We recently received a book at my store called Mean Girls
at Work. My friend Cathy and I browsed through it and realized that one of
our co-workers is just that: a really mean girl. Or in her case, a really mean
older woman.
This is a person that is so difficult to work with, that the
rest of the staff is contemplating giving our notices if she doesn’t retire
soon. We don’t complain to our bosses about her. It falls on deaf ears. They
just brush it off as her being “just an old woman.” And so we grit our teeth
and try to ignore her ranting.
This person truly believes we are dithering idiots who have
no idea how to run a bookstore or for that matter have never read anything
remotely literary. In fact, we ALL read. A lot. Several books a week. We run
the gamut from classics to sci-fi. History, biography, quirky fiction (that’s
me), mystery and new fiction. We read more in a week than that woman does in a
year. She once admitted to never finishing a book. She reads the first chapters
and the last, so she can recommend them to customers. Yeah. That totally
doesn’t make it in my realm.
This person has told others (who tell us) that she is the
only one who ever does any work. At all. Kind of amazing because if that were
the case there would be no books on the shelves, but instead, packed in boxes
in the already crowded stockroom.
This person has told me she knows so much more about music
than I do because she lived in Cambridge (Boston) in the 1960’s. This person
once came to a gig of my jazz band and then proceeded to make a list of all the
songs SHE thinks we should have on our set list because she knows more about
jazz than I do. OK. So I do my best to ignore her mumbling and nasty comments
when what I really want is for a shelf of hardcovers to fall on her head.
This is a person who makes monetary mistakes and then blames
the rest of the staff because she won’t ever admit to being wrong. Has left the
store unlocked but blames others for it. Has been rude to customers. In fact,
some of our customers have hightailed it out the door because this woman is so
difficult.
And I think the worst remark that she makes quite often is
that she looks so much younger and is so beautiful compared to Cathy and myself
(she’s 15 years older than us). In fact she tells me the highlights in my hair
are ugly and that Cathy’s tan is hideous. This from a woman who reminds us that
people think she looks like Salma Hayek. Well, folks, if she’s Salma than I’m
Audrey Hepburn. Or Giselle.
And so we take deep breaths and move on. At which point she
complains that we’re ignoring her. It’s difficult to be civil to someone who
makes you feel so miserable. We count the days until she goes on vacation or
takes a few days off.
We remind ourselves that she’s delusional and more than a
bit senile. Others have said tsk, tsk she’s just an old woman to whom we reply,
YOU come work with her for one week straight and then let us know what you
think.
I love our little store. It’s our little piece of heaven in
an airport terminal. We’ve created it from nothing two years ago and now it’s a
popular attraction. If it weren’t for one person it would be pure perfection.
And now, I’m going to take deep breaths and sigh in relief,
knowing that in fact, she IS going away for a few days. Pure bliss!
Have a great week. I know I will!
