HEADING FOR SUMMER... and whatever it brings (Part 160g)

HEADING FOR SUMMER… and whatever it brings (Part 160g)

It wasn’t until Betsy was walking away that I relaxed enough to study her. Average in height with light brown hair, she exuded confidence in herself. She was wearing a Summer dress that came to her knees. I’d been so nervous that I really hadn’t looked (or thought) much beyond that. On her way to the door I could see she definitely had some ’shape’. 'Nice', would be a good word to describe her overall appearance. Once she was out of sight I had to sift through a couple of things that were on my mind with one being what was Jerry’s wife doing sitting in on the interviews. Another was going back to the thought I had when first perusing the applications I’d just received in the mail… how could he choose the people he did and not hire the two I’d picked out who had definite cashier or banking experience. To me the man was a disaster… and now it appeared that the bank was saddled with him.

Maybe it’s my perverse nature but even though I really didn’t have the time I decided to lay out all the applications and to compare and to rank them. The only one I’d interviewed or even spoken to was Betsy, who’d just left, so there was nothing to prejudice my thinking. To my mind there was only one of Jerry’s choices that had any qualifying reason for being selected. I sat there shaking my head and muttering to myself. Bret saw me and asked what was going on. Even though he’d had no experience in reviewing applications I asked him to take a look at the ones on the table and to rank them based on the experience listed on the forms. When done, his selections were pretty much the same as mine and, most importantly, two of his bottom three were Jerry’s hires. I was beside myself and wanted to say something to somebody. Hobie had made it clear that there was nothing I could say, or do, to change the fact that Jerry was going to be the branch manager. I sat there contemplating going over his head and to go to Bert. After all, he had interjected himself into Betsy’s hiring. I took a deep breath (and maybe three or four) before getting up and heading upstairs.

To be truthful, I didn't know exactly what Bert did as president. Lena, his secretary, was certainly a good ‘buffer', keeping people from bothering him. I’d managed to establish a good working relationship with her and, in certain situations, she would interject herself into whatever it was he was doing to pass on a message or request from me. I could see the negative look on her face when I asked if I could see him. I stood there for a few seconds and watched as she got up from her desk and opened the door a crack. She quickly waved me towards the door and as I passed by her she whispered “make it quick”.

Without drawing this out, I told him of my review of all the applications and, based upon general work experience, was very dissatisfied with Jerry’s choices. I quickly noted he’d hired three people with no banking experience, minimal money handling and limited public exposure. I went on to mention he’d  bypassed one woman with almost three years of teller experience as well as the woman he’d just met with seven years dealing with money and the public. At that point he put his hand up to indicate for me to stop. He then asked what I wanted him to do… which surprised me to the extent I didn’t know what to say. I had to say something and I honestly don’t know where the thought came from when I said I’d like to contact the other person with experience. His reply… “And then what?” Another ‘test’!

The one thing that had not been discussed in the whole hiring process was the need for temporary help to open new accounts during the opening. It had been in the back of my mind to offer those positions to some of the people not hired on a permanent basis. Two of Jerry’s hires were perfect candidates for just such a position so I suggested that. It was obvious he wasn’t immediately going to act when he said he wanted to run it past Hobie. He said he was concerned that positions had been offered and he felt we were obligated. I couldn’t argue with that but went ahead and pressed him for permission to contact the woman with banking experience. He hesitated for a few seconds and then said basically the same that he’d said earlier when I told him that Betsy was coming in…”don’t make a commitment.”

Within minutes I was on the phone with the lady who’d been ‘on the potty’ when I’d called earlier. I could tell she was somewhat embarrassed but, on the other hand, happy that I’d called back. Once I identified myself she said that she’d been “extremely disappointed” not to have been selected. I chose not to expand on that and asked if she could come to the main office for another interview. I got an enthusiastic “YES!”, loud enough that made me pull the phone from my ear. The lobby was closed to the public by then and I wasn’t sure where she lived so asked if it could be first thing in the morning. I knew I was taking a chance because Jerry would be there. Her excited answer was she’d be there when the doors opened.

There was a lot on my mind when I arrived home. I can honestly say about the last thing I expected was to hear Elle say for me to call Cliffy. I casually went upstairs and changed my clothes thinking that it probably wasn’t important. I returned to the kitchen and took my place at the table, ready to eat. When I did Elle asked if I’d made the call back. With Elle’s disdain for racing I was surprised but took her urging to heart and got up and made the call. Even though it was after 6pm and the garage was closed for business, Cliffy answered. Of all the crew, he was the least emotional. But when he answered the phone it didn’t sound like the guy I’d known for over fifteen years. “We’re going racing! We’re going racing!” was all I heard. Then came the plea for me to show up at the garage. His excitement got to me right away and I, without saying anything to Elle, said I’d be there. I had no idea what had changed but I was anxious to find out. (123)

To be continued…