|
Apparently my job description now includes telephone buddy and confidant. I’ve never known the Boss to be much of a conversationalist, at least not with me, but today he phoned and asked, “Hot enough for you?” And we chatted about the weather for ten or fifteen minutes, while my payroll sat on the desk, undone. But what are you going to do, right? He gave me another raise yesterday.
Oh yes, the raise. This one came out of the blue, and I have Julie to thank for it (indirectly). With her out of the picture, the Boss has hired a part-time bookkeeper for the Kennel, to do some of the things she used to do. Sanjaya (not his real name, and maybe I should come up with another pseudonym) was given two rates that the Boss was willing to pay, and naturally he picked the higher one.
His rate just happens to be a dollar an hour more than I’m making, so when the Boss told me (I do write all the paychecks, after all, so he couldn’t hide it from me), he told me to give myself a two-dollar raise. I guess one of the “owners” (though it’s still hard to think of myself that way) isn’t supposed to be making less than a part-timer. I guess. Anyway, I didn’t turn it down. It almost makes up for my recent rent increase.
My new pal told me about his grandkids, some of whom are dyslexic like he was. Is. He still can’t spell. Even when he knows he’s looking at something that he’s spelled wrong, he can’t come up with the right way to spell it. That’s another reason he’s likely to call me, any time of the day. He and Tim both often ask me how to spell something, and sometimes I have to ask them if they’re sure they’re pronouncing the word right. There are construction terms that mean nothing to me, but I still have to come up with a spelling. I’m learning. I guess I should, after twenty years on the fringe of the business. |
