The first time I ran...

I wish I could say, "The first time I ran a race", but that was when I was seven and Heavens forbid I have to relive those terrible memories.  School athletics days will NEVER have a fond memory in my mind.

No, this is the first time I ran away.  Like, from my manager.

I will admit it openly now.  I am rather embarrassed by it.  But as it stands, I officially ran away from my manager by not coming in to work yesterday.  I didn't lie when I told her I haven 't been feeling very well lately and that I wanted to rest; I just didn't tell her that I also needed a rest from her.  She's really draining in such a non-subtle way that it's amazing anyone can ever work with her.  On the other hand, mayhap that's why she ran the shop alone for so long - it isn't that they couldn't find anyone to work with her, maybe the Universe was telling them no one was ready for her yet.

So what does that make me, then?  An experimental toffee?  Some days it feels like it.  Things are so quiet here it gets ridiculously boring.  It even affects my studying and reading during the few times I don't need to study.

Do you know what the stinker is?  When Madam was ill and then off for her church conference I made close to R 30,000 worth of sales, with a few follow-ups from those same customers afterwards.  I mean. how amazing is that?

Aaaaannnd then she's back and all the customers disappear.  Seriously?  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - what's the big idea?!

 Oh!  But then, Monday and today, we had real shiners.  Monday Gl and I are sitting here, doing our thing (me reading webcomics and she doing her puzzles) when this woman barges in here talking a mile a minute about Pan knows what and eventually, after five or six minutes of this vocal bombarding, she slows down enough for me to realise, oh, wait, she wants some of our stuff for a gay exhibition of products (her words) for the end of July.  I then, as per my job, explained to her that she actually needs to speak to the Warehouse because I'm not allowed to authorise loans or exhibitions of our products at all and they might.  She then asks who to speak to and I, again as per my job, explain that it's basically whoever's there, but speak to M and he will then direct her to the person of the moment to speak to.  Does she not get harregat for that?  "Who do I speak to?" she says again.  "Martin," I reply again.  "Who do I speak to, Dieter!?" she asks really snobbily, and I just-just manage to keep my cool and tell her, "Martin."  When she asked again I used her own tone of voice on her.  The dumb bitch immediately stands up, looks me in the eye and says, "You're an arrogant little fucker, aren't you?"

Ken jy vir my?

"Well, then so are you," I say.

She turns and walks out, muttering about me being an arrogant little fucker the whole time, and I'm just, like, "Have a nice day!"  She walks around the corner and doesn't shut the fuck up about me all the way past the shop, even nodding at me at one point.  Of course I returned the nod.  What pissed me off is when the stupid **** tore up our brochure, instead of just leaving the thing or something like that for someone who actually wants it.

A bit earlier on the same basic thing happens.  A gentleman comes in from Zabad and says he likes our planters, blah blah blah, who can he speak to?  I give him the same story I gave the lady:  speak to M, he's authorised to work with phone-in clients and direct their calls and queries as he may.  The dude then asks, who's the owner of the company?  At this point Sylvia stood up and told him, as per our jobs, that we aren't allowed to give out their names or details under any circymstances, that he will have to speak to M.  The man looks at us and says flat-out, youre the first company ever that don't want to give me the owners' names.  We explained, it isn't so much we don't want to, we aren't allowed to.  He then went on about how he deals only directly with companies' owners because he negotiates special rates and trade discounts with them and so forth and such a wind, then he handed us back our brochures and walked out.

I only have one thing to ask Deity:  I've now worked twice this week, and both times I've had a customer get funny.  Goddess, is this going to be the trend for the week?