Me and Marry

"Hey. You figured it out," Tubby said, when I successfully restarted the GMA2500, something-something the blue machine which is like a locamotive without wheels.

Yes, I think I finally have. There she goes, I said, cork-screwing my yellow spongey ear plugs back into my ears.

"Some people, it takes a day. Some people, a few weeks..." he told me, as a bit of trivia.

Prelude. All prelude.

Yes, I said. The willy wonka whistles actually seem to come together for a tune, at times. Some people , a few weeks. I've been here six months. Yeppers, I said a lot louder. And some six months. Still pleased.

Hey, I'm a part-timer and an avoidant. Sometimes I'm in the wrong place at the right time. This might actually have been my...3rd attempt. Go f yourself.

look, if i'm not interested, i forget. That's why I don't know the names of the stars and constellations, why i don't know my biology, and lots of peoples' names

Speaking of which, they misspelled my co-worker Mary's name in our intercompany newsletter. (I work for a newspaper, see, so you're supposed to find that mildly, smilingly amusing.) Really, they did. And I don't mean they couldn't spell Brendzlinghoffer. I mean they mispelled "Mary". As in, 'Marry'. Yess...

She pointed to her name (it was a list of people who'd won this month's safety prizes, she got a gallon cooler) and said, "look, there I am. At the bottom of the list."

I looked at her. I looked at the spelling again. I looked at her. She is an Iowan. We Iowans notice ourselves when we're at the bottom of a list but still: This is what you find remarkable?

Everyone teased her a bit, for the typo, asking if she was raised by bohemian parents, or if that was a "family name", 'Marry'. Then an hour later I got a call into see the boss, Tomm, whose office is sound-proof but not vibe proof from the press and the big blue machines.

Deanne, the obligatory factory beauty, was just stepping out and didn't make eye contact with me. So, I knew it was bad. Usually she stops and talks, and stands so close she's actually sometimes,,, and I'm all sometimes,,,

Very cute girl. nice overbite. husband. She's eh, I've described her before. Off limits.

This isn't about that.

So, Tomm asks me to have a seat. "Do you know Mary Brendlingerrer, John?"

"Mary? Oh heck yes, I was just now having a little laugh with her about..."

"She's in charge of Returns and is leaving in two weeks. I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking over..." He looked over my shoulder and waved 'come in' and the door opened. "Hi, Mary. Have a seat. You know John."

"Yes. We're both from Iowa," she smiled. (Mary became a grandmother five weeks ago. She's about, ehhhhh, couple years older than me, if not younger. Cute as a button. Husband is a major in the Air Force.)

He turned back to me. "You'll still have 28 hours max a week, I'm afraid, but I'll give you weekends off from now on. You'll still do some assembly work when we need you."

"Gosh Mary, I'm sorry to hear you're leaving."

"It's my ears."

"Huh?"

Tomm continued. He's a nice guy, almost a cutey himself, so fat and mean looking, but when he smiles and laughs, you know... Cute.

Everybody's cute today!! did i take an extra pill? sometimes i'll forget if i took one and just have to take another because i'd rather be caught out in a happy sappy world than one that shifts under my feet

"How does that sound? Mary can start training you today after lunch. And since you're already offline, you can go ahead and take an early one, be back around 12:30. How's that all sound, John?"

"Swell! Thanks for thinking of me, glad to!"

"Onwards and upwards, eh??" he grinned and reached out across the desk to shake my hand.

I'm glad he said that. No raise, probably, but I wanted to be sure it wasn't a demotion I'd just been rewarded.

So, today was almost something to write home about. And this afternoon I wasn't at the GMA2500, which was broke down at press-time, but outside enjoying for the first time what actually happens outside when the GMA2500 breaks down.

Cars line up. They end up backed up so far they block the post office next door.

I should have had my camera.

I will next time.

Everyone gets out of their cars to complain that the paper isn't magically coming out of the hole in the brick wall, onto the steel conveyer belt for them to load up for their routes.

I got to hang with the supes, who are always as helpless as anyone (they're not machinists) when thinks go sploink. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Anyway, after the initial grumbling, it becomes a bit like a family reunion. All the carriers seem to know one another well. Perhaps they are cunning enemies all plotting to expand their routes but that's business and this is just half-time.

It was a beautiful day for the first day in two weeks, also. Cheerfulness busting out.

This probably means I didn't get the programmer job across the street. But I was kind of dreading that anyway. I'm not ready for it. Let me learn some office work now first. It makes sense, in a way. God's will and coincidently, mine too.

thanks for visiting! Your friend,
in charge of Returns,

Johhn