A Tale of Two Assistants

This week I heard from a co-worker from the office wishing me a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  That was nice. I liked Kallie.  I had to do a double take when I saw the names on the email.  Irma, Frick and Frack, my old manager.  Gross and gross.  I knew where this was going.

The emails flew in about how everyone misses each other and merry Christmas.  My manager sent a picture of a baby and I guess she became a grandma.  There were a lot of things I wanted to say but silence was my only option.

Kallie had left our company after she got promoted and then came back. I was surprised.  I had one interaction when I helped out her group and she said hello.  We exchanged pleasantries but really haven't said much to each other since.  The Thinker used to be in Kallie's group and I said if there was one person that was good to work with, it was Kallie.  I mean it, too.

Kallie and I went to two different places even though it was the same place.  She started right after Betsy and I got split apart.  Thank god.  There was a new group starting and I was moving over with the Mentor.  I was losing one attorney and I would soon gain the joy of Lois.  

Before Kallie started, there was a big deal made out of it by Betsy and my manager.  It was wow.  We'll have a real assistant now.  I sensed my manager still felt like she believed Betsy about all the things that she lied about me.  I wanted to cry when I would hear them talk loudly about it.  Another attorney said how many more days until you get your new person and I just wanted to crawl under a rock.  I was relieved someone else would get Betsy but this was awful.

Kallie was awful to me initially.  She was kind of curt and rude.  Her and Betsy were chummy since they were now a team.  I was getting to experience the joys of Lois.  Good times all around.

I had to ask Kallie at one point if she would take over paying the invoices for the attorney that I was losing.  I discovered we were both paying the same bills and I thought maybe I should ask. I was trying to finish up any outstanding work I had for him but I thought the duplicate paying bills should maybe end.  

I got my head bit off by Kallie. I was told that since my name was on the file, it was my responsibility to still handle those tasks.  I never approached her and demanded her to do anything.  I asked politely and she had been with us two months.  She glared at me about how this is my role and I got Irma.  Irma had been training her and the other new assistant so I thought someone needs to fix this.  I knew why she was rude to me.  It was because of Betsy.  She had her moments but it was a little upsetting that day.  After a year of Betsy trying to drive me out, now I had a new enemy.  Awesome.

It got better.  I think it took Kallie a moment to realize that I wasn't the devil that Betsy made me out to be.  After Betsy got sent to a class to behave herself, she started to lighten up with me.  Funny thing is, Kallie never knew half the hell Betsy put me through to this day.  

Kallie was treated like a celebrity by others.  She is smart and very likeable.  She served in the military and got her masters degree.  It's not Kallie's fault that managers showed her favoritism.  It sucked that it happened.  You struggle not to have that resentment because well, she wasn't looking for it like others did.  I think there was kind of an extra wow factor for some with military people.  That's fine, but it doesn't mean that someone who didn't serve is an idiot. 

When I came in from one of my oncology appointments, I didn't know where everyone was when I got there. I knew there was a meeting going on earlier but I figured they would have been done at that point.  I found everyone gathered in the conference room celebrating Kallie for graduating with a master's degree and a big cake.  I didn't think much of it.  Maybe because I got a piece of cake.

I had asked Frick how this came about.  She said it was a surprise.  The managing attorney had presented Kallie with a thick envelope and a cake.  Wow.  You don't want to be mad but you feel kind of small when you see someone getting that praise when you know you work just as hard.

Kallie's husband came from a money family.  Kallie came into work every day with a new outfit on or a new coat.  Considering I had my life flipped upside down, I didn't notice some of the things that other people like the new outfits.  She seemed ok with me and I was happy that Betsy was off my ass and seemed to be happier with Kallie.  It was kind of a life saver for me at times.  

Kallie had her moments with me where she could be downright rude and hurtful.  She found out that I lived with my mom and asked how does that work?  How does what work?  She was puzzled by my living arrangement and it was kind of embarrassing that she brought it up in front of everyone.  When I told my mom about it, she said you should have asked her if she lived in the same house as her husband.  Well he actually didn't for 8 months since he was in jail for awhile for his like 5th dui? 

I would get taken off guard when Kallie would start with me.  She laughed about my issues with onions.  I explained that I start gagging if I have any.  I don't know what changed with me.  We had a food day and as I was picking out what to eat from the selection, Kallie had started in on the onions and said Don't I want to have any?  I ignored her being funny and said no.  She seemed to be on a roll with whatever funny bit she was doing and kept at it with harassing me.  I took what I had and went in the conference room.  I actually took a seat at the opposite end of the table where nobody was at the time.  Kallie started making fun of me and laughing that she was sorry.  I didn't say anything.  I ate my sandwich. I didn't get why I was becoming the joke of the hour.  She kept encouraging me to come sit by her and I said I'm good.

I can take a teasing but it was so out of the blue out of the time that it threw me.  I really didn't feel like having someone tell me all the things that are weird about me.  I already knew I was their freak.  I had people sit by when they realized how she was acting at the time.

When I had talked about wishing I had a child when I was younger, but I made my peace with how life turned out, she went off on me about how kids aren't everything.  It was so jarring.  She had a troubled step son.  I never said kids were everything.  I said I feel bad sometimes that I never got a chance to have a child.  What's wrong with saying that?  NOTHING. 

When her husband got picked up for a DUI and was looking at jail time, I didn't make mean comments or say anything negative.  I showed empathy because despite my feelings of what he did, he was making life hard for the people that loved him, including Kallie.  It wasn't her fault.  She was hurting and I know that feeling too well.  My mom even made some peanut butter bars for her when he got out.

Then again, there was such incredible grace shown towards Kallie that did feel like a bit too much for some of us.  People were worried about her because she had to mow the lawn by herself.  Mow the lawn?  Sigh.  She did have family in her life.  She had actually won an award with the company but because of her husband's situation she couldn't go at the time.  She was able to do it the following year and her whole family went.  Sigh.  

For someone who went through their own hardship and didn't ask for any favors other than to be nice and be patient, it was hard to watch someone being treated with such kid gloves and grace.  I felt guilty about the time I took off for treatment and was made to feel that way.  Kallie was granted off time around the holidays when she hadn't been there that long even though she didn't have any kids but she had a step son.  Her husband could have killed someone with what he did.  Something bad could have happened to me.  You think how does one life take a higher priority than someone else?  

I have mixed feelings when it comes to Kallie.  She helped make life easier by being a good friend to Betsy.  As usual, Betsy turned on Kallie when she got promoted.  She wouldn't talk to her when Kallie got promoted.  I felt horrible for Kallie and yet when she got the call from the interviewer, she talked loudly about all of her accomplishments in front of us on a Friday afternoon.  We knew it was coming and we weren't that sad to see her go. 

Frick had noticed that Kallie was no longer an employee anymore maybe a year after Covid hit.  We found out that she had gone to work somewhere else.  Maybe less than 2 years later, she came back to our group.  She was in a different group now that we had made a lot of changes so none of us really dealt with her initially.  Now Frick and Frack have to deal with her.  Let them figure it out.

When Kallie had messaged me maybe a year and a half ago, she talked about the good times and missed that.  I didn't know how to say I'm good and don't miss it.  I didn't say it.  I said we did have some fun times and we did.  I wasn't the popular kid in high school or at the office. I was the one that people made fun of, including her.  She made fun of the fact that I drove a car that was 17 years old.  I didn't have money to get a new one and I got sick.  I had bills.  She got a new car every 2 years or maybe sooner than that.  We could joke around and have fun.  Then sometimes I'd be the joke.

I would have responded to Kallie separately but I saw that she was out until New Year's eve.  This is the first time in 33 years of me working that I even felt like I could actually ask for any time off and most of time is actually time we'll all have off.  

I kind of think the reason that Kallie came back to work with us because she was the popular kid when she was in the office.  People doted on her.  It's like the kid that can't leave high school.

Me?  I burned rubber in my new car once I packed my stuff up and was done with that office.  I'm good.