Well, I'm Not Fired...Yet - Part II

Well, I’ve been meaning to get around to telling the conclusion of this little tale…just haven’t felt up to it…physically, mentally, emotionally. The wound isn’t as raw as it was initially, so I may not sound as full of passion, but here goes. When last we left our “fair damsel,” it was near the end of the work day…the day that Sandy walked out in a complete snit. I went off to a much-needed visit to the chiropractor, then home to spend a contemplative…albeit…miserable evening. I just knew this was all going to be twisted around to be my fault, and I’m just way too old to start job hunting again. I am the definition of “creature of habit” and I’m not too crazy about change, okay?

Anyway, surprisingly, I did get a good night’s sleep, but I was dreading going into the office on Tuesday morning. Dave stopped by my office early on to let me know that Sandy had called in to give him her official resignation over the phone. Dave told me that to cover his…ahem…butt, he was going to talk with Casey and Kelly…to see what kind of experiences they had working with me as their supervisor. I told Dave that was not a problem and I completely understood. I really wasn’t worried about what they had to say about me, but then, until the day before, I had felt the same way about Sandy.

But by about 4:30 that day, I had managed to work myself into a frenzy of doubt and frustration and was certain I was going to be fired. Actually, I’ve had a “feeling” for a while now that something portentous was in the offing, so I had pretty much resigned myself to my fate. (Sorry for sounding like a drama queen.) It’s just that I’ve been down this road before, and I’ve learned firsthand that no matter how good you are at your job, no matter how many glowing evaluations or accolades you’ve received…when they decide to get rid of you…you’re gone. So, I packed up my few remaining personal items (I had brought all my Reds and Bengals framed pictures and memorabilia and other personal items home back when I moved offices a few weeks ago) and was sitting at my desk awaiting the “verdict” when Dave and Chris (the comptroller/HR guy) walked in and closed the door.

Dave started out by telling me that he wasn’t going to tell me everything that Kelly and Casey said, but that I didn’t have anything to worry about; as far as he and Chris were concerned…everything was okay. Then they asked me if I had anything I wanted to say about the whole Sandy situation, and I said that as far as I was concerned Sandy had overreacted to something that…normally…she would have laughed about with me. I told them that I felt like she had thrown away a hell of a good job and that I had noticed that she had become withdrawn in recent weeks, but I wasn’t completely sure what had brought that about because she no longer confided in me like she used to. To be honest, if she had suddenly developed a problem with me, it was doubtful she would discuss it with me anyway. By the way, I'm still clueless as to what I did to alienate her...other than the Casey situation...she and I had never had a truly cross word in the 2+ years we worked together.

There is a lot more I could say about Sandy and her home life; i.e., she has a family who could do a week's worth of appearances on the Jerry Springer Show and still need more time. But I’m not going to speak ill of her. I hope she finds a job where she can be happy and completely strife-free. I know she had been looking…had two job interviews in the past couple of months, in fact…so she was well on her way out the door. The way I look at it…it was just a matter of time. If my little email had not served to set her off and storming out the door the way it did, something else would have.

As for me, I now get to engage in that glorious pastime of searching for a replacement. (Did you detect a hint of sarcasm?) Oh joy, oh rapture. I’m not very good at picking employees. Quite frankly, I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than interview prospective employees. Personally, I’d rather do the job myself.