It seemed like a normal week given I had an extra day off post-holiday and lo and behold I received a phone call. I had no answer for the guy, my supervisor was out for 2 weeks, and all I got to find my answer was to talk to Brian.
Brian Williams, no not the famous one, but rather the infamous one was nowhere to be found. This man is a hero in my department, and it’s amazing the amount of knowledge, wisdom, and networking this man has. He seems to have a line of people going through the revolving door that is his office throughout the day. Every day. And NEVER have I seen him get upset when I step in that door.
See, when I started working for my department I realized early in the game that there was no training. None. They said there was training to be had but in fact there wasn’t and I dunno about you but I am worthless without some kind of direction. I studied science in college and the only thing I can take away from college is my overall knowledge of basic community college science and math skills and a killer bank shot. I actually learned more about social interaction in the billiard room than any classroom could teach me, yet I’m still the quiet, socially awkward one. Like Sheldon Cooper, but without the brains.
When I expressed my disgust with the prospect to no training, Mr. Williams stepped up. I remember it to this day, he looked into my eyes and said “I don’t care what kind of day you’re having, I don’t care the circumstance. If you need help with anything, my door is always open.”
Basically he was saying: Feel free to ask anything from the dumbest questions to the smartest ones, because when you don’t know the answer, no question is stupid. And as I wiped my nonexistent tear from my eye from the emotion of not knowing my job all that well (which I still don’t 8 years later) I knew that no matter what happened to me on the job, he’d be there to assist my idiotic queries.
This gave me an insight to the type of person Brian was. And if you know anything deep about a person, their upbringing is the probable cause behind their personality. If they seem rough and grumbly, maybe they had parents whom didn’t care all that much. Maybe it was so bad their sibling committed suicide and they have trouble coping with it making you the butt of their existence… (High school was rough for me but again, John A. among others, its ok. If it helped your psyche then cool, mine was damaged anyway). Or maybe they have a strain of depression in their family and mostly had great parents post-divorce but in adulthood it snapped this one into the quiet frustrated guy you see writing this now.
And it was that helplessness I had for a few seconds when I had that phone call during the post-holiday week at work. Brian wasn’t in to help me. I told the gentleman on the phone to call back later in the week due to Brian’s absence. Then I checked my email.
Subject: flowers…
Brian hadn’t made it to work due to his mother’s passing. Speaking of helplessness… I still can’t imagine.
The other day Brian forgot about something and its rare but also it crossed my mind to forgive him for the botched remembrance.
Yet the more I think about it Brian is so attentive and understanding because that’s the way he was brought up. By this mother whom I never met yet couldn’t do my job without her instillation in him of patience, kindness, and understanding… and I am no model employee. I complain at every instance, I moan at every thought when it doesn’t go my way, I cry when I can’t get an understanding of what I need to do my job, and I can’t understand why the department hasn’t met the 19th century of technology. But that’s government grunt work for ya. And when you’re in the business of making money, AKA revenue, spending it on small conveniences for later down the road is not an option.
Even though I can’t fathom it just yet for myself, losing a parent… it’s the only inevitability to living…
Thanks Mrs. Williams. You done good.
III
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