This is the 89th installment of a 100-day challenge to write a new vignette every morning.
I would have gotten the promotion, but my attendance wasn’t good enough. Apparently, if you want to be promoted, you have to show up to work every day. And you also have to be on time. Who knew?
It seems unreasonable to expect a 100% success rate on anything, but I guess I’m just not management material. That’s fine.
I could sit around and mope, but that doesn’t do anyone any good. That first Monday after they announced Lisa had gotten the job, I got out of bed earlier than I ever had. I was out the door more than an hour before I had to be at the office; I had work to do.
I started with the coffee shop on her way to work. A few strategically placed—albeit false—ads tripled the normal line. When Lisa arrived, a dozen customers in front of her pestered the barista about the signs they’d seen for 50% off large coffees.
As Lisa waited—God, I can’t believe she waited—I took the liberty of letting a little air out of one of her tires. It was totally flat by the time she rushed out with her coffee.
I blocked the entrance to the parking garage with a line of patio chairs—the plastic kind you can buy at any garden store. She had to get out and clear them away one by one before she could even get into the garage. Then she had to clear even more chairs out of her fancy new parking space.
She arrived 17 minutes late, and our boss did not look happy.
Miles Away 