(I work as a receptionist for a small video editing company. The boss is the epitome of evil, a real piece of s***. She seems to really have it out for our delivery man, who is African-American. We have a table in the lobby with a book where all packages going out are written down. The delivery man is supposed to come by, check the table, and pick up any packages that are there. The table is in front of a large window and it is pretty obvious if there are any packages going out. The boss storms in and angrily asks:)
Boss: “Is the delivery guy coming in and getting the packages?”
Me: “He is checking daily, yes.”
Boss: “That isn’t what I asked. Is he physically coming into the building?”
Me: “Well, no. If the table is empty he—”
(The boss storms off and gets on the phone and calls, screaming at the poor customer service person. My boss gets so obsessive that she even starts checking the surveillance cameras to make sure he comes into the lobby and doesn’t just open the door and peek in. She insists that he come all the way into the lobby, close the door behind him, stand at the table for a few seconds, and then leave. I am getting more than annoyed by this. She calls almost daily, screaming about the poor guy. One day he calls me because he is running behind and asks if there are any packages. I tell him he is in luck; not only are there none, but the boss is out that day. The next day he comes in and the boss is there to yell at him again. She has checked the surveillance tapes. When he leaves, she comes to my desk and says that he had better just do his job.)
Me: “You know that these delivery guys only have so much time to deliver, and any place they can shave off a few seconds really helps them.”
Boss: “I don’t care. The only thing that n***** should say, is, ‘Yeth, Masta.’”
(Then she storms off to call and complain again. I am in too much shock and, shamefully, I say nothing. I am gone by the next week. I get a great job as a receptionist at a company a few miles down the road, and who should walk in my first week there but the delivery guy, with a trainee in tow. We greet each other like old friends.)
Delivery Guy: “I am so glad to see you here away from that awful woman.”
Me: “I am, too. I am so glad I got to see you! And I am so sorry for the horrible way she treats you.”
Delivery Guy: “I just don’t know what her problem is.”
Me: “You don’t know?” *he shakes his head, and I quietly tell him, embarrassed* “It’s because you are black.”
(He and the trainee both look shocked.)
Me: “She would not have given you any trouble if you were white. She only called and made up ridiculous complaints because she hated you because of the color of your skin. She is a horrible racist. I can’t even begin to repeat the horrible racist comments she would make when you left the building or after she would get off the phone with customer service complaining about you. I just couldn’t stand being there anymore, which is why I left.”
(He shakes my hand and leaves. The next week, he comes in without the trainee.)
Me: “Hello, again! Is your trainee out on his own?”
Delivery Guy: “That wasn’t my trainee; that was my manager. You saved my job.”
Me: “What? How?”
Delivery Guy: “That blasted ex-boss of yours called and complained so much that when a normal and justified complaint came in, the company was going to fire me. The manager was going around with me to see what I was doing wrong and if I was even going to have the chance to keep my job. After we left here, he told me I was good, and there would be no more talk about it. As a matter of fact, the delivery company cancelled your ex-boss’s contract and told her they would no longer deliver for or to her. She will have to drive to the hub to get any packages that are mailed to her.”
(I was so thrilled. Several years later I got to congratulate him on a well-deserved promotion before I left on maternity leave.)
This story is part of our Juneteenth roundup!
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