THE HEAT GOES ON... August (Part 163a)

THE HEAT GOES ON… August (Part 163a)

The bedroom furniture that Elle and I’d ordered the previous week was to have been delivered on Tuesday. There had been a mix-up on the delivery order sent to the warehouse and Thursday had been inserted as the day. Elle got the call informing her of the error right after I’d left for work and wasn’t to happy about it but was mollified by the fact that they would throw in two matching night stands for half price. It was a good deal but I was a bit upset by the fact Elle didn’t call to ask me first. In any case Elle was really excited Thursday morning anticipating what the bedroom would look like completely furnished. I got the impression she was more excited about the night stands than the two dressers as I left the house. It was just another item in the ever growing list of things I didn’t understand about females and the way they think.

When I got to the bank on Thursday I was still apprehensive about how I was to co-exist with Jerry and still be his superior. After my meeting with Gee Wednesday morning I’d been worried that one of the Trustees who had come to the mortgage committee meeting would want to bring Jerry up but I’d ‘escaped’ in that not even Gee came over to my desk. I was hoping for some direction from Hobie but I didn’t want to initiate the discussion. It was a very uncomfortable position to be in. Bret knew something was going on but wouldn’t say anything. I’ve alluded to how Trish had, very quietly, assumed more and more responsibility and because of it she’d been rewarded with the promotion to administrative assistant. I’d noticed that she seemed to be aware of a lot of what was going on within the bank and that morning she surprised me when she asked if she could make a suggestion. She’d done that before but without asking permission. I thought it would have to do with procedures but she’d been talking on a personal basis. Initially I was a bit upset but I let her go on.

She said that all week I’d been “uptight” and she was sure it had to do with Jerry. When I didn’t stop her there she went on that she pretty much understood because when he’d been working there he did the same thing to her. But she said she noticed that the situation was affecting how I was relating to customers and to the employees. Not only that but she said she’d noticed that I’d missed a couple of report deadlines. I sat and I listened. There was nothing to argue about because she was right. In stead of being upset with her I  just smiled… and put both my hands up as if to say “you caught me”.

Trish was around 25 years old at that time but had been with the bank seven years. It sounds trite but she was wise beyond her years. She was one of the Polish female employees who I felt should have gone to college. Because of the mindset of her parents when it came to females and college she wasn’t allowed to go. So, I respected her observation and when she told me that it might be best to not let him upset me so much I didn’t disagree. I know I didn’t think of it at the moment but it was almost she knew about Gee’s talk with me the previous day. I think I took a deep breath or two before acknowledging it to her. I told her what he’d ended the conversation with… “Document, don’t react.” Trish was very much aware of the notes both Bret and I’d been making about Jerry and his questionable actions. She brought it up and suggested that I make them in the form of a memo “for the file” and she’d type them up for me. I thought about it for a minute and decided it was good idea. We talked a little more and decided to have Bret do the same thing. When she was about to get up I thanked her and, with a smile, said “It sounds like a plan.”

It was sometime later that day that Trish said there was a man there to see me. I didn’t have any appointments so was a bit puzzled and got up and walked over to the gate to the platform. A tall red headed man, about mid 20’s, with a big smile introduced himself as Andy. I didn’t recognize him or the name. I’m sure it was the puzzled look on my face that triggered him to say he was the real estate broker that I’d recommended to my “neighbor” as he called him. At that moment I couldn’t remember the guy’s name he was referring to but I invited him to my desk. He wasted no time before thanking me for the referral. I was sort of amused because I’d done it without knowing him or his company. I just wanted to get the guy off by back. In any case, Andy was there to ask me about the history of the house since the guy who’d called him could give no relevant information. I really didn’t have the time but knowing that Andy might have a role in who my neighbors would be, told him what I knew. I told him of the renovations that had been done before Sabrina (Lisa) had moved in about two years before. The big question he had was what the new shed contained. He’d been sent keys for the house and garage but not the shed. I, truthfully, had no idea. When Sabrina’s (Lisa’s) father sold the house (with Bill [the school principal] and his wife still renting it) he’d built a new shed out along the rear property line supposedly for the new owner. I’d asked Bill if he knew what it was for but he had no idea and offered that after completion it had always been locked. So, to Andy I was no help. I suggested that he get a locksmith to open it for him and he, with a sheepish look, thanked me for suggesting it. As he was leaving I gave him Amy business card and asked him to keep me up to date on any prospects telling him that my wife and I were ‘requesting’ a young couple with kids. He just laughed.

I was on my way out the door to leave when I heard Hobie call out to me. I turned and walked back into the lobby to meet with him. I was hoping that he’d give me some clarification about my supervisory role with Jerry and was somewhat rewarded when he told me that Jerry was, technically, still under my supervision, but… The ‘but’ was that he was going to do it “off the record” for the next two months. I was still confused but was willing to accept that knowing that I still had my job. As I turned to walk away I heard him say “Have patience…” Patience was something I didn’t have a lot of (still don’t) especially when I was aware of something that was wrong, should be fixed, and nothing was being done about it. That, very simply, was Jerry.

To be continued…