Marlon
I’d been considering leaving my last company for quite some time. The reasons were multiple and various, as were the reasons keeping me there. Eventually an opportunity arose and I took it. To be honest I was debating with myself for a while wether I was doing the right thing, but in the end nothing is ever as scary as it seems so all has turned out fine.
When I came to this new place for my interview, the first thing that struck me was the doorman. Not literally struck me. Well – almost.
“Take this” (Throws visitor badge at me angrily)
“Ow”
“What’s your name? WHAT’S YOUR NAME??”
“Uuuhhh”
“Grrrr”
“…”
He looks a bit like Marlon Brando in the less flattering stages of his life, and is ten times as scary. He is quite honestly the most outwardly miserable man I’ve ever encountered, to the point of it being great comedy.
I made it my business to get him to say good morning to me. I like a challenge and this seemed exactly like a challenge. On day one I signed my name on the sheet as required and muttered a nervous “Good morning”. He sneered and turned away with an air of thick contempt.
Day two – I was walking towards the office from the car park and spotted him at the edge of the car park in front of me. Part of me was relieved that I could sign my name without fear of the sneer, and part of me was nervous about walking past him and offending him with my presence.
As I walked past, he turned his head towards me.
“hello”
Christ – I didn’t expect that. Was the challenge over?
“Good morning”
In hindsight it wasn’t so much an end to the challenge, but more of a warning. Him telling me that the ball is in his court. He controls the ‘hello’s and where they might be delivered.
Sure enough on day three – silence.
Day four, today, he wasn’t even here. He knows what I’m doing and he’s trying everything to stop me. I’ll break him though. One day I’ll be able to walk in here and say ‘good morning’ and know that I’ll get a ‘good morning’ back again. The challenge has only just begun.
Add comment September 8th, 2004