BRING ON SUMMER... and the heat (Part 134b)

BRING ON SUMMER... and the heat (Part 134b)

The amazing thing about that exercise was that both Karen and Fran (her best friend) got to see basically the same view that both Bret and I did as we handed the boxes in to her and yet neither said anything. I wasn’t complaining. She did change position a couple of times and as she did we got a little different view. The whole process took no more than fifteen minutes but it was a show like no other I’d ever seen.

It was close to 3pm when we finished up and I didn’t see any point in starting something new with them just before they were to leave so told them to be back at 9am in the morning. They hadn’t even gotten to the back doors when Bret grabbed my arm and asked if he’d been dreaming. I knew what he meant and all I did was smile. I wondered if we were to get any more during the gift campaign.

We got Hank (the messenger/custodian) to bring all the loose picnic coolers up from the boiler room so we’d have a supply of all the gifts when we actually started the program. He wasn’t happy about it but by 3:30pm he’d dragged about thirty of them up. To make space I decided to take some cartons of blankets downstairs. I remember shaking my head about the choice to offer blankets in the Summer as I made my way down the stairs. Once I got into the boiler room I continued to shake my head as I looked at all the cartons. For the whole previous calendar year the bank had opened just under 1000 accounts and the Trustees had ordered over 800 gifts for the first give away program the bank had ever offered and it was only to last for eight days. My head got tired from shaking it side to side.

Tuesday, to get the girls a little more into the spirit of things, I asked them to come up with some suggestions as to how the display of gifts should look. I told them they could do anything they wanted but it had to fit in this one space between the bottom of the stairs and the wall. They were told to come get me when they’d come up with something that they liked. I had month and quarter end reports to work on and, with my desk just around the corner from where they we working, couldn’t see them. I had to get up to answer a question from a customer at Cara's teller window and when I did  I could see them working diligently at it. Lillian had worn a dress and, as I’ve mentioned a few times before, short dresses ride up when the wearer bends over. Even though I was across the lobby from where they were working I could tell that Lillian had on yellow panties. I had to take a deep breath. I fully expected a comment from Cara bus she didn't utter a word. On the way back to my desk I looked to see where Bret was but he was no where in sight. However, Trish was and, as soon as I got back to my desk, she was there with a look of indignation on her face. She told me, point blank, that it was ”disgusting“. I knew what she was alluding to but played ‘dumb’. That got her even more upset. She didn’t stay long and when she turned back to her desk I could hear her mutter something about how all men were alike. I just smiled.

Actually, the girls did a nice job. They used a bunch of blankets, still wrapped, to make a table and then used one to make a sort of covering for it. They placed a couple of picnic coolers on and around it and had a few of the tool kits in between the coolers. Karen came up with the idea of buying some picnic accessories to enhance the look and, from the petty cash that Hobie kept, gave her some money to go out and get them. I’d worked out the logistics of the pre numbered passbooks and ledger cards with Liz the auditor. Laura, her assistant, would be the ‘keeper’ and make sure the girls didn’t get them mixed up. Gina had suggested that they make up packets that would include pre numbered deposit slips and asked her to oversee that process. There were no meetings scheduled in the Board room that afternoon so suggested that the four of them work out of there after lunch. I figured that 100 would be plenty to start with and rounded up all the supplies they would need.

As I walked out the front door, headed for my lunch, I ran smack dab (literally) into Mala and her daughter. I’d already called her and had set up a date for her to come in after the 10th and discuss her possible re-employment so her visit was a bit of a surprise. She’d only been in to the bank a few times after she’d left although her mother was in once a week. She’d give Mala’s old work mates updates on the baby. But, they were both there with me in the vestibule. My initial thought was that she’d gotten the date wrong (it was in two weeks) so I asked her what brought her to the bank. She stated, boldly, that she was there to open a new account and to get a picnic cooler. I hesitated before saying that the campaign didn’t start until the next day. She then held up the Pennysaver paper with our full page ad. As I looked at it I realized that she was right, The ad agency (and I) had missed that when we proofed it. We'd had little time after the Board had ordered me to do it and we'd 'goofed'.

Of the bank floor people who’d been there with Mala only a few were there at that time. Of course they fawned all over the baby. With the new account girls out at lunch I decided I’d open the account for her. When she saw the cooler she commented that it would also make a great diaper pail. I won’t say I was offended but she proceeded to show me what she meant. The outside bag was soft plastic with some sort of insulated material between the inside and outside layers. Then there was a hard plastic container that fit inside and it resembled a waste basket. There was a zippered top to cover the whole thing. Mala proceeded to take one and I went about opening the account for her. Surprisingly, there was no mention made of possible future employment. As she got up from my desk I made the comment that it was good to see her once again. I got a weak smile in return.

The decorations that Karen had purchased really brightened up the display, especially since the 4th of July was just a week away. They, and Gina, made up the new account packets and when they were finished suggested that they each do another ‘trial run” out in the lobby. I didn’t have to find volunteers as more people had showed up with the Pennysaver ad. I went to the end of the first check writing desk in the lobby to observe. Karen had the table in the middle and as she waited for her ‘customer’ I saw her sitting there with both her feet together, almost sole to sole, and her knees over a foot apart. Even from the position I was in I could see the ‘magic triangle'. I will admit I was tempted to walk across the lobby at that time to get a closer look but didn’t. I then remembered her doing the very same thing on the day of her interview. I certainly found it interesting.

By the time the day was over we’d opened almost a dozen new accounts as a result of the Pennysaver ad. It was proof that some people actually looked at it. The girls did well but I still had some concerns should there be a ‘crush’ of people wanting to open accounts but felt as prepared as we could possibly be.

To be continued...