BACK TO WORK... surprises & changes (Part 137b)
I’d
made no progress on attacking the mail on my desk and was about to
begin when Trish walked up to tell me that Fran, the girl who had been
working on the files in the basement, had called in and told her that
she wasn’t coming back. In the order of importance that was down at the
bottom. I was disappointed because I liked her and she was just staring
to make a noticeable ‘dent’ in the piles of materials stacked in
basement. But, she didn’t walk away after giving me that news. She went
on to add that Bette, the lady who ran the accounting area, wanted to
see me. The only thing she would want to see me about would be if there
was someone leaving from her area. At that moment it wasn’t something I
wanted or needed so I put it in the back of my mind figuring I could
follow up on it after the doors closed at 3pm.
Trish was away
from her desk as was Bret when this rather tall redheaded woman came up
the gate. Normally, in Trish’s absence Bret would go and ask if he could
help. Reluctantly, I got up and went over to her. She had a passbook in
her hand and wanted help in changing the names on it. For the most part
it was something that an experienced teller could do but, needing a
break from what I was doing, invited her in. She seemed a bit agitated
so I asked if she was OK. She gave me a weak smile and said she hoped so
and then told me she wanted the passbook to reflect only her name. I
looked at it and saw both a man’s name along with that of a woman and
asked if she was the woman. She nodded and then I could see tears start
running down her cheek. As I written before, I just can’t handle female
tears. I just never know what to say but, in this case I didn’t have to
say anything.
The name of the female in the passbook read “Moira”
and I recognized it as an Irish name. My mother’s mother was from
Ireland and had a cousin named Moira. I looked at her red hair and it
made sense. Add the freckles and I was almost sure so asked her if she
was Irish. That was enough to at least stop most of the tears and make
her start to smile. Then she started talking... a mile a minute. She
talked for at least three minutes and it seemed like she did it without
taking a breath. I learned that she was born and raised in the city.
Both her parents were born in Ireland and had come to the USA during the
depression. Married right after high school, she had two teen aged
children; a boy 17 and a girl 16. Her husband had been in the Air Force
and had recently gotten out... and then packed up and left her and the
kids. Then the tears started again.
She’d stated that she wanted
the man’s name off the account and I felt the best way to handle it was
to close it out and open a new one in her name only. As a joint owner
she had the right to all the money and by doing it this way, the old
account was ‘dead’. I went to get the materials for the new account and
by the time I returned she’d composed herself. As she filled out the
paperwork I took a close look at her. I really have a hard time
describing my opinion of her looks... not pretty... not cute... but
‘interesting’. We made some small talk as Cara opened the account and
when Cara brought the passbook over to her the woman sighed. I asked again if
she was OK and she looked straight at me and said the money
represented in the passbook was basically all she had. Then she stood up
and said that she better start looking for a job. Never one to miss an
opportunity to have someone fill out an application, I turned her over
to Trish but with a few words of warning... that we really didn’t have
any vacancies.
I went back to the mail and was making
progress when I saw Bette approaching my desk. Bette was around 50 and
had been with the Bank over 25 years. Normally quiet and pleasant, she
was anything but as she started speaking, calling me out for not getting
back to her. There was nothing for me to say because it was true. I
remember taking a deep breath which seemed to anger her even more. There
were more less than pleasant words before she stated that Edwina, her
assistant (and sister) was going to retire and she needed a
replacement... and she wanted Janet back.
If you go back
to part 131 you’ll see that was where Janet had been hired to replace a
clerk in the accounting department. It didn’t work out and I wasn’t sure
as to what to do with her, But... that was also the same time that
Jerene, a teller, had been fired and I needed a replacement. Janet had
no teller experience but was a college graduate and was a very sharp
woman. I felt that she could grasp the nuances of the position and she
did. Now, Bette wanted her back. Janet had survived her first ‘busy
period’ without any problems and I was pleased with both her work and
attitude. When Bette almost demanded that I give her back I told her,
flatly, “NO!” She’d upset me with her ‘attack’ so I told her I’d be able
to review the application file on Wednesday... and was very firm about it.
I remember her standing in front of my desk with her arms folded just
staring at me. Thankfully, Hobie had already gone for the day. She and
Hobie had worked closely together for quite a few years and I knew that
if he were around she would’ve gone right to him. Knowing that he
wouldn’t be in the next day and would be with me made me smile...
inwardly.
It had been a long day by the time I got home. I’d
actually forgotten that Elle had called about the workmen next door
until I got out of my car. I asked if she knew what progress had been
made art Sabrina’s house and she said she knew the tree had been cut up
and removed but wasn’t sure about the house. I asked about the workmen
wanting to use the bathroom and she laughed. She told me that they were
so “scruffy” that even I wouldn’t have let them in. I asked about
Sabrina and she just shrugged her shoulders. Then I remembered that
Bebe’s clothes were in the house and asked if she'd been able to get in to
retrieve some of them. Her answer was that she’d gotten some but not
all and added that Bebe was sure Sabrina would be back in a few
days. As I headed upstairs to get out of my suit I knew I’d be taking a
‘side trip’ into the room where Bebe had been sleeping.
To be continued...
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