(Originally posted in Facebook on June 26, 2019)
Sorry . . .
I sat down yesterday and wrote an entire post about everything that M did that drove me crazy the rest of the weekend, but then I deleted it. As I read over it, it just sounded to me like “bitch, bitch, bitch.” All I was doing was complaining and sounded ungrateful – and that’s not how I want to live my life.
So, let’s start fresh today.
When I got home yesterday, M had a business card on the counter from his friend who works in HR at his company, so he had actually gone to talk to him yesterday afternoon!! Progress! Turns out, the friend didn’t know anything about the position that had opened up for M and that he had been promised the position. It’s a big company, so the fact that the friend is out of the loop isn’t concerning.
It did give M and me a chance to talk about it and I found out that the guy who is retiring and whose place M will be taking is still on the job – he hasn’t retired yet. Which means that the supervisor told M exactly what M wanted to hear and not the reality of the situation. Something this supervisor has done several times in the past. I don’t think this guy does it out of malice, but he seems to be one of those people who avoids tough or unpleasant conversations and says whatever it takes to get the person to go away. I told M he needed to be aware of this and be prepared to take everything this guy says with a grain of salt – because he’s only going to tell you what you want to hear.
On Sunday, the battery in my car died and M said he would replace it. I had a funeral to attend, so I took his car and left. When I came back, he was downstairs, watching TV and the hood of my car was up, battery still in place. When I asked about it, he said he was having a problem getting the battery out and didn’t know how he was going to do it.
Okay.
I let it go for a few minutes (long enough to change clothes) then I asked him what his “plan B” was. The next thing I know, he’s back in the garage, “trying again” and lo and behold, this time IT WORKED!! He was able to get the battery out and, $150 later, I have a new battery.
I have to say, this new work ethic, or lack thereof, is . . . well, new. The old M would work on something until it was done and then he would find something else to do. But now, unless I’m standing over him, he doesn’t hesitate to give up and jump in front of the TV.
I’d like to get one of those cameras where I can see him sit down to watch TV and then say, “Hey, what are you doing? Get up from there!” But I’d probably be laughing too hard, once he jumped up, to say anything.