Today was my first bad day at work but thankfully it wasn’t because of the staff or anything like that.
Part of my job is the promotion of the organisation and the recruitment of the volunteers. Today, to try and do both of those, I drove over to a town called Llandovery to ask shops to put up posters and speak to the community centre, the local surgery and the dentists to see about getting referrals etc and seeing if anyone wants to volunteer.
We’ve got a student with us on placement from her course for two weeks and it was my turn to keep her busy. Thankfully she’s lovely and willing! So we hit the shops first. The place is a bakers. I introduce myself and the woman agrees to display a poster! ‘Excellent’ I’m thinking! Lets hope they’re all as helpful.
The second place is a butchers.
“Sorry son but we can’t put posters in the window due to health and safety!” he said. Now, I’m already pissed off at the fact he’s called me son as I fucking hate that so you can imagine how I felt when he said no… especially when the door was covered in posters!
“But you’ve got them all over the door,” I said, smiling.
“But that’s the door son, and you said window!”
“WELL FUCK YOU THEN YOU FUCKING SHIT OF A BUTCHER! I”M ONLY TRYING TO DO MY JOB AND YOU COULD DO YOUR BIT BY HELPING OUR A CHARITY THAT PROBABLY FUCKING SUPPORTS 90% OF YOUR FUCKING CUSTOMERS YOU MISERABLE FUCKING LOW-LIFE AND DON’T CALL ME SON AGAIN!” Is what I should have said.
Instead I smiled and said “thank you” in a manner that really said “thanks for nothing but if you’d like to insult my intelligence a little bit more I might just bend up and take it up the tail pipe!”
The next few shops were all fine and happily but a poster up but then I got the book shop.
As I opened the door the cutest sleepiest dog looked up at me with huge brown eyes…. and growled! The woman behind the counter didn’t lift her head up from her book or mutter anything so I edged my way around the shelving until I finally got the desk where she sat with her half moon glasses on and peering over the top of them she said “Yes?”
After explaining who I was and where I was from I said “I wondered if you’d display this poster for me?”
“I’m sorry we don’t do that here.”
“But you’ve got some in the window already, could this just go next to those?”
“They are for local groups.”
“We’re a local group, we cover the whole of Dinefwr!”
“I’m sorry you’re too far away!”
“Okay, well thanks anyway,” I said heading for the door.
By the door still sat the mutt. The cute grin gone and he was glaring at me as though his teeth were insistent I bought something! Grabbing the door-handle and trying to make my escape I looked down and smiled at the mongrel only to watch the fucker go for my ankles and see the shop owner smile as if willing the dog to attack me!
The rest of the shops were fine but then I got to the dentist.
I walked and could smell the rubber seating and plastic plants and my sphincter instantly tightened. I grinned through gritted teeth at the reception and explained where I was from and who I was and halfway through asking her if she could display our poster I heard the whirring of the drill coming from the little room behind. I think the reception could tell I was in my own personal nightmare as I dumped the poster and a handful of leaflets and hollered a thank you and goodbye as I left.
As I stepped out the heavens opened and down came the rain. I was at the end of the street. As far from my car as I could possibly be in the town! And where was the student? She was staying cosy out of the rain… shopping!
So there you have what has to be the worst day of my new job so far. Not a bad day really on reflection but could have still done with out it.
TTFN x
