how i made the teller girl cry
she's a nice enough girl, always initiating the awkward teller-to-guy-that-just-wants-to-turn-in-the-work-deposit conversation with a smile. we share annecdotes mainly. which is why i know that she spent thanksgiving in the hospital because her husband split his head open in a turkey-bowl football mishap. in turn, she knows that i spend half of my workday working with kids, and the other half i spend teaching sixth grade. she will even jokingly complain when i end up in "another teller's" stall.so why would i make her cry? i'm not even sure myself and things happened so fast. it all started with another one of our short teller-to-customer conversations (she likes to ask questions like, "so what have you done that's exciting today?"). it went somethink like this:
girl: going for a new look? (she noticed that there were 6-7 unshaved hairs lining my chin)
me: not really, i'm just lazy and on vacation.
girl: oh that's right. you teachers get all of the great breaks!
me: ...well i am still working the other job...
girl: (i don't think that she heard the last thing i said) Of course you don't get paid that well.
me: it's alright.
girl: there are more important things than money.
me: i think they're called intrinsic rewards.
girls: besides the good paying jobs are usually not rewarding at all. kind of like this job.
me: uh, ummm... i think they're called intrinsic rewards?
girl: at least you do something that has an impact on someone else's life. all i do is take people's money. and they're usually the people with the meaningless high-paying jobs. maybe someday i'll do something with my life that's worthwhile.
me: ... ... ...
i'm not sure what to type to represent the total silence on my end. i seriously need to talk to the maker because i think i'm missing the empathy chip that should have allowed for me to say something comforting. at any rate, she closed her teller door, threw herself onto the ground and began wailing. all i could make out was "why God?" and "i'll never be worth anything" the other tellers shoo'd me away and told me to "just leave"
so it's more clear now than ever ...i've still got it with the ladies!
posted by kazuhank @ 3:45 PM
4 Comments:
Nicely done. You're not called Smoothy for nothing.
i like to make them cry so that i can offer my shoulder. underhanded yes, but it works everytime.
You teachers--you think you're all "Holier than Thou" well I've got news for you. We know the truth. We know that teaching was all you could do with that English degree. We know that you are all simply underachievers posing as caring, dedicated, idealists. Hah. We are on to you!
Busted. When you can't do teach. Or in my case, when they offer a human development evening-only program at the local college and your options are social work or teaching, choose teaching. ;)
...and yes, i am holier than all of thee.
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