Nice Work Keeping Your Kid Safe!

My friend and I have a high-end wallpaper business. I quit my job as a speech therapist to start this crazy endeavor with her. We hang wallpaper in the craziest houses in my city — NFL, NBA legends, those types of places. They have all been so nice and respectful. I mean, they hired me to do what only I can do. It’s the everyday people with a ton of money that seem to be the most entitled.

I’m hanging Phillip Jeffries wallpaper in a 9,900-square-foot place. I’m up on scaffolding, hanging a ceiling, while the customer’s kid runs around like a maniac. This isn’t ideal for either myself or the kid; I have blades in my hand that sometimes drop, as well as other materials that could injure him or make him sick if consumed. I’ve consistently mentioned this to the customer, but it falls on deaf ears.

I call my friend, the hanger that recruited me in the first place. She shows up immediately because she especially has no tolerance for this nonsense, and she acts as though she came to assist me.

Twenty minutes in:

Friend: “[Customer], your kid can’t continue running around like this; it’s endangering everyone.”

The customer just brushes it off. My friend tries again, and the customer blows her off again.

So, my friend gets down and starts packing her tools.

Friend: “I won’t continue working and endangering us and your child.”

Customer: “But I have $40,000 worth of wallpaper here!”

Friend: “You’d better start hanging, then.”

We left.

Was it a good job? Yes, but we are booked months out, so it won’t hurt us. Self-respect is more important than money ever will be.