until the busy time at the bank was over to get started but, in the meantime, I arranged for the car frame I'd just gotten to be delivered to his house. At that point in time I wasn't overly optimistic about my racing future but at least now I had one.

Joanne's training had gone well until it was time to actually handle a customer. I only heard about it but, basically, she 'froze" and got all muddled. I'd chosen Mala to train her as she was the best, most efficient teller we had but I overlooked one thing. She didn't have a lot of patience. Again, long story short, by the end of that day Mala and Joanne wanted nothing to do with each other. The other tellers were behind Mala and when I tried to get someone to work with Joanne in place of Mala it was a mini revolt.
It was the first confrontation I'd had since the early days of my being hired. I wasn't sure what to do but it was Joanne, herself, that solved my immediate problem.

When I called her to my desk to try and settle things down she was shaking. Before I could say anything she blurted out that she'd do anything to get out of having to wait on customers. Liz, the older woman who was the bank Auditor, had been pleading with senior management for an assistant. The bank had doubled in size (assets) since she took over the position and she felt (strongly) that she needed help. The resistance came from Edgar, the president. I'd not been involved in any meaningful way but, as is the case in any small business, it was a well known fact. It was obvious that I'd made a mistake in hiring Joanne as a teller. However, I've always felt that if you hire nice people you can teach them a job. You can't teach a person to be nice. Other than the fact that the Polish Mafia hadn't taken to her, everybody else (Hobie, Bret, Liz and even Trish) felt she was a nice person and made a good impression. I didn't want to see her leave. I told her to go home and "sleep on it" and we'd talk in the morning.

By then it was just a week to go before the busy period began. I knew it would be useless to try and force her to do a job she was uncomfortable with so decided to take a different approach. I called Hobie at home, after work, and went through the whole situation with him. Even though I knew the auditing area was basically "out of bounds" as far as daily operations were concerned, I told him I felt that Joanne would be a good fit to help Liz. I remember there being silence for about 15 to 20 seconds. Then he said he'd be back to me in the morning.

Joanne was waiting at my desk when I got there. So were the other tellers and they were watching and waiting to see what transpired. It was rather uncomfortable for me because I didn't know if my call to Hobie was going to come in to play. What was worse was that Hobie wasn't there. It was almost like being naked out on stage. I sat and chatted with Joanne for a few minutes before the phone rang. Trish took the call but indicated that it was Hobie. He was upstairs with Edgar and wanted me to come up there with them. I didn't have any idea of what to expect so was quite apprehensive when I climbed the stairs.

My apprehension was eased... for a brief few seconds... as Pauline, the switchboard operator, was down on her haunches trying to find something in her hand bag. She absolutely did not see me but I sure saw her! Few people used the stairs what with an elevator right there. The PBX board was quite large and basically blocked anyone in the work area from seeing the operator or her area. The only thing I can think of was that Pauline felt she was in a safe place. The gap between her knees was at least 9 inches if not more. Once I saw that I stopped in my tracks. I don't really know how long I stared at her before she turned towards the wall... maybe 30 seconds. All I know was it was a very pretty sight with the material pulled tight to her body. The bright sunlight made it obvious that the panties were pink. As soon as she started moving I did too. I walked past without even acknowledging her, something I rarely did.

Even though I was into my sixth month at the bank I was still uncomfortable in the presence of the president. I've never been able to come up with the reason. I remember standing in the doorway and seeing Liz and Hobie. He asked why she wasn't going to be a teller. I told him the same things I just wrote above and, after a pause, he said it was OK for her to work under Liz. I was looking at Liz and, although it wasn't that obvious, I could see a slight smile in the corner of her mouth. The smile on Joanne's face was VERY obvious. I was happy too. However, it left me one person short for the upcoming busy period.

There wasn't time to interview, hire and train someone. That left me but one choice and that was to use Willa as a "runner" as I'd done during the Summer busy period. She hated it and then it was weeks before she'd give me the time of day. I wasn't looking forward to telling her.

By mid month Elle was getting "antsy" to get back to teaching. She'd enjoyed a few days of tennis and I have to admit I missed seeing her (and her friends) in tennis clothing. I made one such comment and it touched a positive nerve in Elle. She asked if I was willing to play, weather permitting, on that Saturday. With car racing over and done with I really didn't have anything that HAD to be done. I did ask for one favor from her and that was to be allowed to pick her outfit. She gave me a "look" but followed it with a smile. As much as I disliked playing tennis, it was worth it for the chance to see some really good peeks.

To be continued...