Oct 1: The Silent Enemy

Every office environment is different. Different people, work cultures, etc. But there always seems to be one thing that is prevalent in any workplace. It is a thing of sneaky sorts and spreads like a cancer. Gossip. All you have to do is look around or stay quiet long enough and you see it all around. People whispering and talking behind someone’s back. You can determine that you will not partake and are above this, but believe me the opportunity will always present itself.

There is always a ringleader. Someone who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They come to you as if they are friendly and just getting to know you, but really they are just collecting more ammo.

I met this wolf today. She was very very nice and cunning. I had written that I had a Mean Girls experience so I was already a little skeptical. Nevertheless, this older black woman comes into my cubicle and introduces herself. So we are chit chatting but right away I can see that I will have to keep her at bay. She has been in the company for a long time which meant she had a wealth of information good and bad. I wanted no parts in that.

Two things struck me. One that she would claim through and through that she loved the Lord yet blow her witness so easy. I don’t doubt she loves the Lord at all. It just showed me how I needed to conduct myself because I never wanted anyone to tune me out regarding the Lord because they heard me talking about someone. If I was going to spend 7 hours a day at a place, I wanted to make sure I could be a witness. While she talked I asked God to help me be an example to her and to not get caught up in her messiness.

I get on the elevator to leave work and there is this group of women in there. They all looked like oompa loompas. Not in girth or characteristics, but in stature. They were all short. So I walk in the elevator and I am literally one to two heads taller than all these women. I just smile. They begin to speak in Spanish. Now I am not fluent in Spanish but I understand it and knew that these women were talking about me.

Did they just call me a gordita? No that’s not a real word. That’s an item at Taco Bell. They said gordo which means fat. So I turned around and said, “Are you talking about me? Did you just call me big?” They were shocked and then begin laughing. They went on to explain that I was very tall, which I knew. They should’ve used alto or another word besides fat. I explained it was mis zapatos and they laughed harder. I laughed too but it confirmed one thing for me. When I go to get my manicures and pedicures I know they are talking about me when they start speaking in another language.

So, I knew Spanish enough to understand the women in the elevator, but not enough for the next person I was to encounter. His name was Jose Luis. Seriously. He was trying to ask me out and get my number. I couldn’t really understand him nor could he understand me. I didn’t get for the life of me how he thought we would go on a date when we couldn’t even hold a conversation. It did put the idea back in the forefront of me becoming fluent in Spanish which I am determined to do.

Want to more what’s more awkward than that. Going out with someone a friend suggested you hang out with only to find out mid through that they have a girlfriend. Yes that happened. It wasn’t a date. At all. I mean my friend was literally like you guys are both new to New York and great people. You should hang out and see if you could be friends.

I guess that is fine but I feel like it crosses boundaries a little bit. Now if I already knew him then he got a girlfriend that would be different. But new guy friends that have girlfriends. Something about it seems disrespectful. Maybe I’m being overly cautious but I rather do that then be accused of anything else. Don’t get me wrong he was a nice guy but his girlfriend lives in another state, blah blah blah. I am really just trying to learn to head off situations that could be potential problems. No more drama for 2008.