All right, we've heard that excuse before, for being late or not showing up at all for work or an appointment. Of course the story might be true . We recall the imaginative boy who called wolf so many times that nobody believed him, and then the wolf showed up.
Last weekend was a happy one for me because the manager of London Town Associates sent me a communication asking me to call and make an appointment for an interview for a part-time job. The employer, established in 1974, advertises itself as “an industry leader in designing and installing AV/IT Systems in hotels and high-end residences.” As every high-end customer should know, so it goes without saying on their website, “AV/IT” means audio visual information technology. London Town Associates, then, are communication experts. This is communication I had received:
I was delighted by the fact that the firm was located in a South Beach condominium building within a short walking distance from my place, and that the job was part-time. Twenty to thirty hours per week of work right on Miami Beach would be perfect for me, because then I could barely break even and have plenty of time to write and submit my works to publishers. Therefore I called Ms. Vacca and made an appointment for 3 o'clock on the coming Monday. And on Monday morning, I called her again to confirm my appointment.
I was in a very positive frame of mind when I arrived at the condominium complex and rang the bell. I was advised by the manager over the intercom that the owner's car had broken down and the appointments would have to be rescheduled "for some time in the future."
I was disappointed by the communication. Since they say, "(expletive deleted) happens," and since cars really do break down, I figured I would make the best of it rather than assume the firm was flaky. I placed my mouth close to the intercom speaker and announced that I had more personal information for the owner and would like to drop it off for him. Ms. Vacca would not buzz me in, but she came outside to get the information that I had prepared in anticipation of the interview. We chatted briefly. She said the owner treated people well; the job had opened up because the current employee was getting married; there were 10 applicants.
Looking forward to a rescheduled interview as promised, I called the London Town office a few days later. I received a voice mail greeting from a male with a British accent, apparently the owner with car problems. I left a confident message, stating that I was looking forward to filling the position, so please call me. To that I received no response, so I tried again a few days later. This time the manager picked up.
Several weeks have passed by since then. I guess his car broke down again. Maybe he should buy a new one. Or maybe he left town for London. I do my best to assume the best about people, even when they have difficulty communicating—I sent this account to him but received no response.
June 15, 2005
Miami Beach
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