So, it’s New 12 months’s Eve. I’m working, after all. However, I’m alleged to be off at 5:30pm. Nicely, let’s be sincere, I’m off every time my boss decides he desires to depart the workplace. I’m hoping because it IS New 12 months’s Eve and he’s going to a celebration, he’ll duck out early and I’ll be capable of go away at an honest hour in order that I could make the hour commute residence. Oddly, I don’t reside 60 miles from work, sadly, it’s a mere 16 miles, however I reside in Los Angeles, which appears to have fixed visitors, however extra so in the course of the hours of 6am and 6pm. Who am I kidding? There may be visitors day by day, all day lengthy. I usually marvel if anybody holds down an actual job on this metropolis….so there’s that.
I’m patiently watching the clock tick tock down and dealing away. As traditional, on New 12 months’s Eve, no person is admittedly working. I imply, most individuals are out-of-town, particularly all the Executives. They’re with household or touring or at residence stress-free. I, nevertheless, haven’t had a time without work in roughly 2.5 years. It’s on events akin to as we speak, that my boss, someway decides that he wants to arrange and clear out completely the whole lot in his “inbox” and workplace and I get to determine find out how to prioritize and re-organize for him. He pulls me into his workplace and arms me stacks of papers, folders, envelopes, receipts after which begins spouting off one thing that I can barely perceive. After about 10 seconds, I understand he’s dictating a letter. For pete’s sake…a head’s up could be good so I can put all of these items down and seize my pen and paper. So, I throw the stuff on the chair subsequent to me and choose up my helpful notepad and feverishly attempt to meet up with what he’s saying. I feel “Crap, who is that this letter even to? What is that this about? Did he need it to be emailed or despatched snail mail or …?” I catch as a lot as I can, scribbling in my very own “shorthand”. He finishes and I do know higher than to ask any questions. Asking questions is sort of a demise sentence. You’re supposed to only know the solutions and when you don’t know….you work it out. So, I feel he’s executed speaking and I choose the whole lot up and slowly begin towards the door. He says “Misty, do you suppose you possibly can arrange all of that and have that letter earlier than I go away as we speak?” Nicely, I do not know what time he will likely be leaving, however I reply “positive, no drawback” and stroll out.
I re-read my scribbled letter and attempt to make sense of what he’s attempting to get throughout. I determine WHO he’s writing to in order that helps, considerably. If I ship it out with out asking him to look it over, he will likely be very upset. If I ask him to look it over earlier than I despatched out, he will likely be very upset and doubtless inform me he doesn’t have time “proper now”. I put the letter in e mail kind after which stare on the SEND button on pc for an eternity. Which is the lesser of two evils? It’s getting near 4pm by now…tick tock, tick tock. I press SEND and maintain my breath. As if on cue, he comes flying out of his workplace and says he desires to vary one thing within the letter. Oh. Expensive. God. I simply lie. I simply flat-out lie and say “no drawback, I haven’t despatched it but”. He makes one tiny change, it’s only one phrase. I fly into my outlook and attempt to recall the e-mail that was despatched and exchange it with the change. Fortunately, it’s not a giant deal, so if it doesn’t work, hopefully nobody will discover. My abdomen turns in knots. In fact, he’ll in all probability discover, as a result of heaven forbid they reply to his e mail after which what? He’ll have a look at the unique. I brush this off and understand I don’t have time to fret about it. I’ve a whole “inbox” to arrange.
About 35 minutes later, my boss saunters out of his workplace, jacket and briefcase in hand and says he has to get residence to vary and prepare for the celebration. YESSSSUUUHH!!! If I’m fortunate, I end the group in one other 45 minutes and be out the door. About 3.5 minutes later, he calls from his name. He all the time does. Each, single day. After which that is what he says “so, what else is occurring?” I don’t even know find out how to reply that. I by no means do, however I all the time really feel as if it’s a check, so I’ve to think about one thing that makes it sound as if I’m busy, busy, busy and so is he. So, I ramble off an inventory of issues on my plate. He says “okay, sounds good, effectively, you must get out of there quickly, when you can”. Gosh, actually? Thanks SO MUCH. He hangs up. He calls again a couple of minutes later “Hey Misty, my spouse simply known as and he or she forgot that she has to choose up garments for the children and herself which can be on maintain on the design store for tonight. Do you suppose you possibly can swing by and choose these up and drop them off to our home in your method residence?”. To start with, the design store and his home are nowhere close to “on my method residence”. For the love of all that’s good on this world. “Positive, no drawback. I’ll head over as quickly as I go away right here”. I say by way of gritted tooth. “Nice!” he replies.
5:52pm I head out, race over to the design store that’s closing at 6:30pm, attempt to seize the garments and head to his home, however not earlier than they inform me they want cost as a result of his spouse forgot to present it to him over the cellphone. I attempt to give him their bank card info, however he says he wants the precise card. Ugh! I take out my AMEX and hand it to him. That’ll be $742.50. Superior. Let’s see how lengthy that takes to get reimbursed. It’s now 6:45pm, I race to his home and make it by 7:28pm….as a result of effectively…visitors. I arrive at his home and hand over the garments, then attempt to sneak out. His spouse comes downstairs and says “Thanks a lot for dropping these off, you’re a lifesaver!” I reply, “You’re welcome, it’s no drawback in any respect”. In the meantime, my cellphone is buzzing off the hook from buddies questioning the place I’m? Why haven’t I known as? I used to be supposed to fulfill them at 7:30pm for drinks. I haven’t responded. My boss comes down the steps and stares at me for a cut up second, I feel questioning WHY I’m at his home. It clicks and he says “Thanks for doing that Misty”. I simply smile. I then marvel if it’s protected to depart. Do I simply say goodbye and stroll out? Do I wait? Does he want one thing else? He turns and walks away along with his spouse, so I simply stand there for a second. I have a look at my cellphone. 7:50pm. Fabulous. I flip and stroll away and head out the door.
I’m clear throughout city from my home, about 26 miles. I get in my automobile and begin driving within the bumper to bumper visitors. I arrive safely residence by 9:12pm. I’ve already spoken to my buddies who’re contained in the celebration, having a good time, ingesting, socializing…LIVING. The celebration, by the way in which, is again throughout city, close to my workplace. I begin to become my costume and understand by the point I prepare and recover from to the celebration it will likely be nearly 11pm. I throw on my sweats, seize a bottle of wine from the fridge and sit on the sofa. The subsequent morning, I’ve the time without work of labor, one other unfastened time period in my world. My boss calls and asks if I can discover, order and choose up 2 bikes. Simply discover 2 bikes that I feel would match a 7 and 9-year-old who’re coming over as we speak to play. Identical to that. Simply discover them on New 12 months’s day and convey them over when I’ve them. Nicely doesn’t this appears to be like like the beginning of a recent, new 12 months…