APRIL... More of the same (Part 128b)

APRIL... More of the same (Part128b)

In thinking about what to say to Donna while driving in to work, the one thing that kept popping into my thoughts was what she’d said in an off-hand way the previous morning... “if there was a job where I could operate on my own”. There was no doubt that she was bright and willing but it came with the price of her always wanting to be right and yet unable to take correction gracefully. I think I was walking up to the back door when I saw Mary just ahead of me. I’d been at the bank for two years and hadn’t known anything about her until the previous day. It was like she had existed in a bubble. And then it came to me... Donna might be the perfect replacement for her. Walking to my desk I decided to take the idea to J J. He had made a comment to me Right after Donna was hired he made a comment to me saying I’d picked a “winner“. I’d learned that J J only made comments on females that he found to be attractive so I knew I had a bit of an opening with him. The problem was finding a time to talk to him. During the “busy period” Bret, Hobie and I had a constant flow of customers at our desks so I knew I had to time my move perfectly.

Donna was as feisty and defensive as I’d expected and it was obvious the delay of a day in talking to her didn’t work like it had with Jacqui. However, I didn’t let her lead me into a “debate” so the outcome was a “draw”. I pretty much knew she wouldn’t quit so told her to have patience and I was working on a solution. I finally got upstairs to J J’s office before lunch and told him I thought I might have a replacement for Mary. When I told him it was Donna the look on his face was actually humorous. He didn’t believe me at first. I sort of glossed over the underlying reasons and sold him on her accuracy and work ethic. I don’t think he heard a word of it. His first words were “When can she start?”. The next step was in telling Donna what I had in mind for her. Initially, I thought she’d be pleased but there was a definite hesitation in her voice. I told her she had time to think on it and the earliest the switch would take place was the following week. At least the wheels were in motion.

With all the recent “action” at the bank I’d not really had time to focus on the fact that I’d be 30 the next day and the trust fund my grandfather had set up for me would legally be mine. I had a rough idea of the value but didn’t know for sure. As I’ve said, Elle and I wanted to keep the majority of it as sort of an “insurance policy”. However, we’d recently made a change in our want/need list. The refrigerator that came with the house didn’t have a freezer in it as the people had a freezer chest in the basement. It had been a sore spot with Elle but never an issue... until just a few weeks prior. She’d found that some of the items weren’t really frozen so I had a neighbor who was an appliance repair man check it out. The chest had been part of a frozen food delivery system that was popular in the late 50’s and when the house was sold the service had been discontinued. It was a “cheap charlie” one and the manufacturer had gone out of business so there was nothing that could be done... except get a new refrigerator with a freezer. Elle had suggested that the new refrigerator could be my birthday present. Not what I had in mind but what could I say.

As had been hoped the steady outflow of funds had slowed and the number of customers diminished by mid-week. The weekly mortgage committee meeting stayed pretty much on topic with the only minimal references to the loss of deposits. There was a reminder that there would be some serious discussion on a number of topics at the next full board meeting and for them to be prepared for a long session.

Since it was my birthday I was happy to get out on time. Elle had planned a family party with a birthday cake with both her folks and mine in attendance. The only gift I remember was a patchwork shirt (which I still have) from my mother. After our families left Elle told me she’d invited most of the “group” over to really celebrate on Saturday night. She quickly added that Pat (the PTA lady) and Rob had not been invited. Without those two I actually looked forward to it.

The “crush” of customers was over by Friday. I’d let Trish in on my idea for Donna and she pretty much agreed with it. Ironically, right after telling her a job applicant walked in off the street. It was still pretty hectic when she did so Trish gave her an application and told her to drop by at the end of the week. It was close to 6pm that Friday  when this very attractive young woman walked up to the gate to the platform where Bret, Hobie and I worked. It was Bret who saw her first and I saw him jump to his feet and head to the entry gate. My eyes followed him over and I saw this trim, short dark haired woman wearing a tight khaki skirt with a matching CPO jacket. I saw her hand Bret some papers and when he saw them he turned to me and pointed her in my direction.

After a very rough week all I really wanted to do was get out of the building. However, the easy smile on her very pretty face made me forget all about that. She introduced herself as Gina and handed me the application. I quickly scanned it for her whole name and recognized it at once. I’d never met her but already knew a lot about her. Going back to my days working for the County she’d been the “talk” of the County Center. Considered to be very bright by the Treasurer’s office, she’d been their “face” for all public monetary transactions. The last time I’d seen her her hair was a dirty blond color and she wore it in a modified pony tail. All the men at the Center ogled her when she showed up in the cafeteria (and that included me). After leaving County employment I’d completely forgotten about her. But here she was with a different look and looking for work. I was smiling too.

“Where do I know you from?” were the first words she spoke with a sparkle in her eyes. I know I was smiling too when I answered. With her standing there right in front of me I quickly scanned the application looking to see if she’d worked anywhere else. The application told me she’d not been employed for almost a year but I didn’t say anything. Common sense was telling me that a person with as much experience as she had wouldn’t accept the beginning level salary for a teller. However, with her cash handling experience she’d fit right into the teller line and I’d have an immediate and experienced replacement for Donna. But, it was now after 6pm and I really wanted to get out of there. I remember asking if she could come back Monday afternoon wanting time to sort out the whole situation. With the smile still on her face she said “Sure!” and turned and walked towards the back door. I stood there thinking this was too good to be true.

To be continued...