SUMMER HEAT... so much going on (Part 161e)

SUMMER HEAT… so much going on (Part 161e)

What to do? Remembering that Mike, the main office messenger/custodian, had a small truck I called Bret to have him track him down. Going back to my grandfather’s tried and true ‘mantra’, “first things first”, I knew I had to get the blankets to the main office for their part in the new account campaign. After negotiating with Mike for the use of his truck and getting Bret to cover his messenger runs, I was pretty much satisfied that one problem was solved. Now it was a waiting game until he arrived.

It was mid afternoon when he walked in the front door. He knew he’d be hauling cartons of blankets but he didn’t realize how big the cartons were… 3 feet by 4 feet. I’d split the order which meant 18 cartons. I don’t remember how many there were in the branch lobby but for sure, we had to get them out. It wasn’t the weight that was the problem but the awkwardness of trying to lift and carry them. When delivered the truck driver had put a strap around the box and then sort of flipped it up on his back. We didn’t have a strap. So it was Mike and I to struggle with them. When I asked Jerry to help a panicked look came over his face. All I wanted was for him to steady the boxes as we made our way to the truck. We managed to get a couple of the cartons out of the lobby without dropping them but the third one wasn’t a ‘charm’ and when it fell it split open. That did it! Back inside I gave Jerry a specific order to give us a hand. The first words out of his mouth was “But, my suit…”. My answer was “Take it to a dry cleaner and give us a hand!”. Mike was on his way back to the main office by 4pm. In spite of the labor he had to put forth he was a happy man. I told him we’d pay him $100 for the use of his truck. Knowing that no one would be at the office to help unload it I told him to head on home and we'd do it in the morning.

The one thing that went well was the training of the part timers. Once the cartons of blankets were out of the lobby we set up the card tables for them to operate from and made up a display of the gifts. Betsy led that part of it and did a nice job. It was the first opportunity to even think about VPL’s or DP’s and Betsy didn’t disappoint. Wearing khaki pants had usually proved to be a ‘winner’ when it came to VPL’s and it sure was on this day. The crotch line wasn’t all that big (as compared to Van Raalte panties) but it was certainly visible. After all was set up  I gave women a ’test’ and role played opening new accounts. In an effort to save some time we were going to use the idea that Gina had come up with where the customer got a receipt for the deposit and the passbook would be mailed later. I was more than pleased with how quickly they were able to do all the necessary paperwork and stopped worrying about their performance. Driving home I was satisfied with the way the staff was working together. Mae was definitely watching her sister and nieces like a hawk so the decision to hire them was a plus.

I'd contacted Bret and told him to meet me at the bank by 8am so we could help unload the blankets from Mike’s truck. Where to store them had been an overhanging item of concern. For the previous new account campaign we stored most of the gifts in the area that Hobie now occupied. Thankfully, with the exception of the blankets, most of the items didn’t take up much space and Bret had a ready supply of them under the stairs right outside Hobie’s space. But… there were the blankets to consider. Lying awake in bed I came up with the idea of using the coat room. With it now being Summer the room was little used. I had to wait until I got to the office to make sure it would work and was relieved that, although no the ideal solution, it would work.

With three of us unloading the truck it didn’t take much time. I wanted to get to the branch fairly early, just to be sure, but had time to check out the gift display and to meet Maggie (Moira’s daughter) and her co-workers as they prepared for their second day of training. Because they were there during the hours the bank was open they were dressed more formally than the crew at the branch. Maggie had ‘filled out’ a bit more since the last time I’d had a chance to ’survey’ her. Wearing a Summer weight pinafore I could visualize the opportunity for a peek of two but knew I’d have to wait. The other two girls were rather plain and one had a distinguishing characteristic of a lisp. In a small way she reminded me of Sabrina (oops… now Lisa) although nowhere as cute (did I say that?). Lorie assured me that they were progressing with their training but commented that she wished Moira would stop checking on Maggie.

When I arrived at the branch it was being decorated with red, white and blue banners. The ad agency had lined up political dignitaries for the ribbon cutting the next day as well as a photographer. I was assured that “all bases were covered”. Jerry was sitting behind his desk in his office when I walked in. I bypassed him and went right to Betsy to ask what, if anything, he’d done since arriving. I got a sly smile for an answer. Mae had over heard the question and I got a roll of the eyes from her. This was certainly going to be an interesting operation.

The day before the ladies had decided to eat lunch in the building. Mae and her sister volunteered to make salads and to purchase some deli meats and rolls. When I was invited to join them I asked about Jerry and Mae just laughed. She said something like it was beneath him to eat with the peons. My only thought was how stupid the Trustees had been to hire this guy. I foresaw only problems. Lunch was fun. Mae was very funny and kept us smiling the whole time. Her sister was exactly the opposite and extremely quiet. Her daughters seem to follow in her lead and, with Mae there to guide them, I felt very confident that that portion of the opening would go without a hitch.

The ribbon cutting was scheduled for 10:30am on Wednesday. It was the earliest that the political dignitaries could be put together. I arrived at 8:30am and found the staff all dressed up and ready to go… except for Jerry. He arrived at 9am. I swore I wasn’t going to get involved with him so I just kept a low profile… until one of the Trustees came in to say there wasn’t any more space in the parking lot. Local zoning told us just how many spaces we were allowed based upon the square footage of the footprint of the building. I’d taken up three spaces for the trailer that held the gifts and had told the staff to car pool. I knew Mae had brought her sister and her nieces and after checking with the others could only account for four cars. I was puzzled… but not for long.

To be continued…