(The roll of paper in our credit card machine is about to run out, so I ask my coworker to grab me a new one. She opens the cabinet without moving aside, and leans over the door in such a way that it digs into her.)
Coworker: “…ow.”
Me: “Don’t hurt yourself!”
Coworker: “Can’t hurt a gangsta!”
(I have graduated from university, and I now work doing non-destructive controls in industry. Today, I’m working with a colleague who holds a degree in engineering. We’re doing some testing in a district heating station, in the middle of a high-rise building area. For health and safety reasons, we’re donning hardhats, disposable overalls, and safety boots. A middle-aged woman passes by, with her grandson in tow.)
Grandmother: “See? You need to study and get good grades, otherwise you’ll end up a blue collar worker like them!”
(I’ve been working with my district manager on a massive project to change the layout of my store. I’m about three months pregnant, suffering a serious case of “baby brain,” and I lovingly refer to the baby as “my alien,” as we don’t know its sex yet. It’s early in the morning, and my DM and I are texting back and forth. I have just made a mistake.)
District Manager: “You’re killing me. It’s too early for this.”
Me: “I know, I’m sorry. I should probably send myself home for stupidity.”
District Manager: “Nope. You actually have to work extra today.”
Me: “But… But… my alien might make me break the store!”
District Manager: “Exactly, then they’d have to remodel. Have a good day.”
(I’m at the doctor’s office with my mother and five-month-old daughter. Due to having my daughter prematurely, then battling an illness, an infection, and an open wound for two months, I’m finally able to talk to my doctor about how I have healed after my c-section, along with birth control.)
Me: “You sure about this, Mom?”
Mom: “Yes, I had one, and it worked beautifully.”
Me: “I just don’t know…”
Nurse: *walks in*
Me: “I’m a bit nervous to get a IUD.”
Nurse: “Oh, you don’t want that.”
Me: “…I don’t?”
Nurse: “No, those things are hell. They hurt, they ruin your uterus, and they can cause you to lose it. Oh, and they can embed themselves and requires surgery to be removed.”
Me: “W-What?!”
Mom: “Hey!”
Nurse: “Besides, you’re breastfeeding. That’ll keep you from getting pregnant.”
Mom: *dryly* “No… it doesn’t, dear. I got pregnant with my youngest while I was nursing my third child.”
Me: “…No. I want the IUD. And I’m not currently nursing… I don’t produce enough.”
Nurse: “I suggest the pill, or keep your legs shut.” *glares at me*
Me: “Excuse you! For one thing, I don’t do well with pills; I forget them very easily! For another, it doesn’t matter to you what I do with my sex life, let alone what direction my legs go.”
Nurse: “Then get the shot!”
Me: “Um, no. With the shot, I hit up so many negative side effects that it’s just not worth it. May I talk to another nurse?”
Nurse: “No, I’m your nurse. Then just get your tubes tied!”
Me: “No. I am not ready to decide not to have any more children at all at this time, despite being scared to have another. It doesn’t feel right. I want the IUD.”
Nurse: “You do not! I’ll put you down for the shot.” *leaves the room*
Me: “No! Mom!”
Mom: “Here. Take your baby. I have an a** to beat.” *leaves the room*
(I sit in the room for only a few minutes, holding and feeding my daughter, when I hear my mother yelling at another nurse. At this point, I can only assume it is the same one. While that is going on, and my daughter has drained her bottle, my doctor walks in.)
Doctor: “I assume that is your mother.”
Me: “Good call.”
Doctor: “Wow! She is big! Healthy little girl. May I?”
Me: “Absolutely!”
Doctor: *holding my daughter* “All right. I see here you want the shot? I thought we agreed on the IUD?”
Me: “We did… apparently the nurse was hell-bent on not letting me get it. She was more than rude, not taking no for an answer, and she scared me with the side effects.”
Doctor: “The side effects really don’t happen often. I’ve yet to see them myself to be honest. I think it’s the best choice for you. Let me go get a different nurse, and we’ll insert the IUD. Here’s your baby. She’s beautiful, and a miracle.”
(I got my IUD, and the nurse wound up fired. Apparently this wasn’t the first time. Nor was it the first time my mother went after a nurse during this whole ordeal. It’s been over a year, and no terrible side effects yet!)
(I recently got hired as a laundry person; it is my job to gather the dirty towels from the female locker rooms, and place them in the washer. There is another guy who does the towels from the men’s locker rooms, and he is always listening to his headphones, but he nods to me. I’m a naturally quiet person, so I’m just folding the towels. I have a bad feeling about him, but I just put it off.)
Coworker: “Hi.”
Me: “Hi.”
(He gives me a weird look and takes off. Later, as I’m loading up the washer, he sneaks up behind me and forcefully takes the wet towels and shoves them into the washer, nearly hitting me. I can hear the music on his headphones. It’s rap with some explicit lyrics… against females.)
Coworker: “You have to do it fast!” *condescendingly* “Understand?”
Me: “Okay… Thanks.”
(The next day, he comes up to me again while I’m folding.)
Coworker: “Hey! You like eating hot dogs?”
Me: “Uh, no, I don’t like hot dogs.”
(His expression suddenly turns to a rage.)
Coworker: “You don’t have to be uptight! Work can be fun, you know!”
(He glared at me, fists clenched, and I felt very unsafe, since there was no one else around at that moment. He stormed off, and I was left feeling bewildered. I told the truth, I don’t like hot dogs. Or maybe he was alluding to something? I told my supervisor exactly what happened and he told the guy to leave me alone. He didn’t say anything else to me, but stood there, glaring with fists clenched, while I worked, and it was so creepy that I left soon after. Luckily, I was able to find another job after, without creeps as coworkers.)
