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

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

When Elle and the kids finally returned it was decided that I'd cook hot dogs and hamburgers on the hibachi since it was so late. Elle recruited Barbara to help her make salads in the kitchen. It wasn’t until Barbara got up that I remembered the stain I’d noticed earlier in her crotch area. As she disappeared into the house I could see that it had faded appreciably. However, I was still puzzling over the fact that she’d made no attempt to hide it or to change her shorts. By the time I had the hibachi fired up and ready to cook the salads had been made and the picnic table was set. With everybody hungry I couldn’t cook fast enough to keep up with the demand. When we finished Elle suggested that Barbara and the kids could play with the kids in the yard while I helped Elle pick up. I would’ve preferred to join them but it wasn’t going to happen that way.

By the time Elle and I joined finished up Barbara was trying to work on getting the kids to stand on their hands. The exercise provided some laughs but then Barbara, remembering that Elle could not only stand on her hands but could also walk on them, called upon her to perform. It having been a while since Elle did it on a regular basis she needed some help which Barbara provided. Then Barbara asked Elle to work with her to see if she could master it. After a few attempts ending up with Barbara in a heap on the ground, laughing, the girls all piled on top of her attempting to tickle her. With three of them poking and holding her down she was laughing uncontrollably and pleading for them to stop… and I (and Elle) saw why… she was wetting herself. Elle, upon seeing it called for the girls to stop immediately. Barbara sat up, still with a big smile on her face, but made no attempt to get up and leave. She did, however, put her legs together and put her hands in her lap. Elle, sensing the situation as being an embarrassing one for Barbara, suggested the kids go inside and pick out some board games to play. Unaware of the conversation I’d had earlier with Barbara, Elle assigned me a task that took me away from the chance of seeing the end result of her ‘accident’. As I got up to leave I was fighting a fairly significant bulge. Later, lying in bed, I reviewed the day and was chalking it up as one of those never to be forgotten ones.

For me, the absolute worst situation at work was when there was a mid week holiday during a “busy period” and, for this one, it was exacerbated by the combination of the branch opening and new account give away promotion. Even though the 4th wasn’t until Thursday it still figured into the planning for the week. Hobie had, thankfully, removed the decision of where to start my work day on Monday and indicated it would be best to start at the main office. A few minutes after the doors opened it was evident that it had been a wise one. There were a minimum of six customers at each teller station and at least ten waiting to open new accounts. I was surprised to see Hobie jump in to help but welcomed the aid. By 11am things had slowed down enough for me to plan my getaway to the branch. I had managed a call to Betsy who assured me they were doing OK. I didn’t ask for any ‘numbers’ but hoped that traffic had picked up for them.

Pulling into the branch parking lot I was disappointed. As I remember it there were only a few cars other than those of Jerry and the staff. Walking in through the front door I could see all four of the tellers standing behind the counter just talking to each other. I looked over at the tables where the temporaries were located to open new accounts and I saw only two of the three actually processing paperwork. It was like a morgue. Then, looking to my left I saw Jerry through the window to his office with his wife sitting in a chair beside his desk. The door was closed. I didn’t know what to think or do. I quickly ruled out my first thought (which was to burst in on Jerry) and went over to where Betsy was located. I called her over to the ‘break room’ and asked if things had just slowed down or had they been that slow all morning. She, sensing my concern, said they’d opened about a dozen accounts but that one had been for $5,000. I liked hearing that but then she added that Jerry had OK’d giving the customer multiple gifts. It was hard to keep any semblance of composure! Next, I asked how long Jerry’s wife had been there. When she told me “all morning” I really almost lost it. I know I swore, pretty much under my breath, before asking if she’d go to lunch with me.

I knew nothing of the area and when I asked where we could go she responded “McDonalds”. As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, the area was just begining to be developed and it was taking a while for it to happen. I don’t know if you remember that the early McDonalds were basically all white buildings. It was one of those and other than seeing ads on TV there was not much known about them at the time. So, that’s where we went… and then sat in the car to eat and talk because there were no tables or booths.

As I’d seen when I interviewed her, she was a very bright woman. When I hit her with the statement that the branch was way overstaffed she agreed, 100%. In just the short time I’d been in the branch earlier I’d formulated a preliminary plan in my mind. But, I wanted to hear what her ideas were. She started with something that had escaped all of us who’d been involved with planning and that was we had no one with a secretarial background to handle correspondence and/or, to act as a receptionist. I was actually embarrassed. Trish handled all of that at the main office and done it so well that she’d become ‘part of the woodwork’. So, after acknowledging that we (I) had failed in that respect Betsy went on to say that Barb had taken secretarial courses in high school and had typed some of the letters that Jerry had sent out. She added that she had a nice way with customers and that if the bank was so inclined to move in that direction she would endorse her. Still ’smarting’ from my oversight I changed the subject and went on to the what appeared to be a bit of overkill when it came to the temporary help. Without wasting a breath Betsy said that she, Mae and Rita should be able to handle the new accounts. She mentioned that she and Rita had talked about it and pointed out that with the branch being so new and with the money that had been deposited there was little likelihood that customers would be in to withdraw it all that soon. It was another point that had been overlooked by the ‘planners’. I think I said but one word… “Suggestions?”

That was a hard one since all of the temporaries were related to Mae. But, Betsy then showed just how much effort had been put into her thoughts. She’d spoken to Mae before the weekend and had made a comment that unless business picked up substantially on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest, there was a chance that they’d all be let go. I waited to hear of Mae’s reaction and, according to Betsy’s description of it, there was none. She told me Mae just shrugged her shoulders and wasn’t upset at all. At that point I was feeling somewhat guilty. I knew that no one likes to be told they’re being fired, especially when they hadn’t done  anything wrong. It wasn’t in my realm of responsibility to make that decision right then and there so I told Betsy that nothing would change until after I could meet with Hobie. On our way back to the branch I was hoping that the parking lot would be full but it looked almost the same as when we’d left.

To be continued…