It’s Okay, A Lot Of People Aren’t Cut Out To Deal With The Public

My husband is an army veteran who did five combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. He suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. He retired from the military a few years ago after twenty years of service, but he recently left a federal job on a disability pension because his PTSD is so bad. His three pensions more than cover our expenses, and I’m getting a housing stipend while I pursue my Ph.D.

I have an elderly aunt in another area of the region who finds out about the situation and decides to take it upon herself to get my husband a job as a door greeter at [Retailer]. She is from an era where she thinks that a man should ALWAYS have a job. My husband HATES her because she is always meddling in other people’s business and trying to force them into taking her type of “help”.

She is VERY social and loves [Retailer] — so much so that she is friends with her local store manager. She asks him to call the manager of the store in our area to “pull some strings” to get my husband a job as a door greeter there; she thinks that “disabled” means that he is well suited to be a [Retailer] greeter.

It is worth noting that my husband’s PTSD makes him WAY too volatile to work in a job that involves dealing with the public. He generally doesn’t get along with employers, he literally has no filter, and he compulsively uses profanity.

This is what happens when the manager of the [Retailer] in our area calls my husband to offer him a job at his store.

Manager: “Hi, [Husband]. I am calling to offer you a job as a greeter at our store. When would be a good time for you to come in and start the hiring process?”

Husband: “I didn’t apply for a position at your store! How did you get my phone number?”

Manager: “Well, your wife’s aunt told the manager at her local store that you were disabled and that you needed a job, so we decided to find a position for you at our store.”

Husband: “She did what?!”

He starts referring to my aunt with every curse word that he knows.

Husband: “She knows full well that my psychiatrist at the VA says that I am too unstable to work with the public! She didn’t mention that, did she?”

The manager is very shocked at my husband’s hailstorm of profanity.

Manager: “Ummm, no, sir, she didn’t! I don’t think that you should use profanity like that!”

Husband: “I am the last person you want working at your store! I have three pensions coming in from the government, so I don’t need the money! [Aunt] is going to get an earful for this!”

My husband hung up on the manager, and then he had me call my aunt to ask her to NEVER do that again! She had already talked to the manager, and she started yelling at me that my husband had embarrassed her by flipping out on him. She said that all she wanted was for my husband to get a job and that she was trying to help him.

I told her that she brought it on herself because she decided to meddle and that she knew full well that his mental stability isn’t the greatest so he wouldn’t be a good candidate to work a retail job.

It has been a few years since this happened and she STILL complains about this at family gatherings! She also still thinks that a [Retailer] job would be perfect for my husband!