BACK TO REALITY... Same ole, same ole (Part 165k)

BACK TO REALITY… Same ole, same ole (Part 165k)

Of course, what was primarily on my mind was what the salary committee had approved as a raise for me. There were guidelines for the officers that the salary committee used. The operative word being “guidelines”. There was a set formula for employees based upon the results of their merit reviews. The day following a Board meeting in which salary increases were approved I’d be given the results for the employees and would let the supervisors know the results. The notification for the officers would come from Bert but only just prior to their anniversary dates. Cumbersome, I know, but it was the way it had always been done. As far as changes were concerned I knew it would take time but I was working on it. I knew I wouldn’t have to wait all that long to get my own results as my anniversary date fell in the first pay period after the meeting. But, having to wait at all was still somewhat agonizing.

Knowing that I wasn’t going to be told that day I left right at 5pm. I’d been putting off calling Cliffy as I pretty much knew he’d be pleading for money. He’d been promised money from “Fairlane John” to allow us to go to the upcoming stock car championships in Pennsylvania but that money was for tires. We still had to “freshen” our motor and all we had for money was a promise of some from Dick after his first harvested crop went to market. I’d not promised anything choosing to wait to see what the others came up with but knew with the raise I’d have some to put to the cause. There was still three weeks before we’d be leaving but realistically, time was running out to get the motor work done so I made the call. I expected to take some grief for not even going to the garage to see him and to make some sort of apology for the screw up upon Elle’s and my return from Bermuda. Other than a snide remark along the lines of “It’s about time…” the call went well. He’d already pulled the motor from the car and wanted Alan and I to get it disassembled over the weekend. There wasn’t much I could say not having shown up since returning from vacation. Elle had become used to me being home every night and most of the weekend too so I knew I’d have to do some 'talking' that night.

J J was waiting for me the next morning at work. When I saw him I didn’t know what to expect but I surely didn’t expect him to be cordial. He wanted to apologize for not having spoken to me about “borrowing” Joanie. I was so shocked I didn’t say anything. We were inside and in the lobby when he asked if the new hire would be in that day. I told him she would and I’d send her up as soon as all the necessary paperwork was completed. As he walked up the stairs he turned and apologized again. I can remember standing there in the lobby and wondering what had just happened. Sandra was the woman’s name and, to be truthful, she really wasn’t anything much to look at. But, in talking with her and giving her a warning about J J, I was taken by her sincerity in wanting to do a good job. I had Trish take her up to J J’s office and hoped that his apology to me was just part of a ‘new’ J J.

Speaking of surprises, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see Peggy at my desk the next day. She’d become a very good teller and Lorie had wanted to move her out to the lobby teller line from the drive-up window. I ended up telling her about her history and how insecure she’d been when I’d hired her. I persuaded Lorie to let her remain at the drive-up window and to continue handling the school savings program using the old saying ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. So, seeing her there I kind of had an idea that something was wrong. It wasn’t for her but it was as far as the bank was concerned. She was giving me notice that she’d be leaving at the end of the ‘busy period’ to get married. In hearing that I realized that it had been quite a while since I’d really paid much attention to her. When she told me who she was marrying it was another shock. For those of you who’ve been following this tome for an extended period of time you might remember back when the bank went to a service bureau to handle the transactions for our savings accounts. The change brought forth some complaints from customers. The local radio station sent one of their on-air reporters over to follow up on it and I spent a fair amount of time with him. I made the mistake of believing him when he said he’d stick to the facts but when he went on the air he expressed his own reaction (negative) to the new system. The bank complained to the station owner and we pulled all our advertising from the station. After a short period of time an agreement was reached between the bank and the station owner and an apology was made over the air for a period of time. I never knew what, if any, sanctions were placed against the reporter but he never set foot in the bank after that. Well, somehow, he and Peggy got together. He was a single dad and she  was a widow with a young daughter and they ‘clicked’. Peggy told me they’d put the wedding off until after the ‘busy period’ because the bank had been so patient with her… and she thanked me specifically. I appreciated hearing it but it did make me uncomfortable. But, the end result was that we now had to hire a new teller. After a whole Summer of with no employee turn-over it had certainly changed.

In talking with Trish I expected she would suggest the woman J J had selected and I’d called to tell her she'd been turned down. However, like so many things that week it was a bit of a shock when she she suggested the young girl who’d walked in right as Trish and I were going over applications to fill J J's secretary's position. Trish wasted no time in ‘selling’ her to me. I’d seen her when she was at Joanie’s desk but had not interviewed her. I remembered that when I saw her application I was surprised at how young she was. I asked Trish why she liked her so much and all she could say was that she’d had a “good feeling” about her. I’d had that happen to me a couple of times when an applicant just walked in so I told her to call her for a formal interview.

I expected to hear that she’d be in on Monday but Trish said she’d be in before 6pm. It was my Friday night to work late and really had nothing planned. When she appeared at the gate I saw a girl who just ‘bubbled’ with excitement. Believe it or not, her name was also Sandra, the same as the woman who was now working up in the mortgage department for J J. When I told her about it she laughed and said she had a nickname that she preferred… Woody. I won’t go into the reason for it but from that moment on she was “Woody” and after a pleasant conversation I had to agree with Trish's appraisal and hired her to replace Peggy. What a week!

To be continued…