Tuesday, July 20, 2004
CINDY S
I was a few weeks into a new job.
"Good morning," I said to a woman waiting for the elevator.
"Ermph," she grunted at me.
"A woman just grunted at me," I said to a coworker when I got to my section.
"Don't take it personally," my coworker said. "That's Cindy S. She grunts at everybody."
"Why is that?" I asked.
"No one knows," my coworker said. "But she's been grunting at people since I've been here, and probably long before that."
"Does she speak to the people in her section?" I asked.
"She's in Tech. They don't have to speak to each other."
"How did she get hired?" I asked.
"This is Civil Service, remember," my coworker said. "She probably just took a test."
"But still," I said, "there's an interview. Did she grunt at her interview and still get hired? Did she speak normally and only starting grunting when she got the job? And what about the probationary period? Was she speaking or grunting then?"
"I couldn't say," my coworker said. "That was long before my time. Cindy has been working here almost twenty-five years. She came right out of high school."
"Jumping Jesus," I said. "Imagine that."
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"Whatever happened to that grunting woman?" I asked one day.
"Where were you?" my coworker said. "It was a big deal. She fell down and broke her leg right outside the building. She was on her way in and she slipped on the ice."
"What ice?" I asked. "It's sixty degrees outside."
"It happened last winter, during that bad storm."
"That was eight months ago," I said. "It must have been quite a break."
"I hear she's on permanent disability," my coworker said.
"Oh," I said.
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"Did you see the weekly bulletin?" my coworker asked. "That Cindy. The Grunter. Remember her? She died."
"Really," I said. "Let me see."
"Hey," I said. "The service is in Oceanville. That's pretty far away."
"Well, that's where she lived," my coworker said.
"She lived in Oceanville? And she worked here? That's almost a two hour drive each way," I said. "She drove that every day?"
"Her father drove her," my coworker said. "She lived at home all her life. Her father would drop her off every morning and pick her up at night. Cindy didn't drive."
"Jumping Jesus," I said. "Imagine that."
"Good morning," I said to a woman waiting for the elevator.
"Ermph," she grunted at me.
"A woman just grunted at me," I said to a coworker when I got to my section.
"Don't take it personally," my coworker said. "That's Cindy S. She grunts at everybody."
"Why is that?" I asked.
"No one knows," my coworker said. "But she's been grunting at people since I've been here, and probably long before that."
"Does she speak to the people in her section?" I asked.
"She's in Tech. They don't have to speak to each other."
"How did she get hired?" I asked.
"This is Civil Service, remember," my coworker said. "She probably just took a test."
"But still," I said, "there's an interview. Did she grunt at her interview and still get hired? Did she speak normally and only starting grunting when she got the job? And what about the probationary period? Was she speaking or grunting then?"
"I couldn't say," my coworker said. "That was long before my time. Cindy has been working here almost twenty-five years. She came right out of high school."
"Jumping Jesus," I said. "Imagine that."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Whatever happened to that grunting woman?" I asked one day.
"Where were you?" my coworker said. "It was a big deal. She fell down and broke her leg right outside the building. She was on her way in and she slipped on the ice."
"What ice?" I asked. "It's sixty degrees outside."
"It happened last winter, during that bad storm."
"That was eight months ago," I said. "It must have been quite a break."
"I hear she's on permanent disability," my coworker said.
"Oh," I said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Did you see the weekly bulletin?" my coworker asked. "That Cindy. The Grunter. Remember her? She died."
"Really," I said. "Let me see."
"Hey," I said. "The service is in Oceanville. That's pretty far away."
"Well, that's where she lived," my coworker said.
"She lived in Oceanville? And she worked here? That's almost a two hour drive each way," I said. "She drove that every day?"
"Her father drove her," my coworker said. "She lived at home all her life. Her father would drop her off every morning and pick her up at night. Cindy didn't drive."
"Jumping Jesus," I said. "Imagine that."
