Sunday, June 22, 2008

A Co-worker from my Past

Greetings Readers

13 years. That is how many years it has been since I last spoke to a former co-worker from my Tele-Communications Inc. days. Notice readers I wrote “co-worker” as opposed to a “friend.”

I am not going to specifically mention what race it was this year, but I saw a name, a woman’s name, that was pretty unique on the race results. I saw that name and I thought to myself could that be the same person from my beginnings in the professional work force of corporate America?

With the assistance of Google and a bit of investigating I was able to confirm that this was the very woman I knew back in the early nineties.

To preserve the woman's identity let me give her another name… hmmm Cruella? Nope. Carmella? Not that. How about “DJ”? When I able to unearth a picture of this DJ on the Internet I was able to authenticate that this was undoubtedly the exact person I worked with in the early nineties. Older, but I was still able to see that is was DJ from when I last saw her and now 13 years later the photograph would be what she would look like today.

With that it was evident that I had to send an email to her. I had thought about how to start off. How much should I say. In the end I sent an email pretty short and pretty vague in order to get DJ curious on the email I sent. Of course, there was a possibility that the email would be too vague and be deleted.

Did I care? Nope, but at least I took an opportunity presented to me. Anyway, my email was returned, but I was astonished by DJ’s email reply. I responded and then she answered back.

I had to shake my head in a no gesture fashion and murmured to myself “I fucking can not believe it.” Readers, I was not mad when I received DJ’s email and currently I am not mad, but I really could not accept that she could not remember me. At all. She then mentioned other names to me that perhaps I would remember. Remember? Remember I do. Especially the three years I worked in the same department as DJ – Risk Management.

For example readers, let me take and tell you readers about two specific memories that are the good and the bad of DJ I have of her. Are you ready readers?

The Bad.

When DJ was in her bitchy mode I avoided her entirely. What’s that phrase? Oh yeah. “Once bitten, Twice Shy,” except I was bitten twice. The first instance (memory) was when I was fairly new to the department. I was transferred to my new department, Risk Management, from the Payroll Department.

I had gotten a phone call that was meant for someone in DJ’s group and no one was available, except DJ. My caller had an emergency and the manager on the other end of the phone had to talk to a live person and now. I said hold on, which he immediately replied that I better not put him on hold. I replied OK and told him that I am going to lay the phone down on my desk while I go find someone he could talk to. So off I go and lo and behold DJ was the only person in her group that was present to take the urgent call I received.

DJ was sitting behind her desk with the Denver Skyline to the North outside the ninth floor. I am having a blank spot about what exactly DJ was doing, but I know it was either one of these scenarios. DJ was either fixing her make up or she was working on the computer. Either way who cares, but when I stood outside her office and told her the situation I presently had she threw me an attitude of “What the fuck are you bothering me for?” With that disposition she was displaying she also made it clear that she was talking down to me. Quickly, I told her she was the only one here in her group and the caller absolutely had to talk to a real person as opposed to leaving a voicemail. DJ shook her head, obviously with disgust and waved her hand indicating I could transfer the phone call to her to handle. I left DJ’s office doorway and went back to my cubicle. I told the manager who was still holding that I located someone for him that he could talk to and he thanked me. That was that.

Right after I transferred the phone call to DJ I really started to think of what just transpired between DJ and me. Granted, I was still new to the department and I could not act how I would of normally acted. If DJ had pulled that same scenario on me months later I would of said something back to her. Without hesitation I would of probably gave DJ my two cents worth. I personally do not like to be treated in this sort of matter I just wrote about. And it is not because she is a woman. We worked in the same department therefore I expect respect and not the “What the fuck are you bothering me for?” attitude.

And now the good.

The first time I remember was when Denver, Colorado got the Colorado Rockies – our first Major League Baseball (MLB) team. The Director of our department, let me call him “AK” for short, had told his department he had some season tickets to the Colorado Rockies and that four members of Risk Management would be able to go – via the lottery system.

All of us, I think, were ecstatic that we would be able to go to a baseball game during the workday to Mile High Stadium (by the way readers that was the only year I think that the Colorado Rockies played at Mile High Stadium [not Invesco Field] though I have not researched that particular history.) Someone wrote all of our names down on little pieces of paper and put them in a box to be drawn by AK. The first group drawn to go was me, TS (co-worker), ES (Co-worker) and DJ. Oh yes! You read that right readers. I told my former payroll co-worker, MB, the news and she called me a “little devil” then MB laughed. I was pretty happy after I knew that I was going to a Rockies baseball game with DJ. Oh yes, there was TS and ES, but I could care less.

So came the big day of the afternoon baseball game at Mile High Stadium. DJ and me had agreed to go together to the game. We agreed to meet at the RTD Park ‘n’ Ride off I-225 and Parker Road. From there we were going to take the special RTD Rockies bus to Mile High Stadium. DJ had some Ray Ban sunglasses, sleeveless shirt and shorts on. Oh, she looked good and she definitely had some nice legs, very nice legs.

There really is not much else to write in depth. We found our seats, right off first base. All four of us brought money with us and anything we bought… sorry I am smiling… well not exactly anything, but any food and drink would be reimbursed to us. That particular day was a picture perfect day or you might even say it was a “Kodak moment.”

Baseball on a sunny day, drinking beer, eating pizza, me sitting next to DJ and to top that off it was on a business day. What more could anyone want.

As we, DJ and me were leaving the game we stopped by a merchandise booth. We both bought a Colorado Rockies T-shirt. I think that DJ bought a T-shirt, because it was the Inaugural season of the Colorado Rockies. I bought my T-shirt because I wanted to remember the time I went to a baseball game with DJ.

There you have it readers, only a couple of memories from the early nineties at Tele-Communications, Inc. One good and one bad about this former co-worker I knew.

Why did I contact DJ? I wanted to see if she remembered me. DJ’s email did not break my heart since I have not thought of DJ for a very, very long time. I am not pissed off at DJ for not remembering me. Nor can I even think about calling her a “bad word.”

Anyway readers, I sent an email response to DJ and included my blog site address. DJ may read this or may not. Does not matter. Though I thought to share with you readers a part of my past life before becoming an Athlete. Whether or not DJ will email back is unknown. Though DJ did mention that she would be meeting our former Director - AK. I replied to DJ to say hi for me and tell AK “Thank you” for that one moment in his office in January. That one moment forever changed my life. And it was definitely for the better.

By the way – Posted is the T-shirt that I bought that day and wear every once in a great, great while and the other is a picture of the ticket itself. Nope, I kept the ticket to remember that this was the first ticket to my first MLB game – ever; and not because of DJ.

Until the next time

Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete

1 comment:

Sam H. said...

you've taken stalking to a brave new level. bravo.