Going On Ad-Museum

(The history park has a small museum near the entrance. Every school day, one Roman Age employee is sent there to intercept the incoming school groups, in order to make sure that they all have a tour through the museum. Our director, who is clearly not the most reasonable and socially adept person in the world, insists on this, even when the teachers don’t want it. When the teachers refuse, he has a tendency to blame the employees for not following his orders. He is nicknamed “the Village Idiot” This morning, I’m the one on museum duty. However, I am also scheduled to do a group tour at 10:15 am, which leaves me very little time for museum duty. This is obviously a schedule error, but I decide to follow it, so that the school class is not without a guide. That school turns out to be the first one to arrive.)

Me: “Good morning. I believe your group will be split in two and one half has a tour this morning. Is that right?”

Teacher: “Yes, indeed.”

Me: “Good. I will be your tour guide. Before we start, the group is invited to visit our [Museum]. It starts out with a little documentary. After that, you can also decide to take a look in the museum halls.”

Teacher: “All right. Seeing the video is nice. But I don’t think we need to go that long into the museum. That way, we can start on time with the tour.”

Me: “That’s fine. I’ll accompany our half to the Roman Age. The other half could stay and look around here if you like.”

Teacher: “Thank you, but I think it would be better for them to start out in the park too. They have assignments to do, you see.”

(I decide not to argue and comply with their wishes. After all, they are our clients and I can’t force them to do something they don’t want to. Several minutes later, I take my group to the Roman Age part of the park. I start doing the tour. However, in the middle of my first story, the Village Idiot arrives by bike, as he always does, and interrupts.)

Village Idiot: “Where’s that school you were with in the museum?”

Me: “That’s the one here. They have a tour.”

Village Idiot: “No, the other ones! The other half!”

Me: “Oh, they went into the park on their own to do assignments.”

Village Idiot: “No, no, they can’t! They’re supposed to stay at the museum for much longer. You should go back there, [My Name].”

(It is as I feared. The tour is getting in danger of being interrupted and messed up by him. I know that if I obey, the group will stay here without a tour guide, while the Village Idiot won’t look for a replacement, leaving them to figure it out themselves. Instead he will just blame the planner for “doing things wrong.” So, contrary to my obedient nature, I decide to stay firm and do the wisest thing.)

Me: “I’m sorry, I can’t leave. This group has a tour now.”

Village Idiot: “No, you have to go back to the museum right now!”

Me: “No, I can’t. This group has a tour and they paid for it!”

(That last argument is exactly the one thing he can be sensitive about: money. The man does what he usually does when realising he can’t win an argument: turn around and push off without a word.)

School Kid: *jokingly* “Oh, dear, we have to leave now?”

Me: “Not at all. The man shouldn’t be meddling with us.”

(In the meantime, I see the Village Idiot cycling towards a colleague of mine.)

Village Idiot: *stressed out* “It’s all going wrong already!”

(Rest of the day I felt triumphant for finally standing up against that fool who calls himself director but always messes up schedules without caring about the consequences, and blaming people for his own stupidity.)