Just Because You Want A Fancy Watch Doesn’t Mean You Can Dictate Timing

This story happened in 2004, while I worked in a call center answering for a prepaid cell phone service. The call center’s break room had a couple of PCs set up on an unsecured network, which the employees were free to use. I was on night shift and had an hour-long lunch break, and since there were a few other employees during that shift, there was little to no challenge for the computers, so I’d spend my entire lunch at the computer chatting with my wife.

One evening, another employee was sitting at the other computer, getting frustrated while trying to find an item on eBay. I offered to help, and he explained that he was looking for a watch to give his significant other as a gift. I told my wife, and she helped too.

A couple of weeks later, my wife came to the call center to bring me my forgotten lunch, and I met her at security. As she was coming in, watch-dude was going out, and I said hi, and introduced them, telling my wife:

Me: “This is the guy we’ve been helping find the fancy watch!”

He immediately glared at me, then glanced toward another woman walking through the lobby toward us, and back at me, and said:

Coworker: “Not too f****** bright, ARE ya!?”

He pushed past and stormed out to the parking lot, and the other lady, who I’m pretty sure heard nothing, followed him.

Never once had he mentioned that his significant other also worked at the center. Never once had he introduced me or even shown me a photo. I didn’t even know what her name was, but somehow I should have known not to say “looking for a fancy watch” in front of this total stranger.

I know it sounds foolish, but this was the first time I was ever openly insulted in front of my wife, and it stung, and decades later, I’m still sore about it.