My dad used to work for a heating and gas company. The company had twenty-four-seven after-hours emergency service. My dad’s area of coverage was about a two-hour drive in any direction.

One day, my dad got an emergency call on the weekend for a town roughly two hours away. As he got to that town, a blizzard rolled in — not a terrible one, but enough that you’d definitely have to drive slower when on the roads.

As he was at the site, he got another emergency call from a woman in another town two hours the other way, closer to where he lived. He called the customer, and she said she smelled gas. My dad went through the usual questions. He had a few theories about why she might be smelling gas.

Dad: “Can you please check [gauge] on your propane tank?”

Woman: “No, I won’t do that! I’m not qualified to look.”

Dad: “Do you have another source of heat you can use?”

Woman: “I do.”

Dad: “Okay. Turn off the gas to your house and use the backup heat source, and I’ll be there in a few hours.”

Woman: “That’s unacceptable! I need you here right now!”

Dad: “Unfortunately, that isn’t possible. I’m in [Town] several hours away.”

Woman: “No! I need you to be here now!”

Dad: *Bluntly* “Listen. You wanting me there now doesn’t change anything. I’m in another town two hours away. There is a blizzard going on, so that will slow me down. I can’t fly to where you live, and I’m not rushing and risking my life just to get to your place sooner. So, I can be there in a few hours, or you can wait until the week starts, when all the technicians are back to work, and you can have someone help you then.”

The woman backs down.

Woman: “A few hours will be fine.”

My dad got there after a few hours of driving, and almost right away, he saw the issue. Apparently, she was running out of propane, and smelling gas is some sort of warning sign a tank is getting low. If she had looked at the gauge like he’d asked, it would have saved the drive, plus the bill for him coming out to check, and she could have called the proper people to fill her tank.

Because it was an emergency call, she had to pay a bill that was triple what a typical weekday call was, in addition to the cost of having a truck come out to fill her tank.

I’m looking to buy a digital camera as a gift for a friend who I know needs one. The camera I have is very good and I know it would suit my friend’s needs, so I’m looking for another one online. I find a seller on [Auction Website] selling a new one for a good price with cheap shipping, so I order it right away.

I live in a relatively small town in North Dakota, and the winters can be pretty harsh, so I think nothing of it when I get an email from the seller about the camera, telling me that the shipment may be delayed due to a bad winter storm in their area. I reply, saying that it’s fine and I understand, as my area is also currently experiencing a bad winter storm.

Out of curiosity, I navigate to the seller’s page to see where they are shipping from. To my surprise, they are shown as being in the same small North Dakota town I’m in! And somehow, neither of us noticed this before.

I have a laugh and email the seller again, pointing out the funny coincidence, and offering to just meet them somewhere local and pick up the camera if they would prefer. They reply with equal astonishment and amusement and agree to meet at a coffee shop for the hand-off.

We meet and share another laugh about the situation, and they even refund me the shipping charge in cash.

I work for a construction company as a secretary. Twice a week, the heads of both the construction company and the customers will meet to go over progress. For the last few meetings, [Manager] has been asking for access to the air conditioning system. I haven’t seen the control panel myself, but from what I gather, it is under lock and key to avoid running up an electric bill for the customer.

Manager: “As you know, it’s been very hot here lately.”

Customer: “Oh, I know! I’ve had my AC down to sixty-five for a week!”

Manager: “Right, so the guys are out there building in the heat and—”

Customer: “I would hate that. More power to them, though!” *Laughs*

[Manager] is still polite and even-toned, but I can see he’s getting annoyed.

Manager: “So, the air conditioning units—”

Customer: *Angry* “I don’t know why you keep bringing up these air conditioners. You do not have access; you will not have access. What is so hard to understand? You have fans, you have water, and there is shade along the building. Do we need to go over the contract?”

[Manager] calmly pulls a copy out of the folder in front of him and points to a specific section.

Manager: “Right here, it states that you will allow us to use the air conditioner if the building exceeds eighty degrees. It has been over ninety-five for the last week. We have documented the conditions using thermometers at various places every hour of the workday. You are in breach of your contract and, as such, we have every right to pull our employees off this project today.”

Customer: *Blushing furiously* “I… Well… How was I… When was this changed?!”

She snatches the contract and glares at it.

Manager: “It was never changed. You signed it.”

Customer: *Meekly, still blushing* “We will provide access codes at the end of the meeting.”

The workers got their air conditioning within the hour.

Due to a very traumatic incident as a child, I am terrified of being out in the rain. It causes me to go into a panic attack and I shut down for about a half-hour until I can calm down. I’ve gotten better over the years, but being out in a heavy rainstorm still sets me off. I get to work one day while it’s raining, and it’s getting worse by the second. I steel myself and then rush through the parking lot to get inside, about a 100-yard dash. I get in and think nothing of it, as I’m a little early.

One of my coworkers rushes up to me to tell me that I, somehow, have left my car running in the parking lot. I feel for my keys and check my purse, but it’s true. I’m filled with dread as I realize I have to run back out in the storm to turn my car off, and by now the sky is completely black at 2:45 pm.

I run out, panicking by the second, and I manage to turn my car off and start to rush back, but I can’t move as fast anymore, as I’ve already exhausted my out-of-shape self from doing this dash twice already. That’s when I see a shuttle bus driving up.

Though my store and the resort we are next to are technically two separate businesses, we are owned by the same people, to the extent that the resort’s Human Resources department doubles as ours. The driver is a coworker of mine, as well. I am the only person in that parking lot when the bus slows down in front of me, stops, and opens its door. I run to the door, grateful for the quick lift back to the store, but the door is shut in my face and the bus drives off.

I get back into the office and am thrown into a full panic attack, having to breathe into a paper bag to calm down, trying to not cry or go into a violent fit. I eventually calm back down enough to go to work. 

About a half-hour into my shift, one of the resort’s higher-ups comes in. I don’t know him, or his specific department, but he would have to be Human Resources at a minimum. He asks me if I’m okay when he sees the state I’m in, and, not really thinking about it, I tell him about the shuttle bus. He nods along as I tell the story, takes his purchase, says he hopes I feel better soon, and leaves.

The next day, I come into work to hear the latest gossip: one of the shuttle bus drivers was fired yesterday for intentionally leaving someone stranded in the rain.

A big storm is coming and it’s all over the news.

Customer: “You guys will probably be open throughout the storm, right?”

Me: “Um… I imagine we’ll close at some point.”

Customer: “Why?”

Me: “I mean, people have families and houses to be with.”

Customer: “Oh. I guess I never thought that about you guys.”

Related:
When You Remember That Staff Are Human, Too, Part 2
When You Remember That Staff Are Human, Too