Of course I was kidding. I didn't want to get married and I didn't want to cavort with my bosses boss that would be like a mini National Enquirer nightmare at work. I so appreciated this man's kindness. When he found his apartment I did all the shopping for him. Dishes, glasses, towels, all that stuff you need to start over. It was the least I could do.
I had spent months doing a dog and pony show about how we should train customer service representatives to work on the phone. Sending them through umpteen departmental training sessions would take forever and they didn't need to know how to do everything. They needed know how to FIND everything and interpret the information in the appropriate fields on the on-line system screens. We needed a manual and curriculum for our team. It took months and months of preparation to write all the curriculum and processes and create the reference binder to help reps navigate the many systems. I didn't do this all by myself. I had help from several sources but this was my dog and pony show. I was a SME. Subject Matter Expert.
Current had to attend a meeting of all bigwigs in Chicago with other Center bigwigs and headquarters people and the president of sales and the CEO. He wanted me to come to Chicago and give my presentation for the prestigious gathering. Sure. I could do it in my sleep and answer all the questions I knew would follow. At the same time my brother and his family, now with two children, (a boy and a girl, perfect), were coming to visit. Mom and Dad wanted a family picture taken and all of us to go to dinner on Friday night. I told dad that my flight wouldn't get in from Chicago until late Friday afternoon but I would haul butt and try to make it on time. Dad was FINALLY impressed with me. I was giving a presentation to IMPORTANT CORPORATE people. I had done it before, no biggie, but I let him be impressed.
Current was already in Chicago when I arrived for my part of the meeting. I did my little show, answered four zillion questions and never cried or vomited. In other words it was a success. YAY. Current said to me after the meeting that he was proud to have me in his organization and how they couldn't run without me. Did I want to go downtown and have some real Chicago pizza to celebrate? "Hell, yes". I was too afraid to venture into downtown Chicago by myself so I was THRILLED to see a big city and eat famous pizza with someone who had lived there.
I put on my comfy jeans with a Tee and sandals to walk around the city and eat Chicago style pizza. We arrived at the restaurant and there was no pizza. There was however a very suave man in tails and people who looked like they were going to or coming from the opera. I felt like a bumpkin. The waiters knew my name and brought me a cocktail I didn't order. The sommalier arrived at the table with wine selections for the pre arranged dinner of Duck something, vegetables I couldn't identify and fancy flaming something for dessert. OK. I better go the ladies room and adjust my demeanor. HOLY COW! I had never seen a public bathroom quite like this before. With an attendant. And real towels. And private bathrooms, not toilets, bathrooms with sinks and mirrors. Say what?
I made polite conversation through dinner and tried to draw no extra attention to myself being the only homeless looking person in the establishment. We dined. Dining takes forever. I am kind of impatient with sitting, eating and the drinking that accompanies fancy dinners, not for me, not often anyway. Current and I were going to have a little talk on the way back to the suburbs and our very separate rooms. VERY SEPARATE.
We got in the rental car and I thanked him very much for the dinner and told him that I had never experienced anything like that before. Then I ripped him a new one.
"I DON'T LIKE BEING MANIPULATED", was how I started. "Of all the men on EARTH I thought would do this, you were the last on the list. I am STUNNED. What, do you think I am going to date my bosses boss and completely commit professional suicide?" I needed to breathe. He needed to chain smoke, he threw a butt out the window. "AND don't EVER do THAT!, how disgusting. Good grief. You need to know the truth about me. I am NOT corporate Barbie. I am Old Hippie Barbie. I smoke a joint EVERY MORNING BEFORE WORK so I can deal with 22 whiners not to mention customers who are convinced that Xerox does INDEED begin with a Z. I AM NOT cheerful and fun. I am opinionated and bitchy. ASK ALL MY HUSBANDS. AND if I am having a bad day I go some place quiet and smoke a joint AT LUNCH. You can imagine what I do at home. FIRE ME. I will not put up with this SHIT from ANYBODY".
"I don't have a problem with anything you just said and I apologize for being grandiose. I just think a woman like you deserves so much better than you obviously have received. Any man who would let you go without doing everything he was capable of is an idiot. As for smoking marijuana, I don't see that as being different than alcohol. We've all had those lunches. I just wanted to show you that life can be different and I would NEVER take advantage of you or expect anything in return".
oh.
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