Sunday, March 11, 2007
Friends En Masse
This Saturday at work many of my patrons were people I've worked with or known anyway.
First, a guy from a book store where I used to work came in, saw me and said, "You work here?"
Then a friend of a friend came in and talked to me for about ten minutes. Then a co-worker from another book store said hi. She's just moved to town and had told me months ago she'd become a patron. Then a guy I worked with twenty years ago came in. He recognized me right away. I knew he was a patron because I'd seen a few books on hold for him last week. I'd been hoping he'd come in when I was on hand. Another friend came in earlier and we talked about Peter Sellers. (This is because he was borrowing THE PARTY, a Blake Edwards/Sellers thing done between the two clusters of PINK PANTHER movies.)
Last night a friend from childhood came in and said, "You work here?"
Best of all, during my break I went to the bakery across the street. A girl behind the counter whom I'd never seen before appeared to be offering to help me before other people who'd been waiting. I wasn't sure if they were ahead of me or not, so when she said "Can I help you?" I dropped my scruples and ordered. Her co-workers gave her the look that says, "What are you doing?" She got me the tea and the scone I'd ordered and said to me, "Did you read a story at the open mike at the library recently?"
"Yes," I said.
"I thought so. I was in the audience. You were great."
Now I was sure she'd let me cut in line. For the first and probably the only time in my life I was being given the preferential treatment celebrities get.
The story I'd read at the library was LAW ABIDERS, which is on this blog as a fairly recent entry. Ever since reading it my co-workers have been coming up to me saying they enjoyed my reading or that they wish they'd been there to hear me. That is very nice indeed, and not something I'm at all used to. But that a person with no connection to me would have singled me out just to say she liked my story is really thrilling.
Before all these nice people encountered me today I had a moment of shared hostility with a patron. I was in the wrong and apologized to him about twenty minutes later as he was walking toward the door. He was graceful about it and I'm grateful. I am not quite the stereotypical Civil Service worker I've been afraid I might become.
First, a guy from a book store where I used to work came in, saw me and said, "You work here?"
Then a friend of a friend came in and talked to me for about ten minutes. Then a co-worker from another book store said hi. She's just moved to town and had told me months ago she'd become a patron. Then a guy I worked with twenty years ago came in. He recognized me right away. I knew he was a patron because I'd seen a few books on hold for him last week. I'd been hoping he'd come in when I was on hand. Another friend came in earlier and we talked about Peter Sellers. (This is because he was borrowing THE PARTY, a Blake Edwards/Sellers thing done between the two clusters of PINK PANTHER movies.)
Last night a friend from childhood came in and said, "You work here?"
Best of all, during my break I went to the bakery across the street. A girl behind the counter whom I'd never seen before appeared to be offering to help me before other people who'd been waiting. I wasn't sure if they were ahead of me or not, so when she said "Can I help you?" I dropped my scruples and ordered. Her co-workers gave her the look that says, "What are you doing?" She got me the tea and the scone I'd ordered and said to me, "Did you read a story at the open mike at the library recently?"
"Yes," I said.
"I thought so. I was in the audience. You were great."
Now I was sure she'd let me cut in line. For the first and probably the only time in my life I was being given the preferential treatment celebrities get.
The story I'd read at the library was LAW ABIDERS, which is on this blog as a fairly recent entry. Ever since reading it my co-workers have been coming up to me saying they enjoyed my reading or that they wish they'd been there to hear me. That is very nice indeed, and not something I'm at all used to. But that a person with no connection to me would have singled me out just to say she liked my story is really thrilling.
Before all these nice people encountered me today I had a moment of shared hostility with a patron. I was in the wrong and apologized to him about twenty minutes later as he was walking toward the door. He was graceful about it and I'm grateful. I am not quite the stereotypical Civil Service worker I've been afraid I might become.
# posted by Fredwemyss @ 12:31 AM 
