Chapter 3

“Pst! Betsy!” says a voice in my ears.

“Shut up,” I murmur and continue closing my eyes. I lean the opposite side of my cheek on the desk and ignore the annoying voice.

“Hey, Betsy!” persists the voice. Now, it gets sharper than before.

I slowly open my eyes and lift my head. Darkness consumes me upon seeing the hovering face of my best friend, Pam.

“What is it?” I ask, irritated.

“Let’s go out later after work. There’s a newly opened restaurant in the city.” She is chewing something. I can obviously hear a crunchy sound from it.

I stare at her suspiciously. “Are you seriously chewing something right now? Do you really want to get busted again by Pat?”

“Who cares?” she says rolling her eyes. “He’s just probably jealous since he is incapable of gaining weight. Whatever he does, he’ll remain as thin as a twig.”

I can’t help but give a swift glance at her body. They are the exact opposite of body figure. Like, if the irony is personified, they’ll be it. I still can’t understand how my best friend slash co-worker, Pam, ignores the warnings of our team leader, Patrick. We are pretty much surrounded by computers in the office so eating is strictly prohibited but Pam still gets away from it. Well, she had been caught plenty of times, but unfortunately she still does it. Just like what she is doing now.

I sit properly and turn my swivel chair a little bit to be able to finally face her.

“You do know that it’s not allowed to eat inside the office. How did you even sneak that in?” I ask and point at the chip on her hand.

She smirks as she points at her chest.

“That’s just gross! And crazy!” I giggle.

She chortled and wipes off some of the left over chips on her hand.

“So, let’s go out after work? Let’s try their delicious food.”

“You’re always hungry,” I commented and yawn. A thirty-minute short break is really short.

“I can’t,” I say and face her again.

“Why? Do you still have another sideline job after this? You just got home from New— ’’

As fast as lightning, I quickly stand up and cover her mouth with the palm of my hand.

“Shh! I told you not to mention that one in here. That was illegal. I might get fired for doing that job,” I whisper while looking around carefully for eavesdropper.

“I can’t breathe, Betsy!” she coughs.

I reluctantly take my palm away from her mouth.

“You are overreacting!” she says indignantly. “It’s not like we have an FBI agent colleague.”

“I’m just being careful. We never know,” I say and sit back on my chair. “I’m going home. You know, visit Grandpa and Dad. I can’t wait to give them the things I bought from the city.”

“Yeah. Whatever,” she says dismissively and turns on her computer.

Sue, Pam’s sister who also works with us grabs my attention as she stifles a cry. Her shoulders are shaking a little bit.

Pam taps her sister’s shoulder and looks at her with concerned eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“The client just called me dumb. . .” she cries in exasperation.

“Then tell him thanks!” Pam sarcastically says.

I secretly kick her in the shin and butt in. “Sue, that’s all right. Don’t mind them and just get used to it. They are usually irate especially when we mention about their overdrafts.”

“I can’t take this anymore! I can’t!” She dramatically sighs and it looks like she’s going to throw a tantrum anytime.

It’s probably her ninety-eight complaints ever since she started joining the company. Don’t get me wrong, as much as I love Pam and her sister, sometimes a person can only take so much drama in life. Sometimes, I just don’t have the patience for it especially if it happens like . . . daily. I give the two of them some space and I let Pam handle the situation like the big sister she is.

After some time, I start to take calls again and get on with my job. I know I’m not paid to gawk at a dramatic scene which is currently happening beside me. I am having the busy line because of the calls I receive. Basically, I handle people’s money. The usual call I get are them asking me the remaining balance in their account. I work in a customer service company connected to a bank. And yes, I handle other people’s money.

As I am on my last call, I can’t wait for my shift to come to an end. The client just asks me if her recent deposit is already posted. It is an easy-peasy call.

When the call ends, I slowly stand up and stretch a little bit. A voice from the opposite cubicle takes my attention. When I look up, I am not surprised to see my colleague, Ashley.

“I’ll forward my client to you, okay?” she mouths. She gestures on the telephone she is currently holding.

I roll my eyes at her. “It’s the end of my shift.”

“I’ll pay you,” she offers.

“Fine,” I sigh.

I slowly walk towards her cubicle and take the telephone from her hand. I resume the call she put on hold earlier. She has probably lost her patience again with this caller which happens all the time. I am even surprise that she still stayed in the company.

“Hello,” I look at the name displayed on the computer screen, an eighty years old woman, “Miss Ray.”

“Oh, dear! Finally!” I can definitely hear the relief on the old woman’s voice. “I’ve been in here waiting for like . . . twenty minutes!”

Poor woman! I throw a sharp glance at Ashley’s direction. She is now pretending to be busy staring at her chipped dead nails.

“My apologies, Miss Ray for keeping you waiting on the other line. I understand how you’re feeling right now. I am here to help you now.”

The most important thing I’ve learned working as a customer service representative is empathy. It is very important for the client to feel assurance and for them to feel that you really care about their concerns.

It’s like the famous line which goes ‘I care about my job, Sir! And I care about you!’

I blink and go back to the problem in hand. I haven’t even noticed the old woman speaking for quite some time now.

“Well as I've told you, I'm having a difficulty in this online thing. Ooh, I don't know what to do,” she worriedly says.

“Don't worry ma'am. I'll walk you through it. Are you in front of your computer, laptop or smartphone?” I expertly promise her.

“Oh yes!  It's laptop dear.”

“Okay. Have you keyed in your account number?”

“What?... Wait… What account number dear?”

“It's on the back of your card ma'am,” I patiently respond. This is why I was awarded as the Employee of the Month last week! And honestly, I have a soft spot for old people. I have a grandfather who’s past eighty. And she reminds me of him.

I slowly and patiently explain to her the process until she finally understands it. She thanks me and expresses her gratitude before we end the call. I put the telephone down and ask Ashley for the payment. As I walk back to my cubicle, the door of the office suddenly opens and, Benny, our supervisor, walks in.

He is wearing a red stripe long sleeves and dark slacks. And abundance of hair products, obviously.

He dramatically claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Listen up everyone! Two days from now, the founding partner of Global Bank will be visiting the Seattle branch. Meaning, our branch!” he excitedly announces then looks at us one by one. “So, I want all of you to straighten up! We have to impress him. Are we all clear on that?”

“Yes,” we obediently answer.

After his announcement, he quickly goes out of the room.

“I wish he were not gay. He’s so hot,” Pam whispers dreamily beside me a she stares at our supervisor’s retreating back.

I grimace as it reminds me of something from a distant memory. During my reckless dating career. Maybe Pam realizes it since she suddenly gasps.

“Oops. I’m sorry, Betsy! I shouldn’t have said that. It’s Benny’s fault.”

I calmly pat a hand on her shoulder and tsk reprovingly. “And here I thought, just like Ashley, you’ve moved on.”

“Maybe not?” she answers guiltily. “But I definitely will once I find a new hot but not gay guy.”

“Pray that on all the saints you know,” I joke. “How many saints do you know again?”

She proudly smirks. “Ten. So much more compared to yours.”

“Good for you,” I shrug.

She giggles and then frowns at something. “Do you think there’s going to be a party anytime soon? Like a welcome party for this important guest?”

“I don’t know,” I respond without giving it much thought. I push my swivel chair behind the desk and take my bag, ready to go home.

“I don't think so. I've read from an article he's like sixty years old. He's just probably going to visit and then lie down quickly,” interrupts Sue. She has already calmed down.

Pam’s face falls in disappointment. “So no party then.” She takes a seat and plays with it by turning on the wheels of her swivel chair around.

“Actually, I think there is,” I suggest.

“Really?” Pam quickly stops on her seat and stares at me expectantly.

“Yeah.” I confidently nod. “If he’s sixty years old just like what Ben has mentioned earlier then a party is still possible.” I smirk before continuing. “Pajamas party with chamber pots.”

Pam grimaces and resumes with what she’s been doing on her swivel chair.

Before my headache gets worse looking at her, I immediately say my goodbye and started turning around for the door.

Sue calls me. “By the way Betsy, thank you for the Cartier pen. I love it!”

I wave a hand without turning around to look at her. I can’t help but smile as it only reminds me of the pen’s owner whom I met in New York and will probably never be seeing again. I hope.