ANOTHER YEAR… More adventures (Part 168v)
“Little victories” had
been a ‘battle cry’ of mine right from the time I started working in a
managerial position. I had to take this recognition as one. At least I’d
have a voice… even if it might be ignored. Voicing an idea or making a
suggestion in a committee environment guaranteed others would hear it
and the possibility of action being taken. Every time I went to the
branch I’d shake my head in frustration. There had been so many errors made
in the building of it that could’ve easily been avoided if I’d been part of
the planning. For the first time I was excited about another
branch.
The next day I had a meeting with Laura and Sandy. I’d
hoped Liz, the auditor, would’ve been there but she wasn’t. The two
seemed to understand their respective positions but it was obvious that
Sandy, who was ten years older than Laurie, wasn’t entirely comfortable
with what was laid out as to what was expected of her. Later, I emphasized
that Laurie wasn’t her ‘boss’ and what was mostly expected from her was
co-operation and that between the two of them they had to get the job done. For
me, it was part of my ever expanding exposure to personnel management.
I
won’t deny that I spent some time thinking about Lynda and her telling
me that she had something she wanted to tell me in private. I had to
suppress my desire to pursue it finally recognizing that if it was
really important she’d contact me with another suggestion. However,
since she was the conduit to Stan, my stock broker, it was going to be
difficult to avoid talking with her as I knew I’d be talking with him
about the stock I’d just purchased.
There were a lot of little
things that filled out the month for me but nothing worth writing about.
(Say thank you!) The next big thing for me was to go to the city for
the monthly meeting of the State Banking Association’s Committee on
Personnel Management. I’d met a number of fellow bankers who also worked
for small banks like mine and some of them had been in contact with me.
A few planned to do the same as I in coming in to the city a day early and wanted to get together for dinner. When I’d done it the
first time I’d gone home to eat with Elle and the kids before leaving.
When I told her I was going in earlier in the day she wasn’t pleased but
I’d already committed myself. I’d originally thought it would be two or
three others but when I showed up in the bar there were seven or eight of them including
one woman. It was a little awkward at first but after a few drinks
things loosened up a bit. When it got to around 9pm and we hadn’t eaten I
excused myself and found the hotel dining room had closed at 8pm, So, I was really on
my own. I went to the front desk to ask where I could get something to
eat. While there the woman who’d been part of our group came up beside
me. It was obvious she was drunk when she grabbed my arm and asked me to
help her get to her room. Talk about a ‘red flag’!
The woman
was in her 40’s, trim and not all that bad looking. But, there was no
way I was getting involved in any way with her. I whispered to the desk clerk to get someone
to assist her and then got his directions to the Automat that was nearby. As a kid I
loved going there, inserting coins into a slot and then opening a little
door and taking my food. Common sense told me that the quality wouldn’t
be all that good but the clerk said I’d probably be getting freshly
made food. He had a relative who had worked there and he’d used that
information himself when he got off duty. It sounded good to me. I
didn’t completely ignore the woman explaining what I was doing at the
counter. Just as I was about to leave a security person came up and I
was free.
One nice thing I’d come to appreciate about the
Association was they took care of their members. The breakfast buns they
provided with the coffee the next morning were close to being the best I’d
ever eaten. After two of them I was full. In a way it was interesting in
that a few of the people who’d been in the gathering the previous
evening weren’t there… including the woman. As one of the members noted
as the meeting began, for some getting to the city was like being let
out of jail and then not knowing how to handle it. By the time the
morning break arrived all members were present. As the woman walked in I was
hoping she wouldn’t notice me but she did. I didn’t know what she’d say
but I wasn’t expecting an apology. I also didn’t expect her to ‘glom’
onto me like a ‘Klingon’, but she did. I was polite but really didn’t
want any part of her. During the afternoon session the group agreed to
pursue a major undertaking. It was something that really caught my
interest and I volunteered to be on the development team for it. Those
that were interested signed on a pad that was passed around and told
we’d be notified if chosen. I’d met the person who’d introduced the
concept at a previous meeting and before leaving made a point of
touching base with him. He was senior Vice President of one of the
biggest banks in the city and I felt somewhat honored that he’d listen
to a young, small town banker. I was excited on my journey home.
As
expected it was a long trip. To have even a slight chance to get home
by 6pm you had to be in your car by 3pm. I don’t remember what time it
was but it was closer to 7pm than 6pm when I pulled up the driveway.
There was a car that I didn’t recognize in my spot so walking into the
kitchen I had no idea of what to expect. It turned out to be the teacher
Elle and been substituting for since the first of the year. She’d been
cleared to come back to work but wanted to know, first hand, how Elle had made
out with her class. She was a pleasant looking woman, a little older
than Elle and I. She introduced herself as Penny saying that anyone who
used her whole name, Penelope, was NOT a friend of hers. I liked her
right away. She offered to leave right after I arrived but Elle and I
both insisted that she stay. Elle had my dinner in the oven and told
Penny that she’d feed me and they could go in to the dining room to
finish up. When she stood up I probably let out a gasp of air… the VPL
was classic. The leg elastics were duly noted as was the crotch line. In
truth, she probably could’ve lost ten pounds but it certainly helped
fill out the backside of her slacks. As the two of them disappeared into
the other room I hoped that she and Elle would become friends and that
I’d get more chances to see her.
A bit of news from Elle had to
do with Beth, Cliffy’s wife. She was due back at her job as the
secretary to the principal at the school where Elle was substituting. We both
knew Beth had a part in the principal calling Elle to substitute teach. With
her back to work it was a good sign that there would be more calls.
Teaching multiple days in a row had Elle looking forward to having our
youngest, Kaye, in school which would allow her to teach full time even
if it was a year and a half away. We’d talked about it on more than one
occasion and it wasn’t because we needed the money. Of course it would
help but it was because Elle enjoyed being with kids and working with
them. That was why she’d been involved with both the Brownie and 4H
programs. When we went up to bed it was obvious that things were going
well. Now, to keep it that way.
To be continued…
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