So remember yesterday I told you that I was going go-cart racing with the office? It was a "Team-Building Activity." Keep that in mind.
The way it worked was that everyone got to race twice, and then the top 6 (out of 20 or so) got to race again in the finals. It doesn't matter who crosses the finish line first; it's all about you single best lap time.
In my second heat, the Big Boss* is positioned behind me. Before we take off, he yells, "Red Dirt Girl, you'd better not get in my way!" Har de har, right?
Our heat is kind of crowded---seven cars, which is really too many for this little course--and there is kind of a traffic jam. I am the third in line who is trying to pass, and Big Boss is behind me. They wave a blue flag at us indicating that the slow people should move over. The slow people do not move over, and no one can pass.
So we get out of the cars, and Big Boss starts screaming at me. "What the hell is your problem, Red Dirt Girl? They were waving that damn blue flag at you over and over! You ruined my race!"
"Um, Big Boss, there were people in front of me, too. We were all trying to pass."
"All I know is that your butt was in my face throughout the entire race."
In order to make my story less tedious, I won't go into how I, stunned and angry, stumbled over to my only attorney friend (L. was racing and missed the whole thing), only to have him turn away from me so as not to seem disloyal to Big Boss. Or how I cried like a big baby in the bathroom. Or how my own boss basically told me to shake it off. Or how Big Boss pitched a hissy fit to the poor kid who worked there (pointing at me the whole time), and got to race again. Or how he came over later and gave me a gross hug and said, "You're not still boo-hooing about that race, are ya?"
The whole thing really hit a nerve with me. I wasn't even mad at Big Boss--it's not exactly a revelation that he is a dickweed with a Napoleonic complex. The whole office knows this, but always whistles and looks away. What got to me was that I had to take shit from this horrible, horrible person (at a "Team-Building Activity"!) because I really need this super-crappy receptionist job. I really need it.
I am willing to take a certain amount of shit for things that are important, things that I care about. But the whole incident really brought home the fact that I have to take shit to insure that I can continue to answer telephones. What a loser.
This is still bothering me this morning, I can't shake it. I don't even know why. I know it's stupid. I know that Big Boss is a sad little man who probably no one in the universe actually loves. I think I'm partially worried that I didn't put on a better show of "Hey it's all right no harm done!" when he and my boss came over to me afterwards. And that sickens me even more.
Blah.
I am happy to report, however, that Big Boss still didn't make it to the finals. He placed 7th out of 6. So maybe there is a higher power.
*Some background: The Big Boss is the Managing Partner of The Firm. He looks and exacts exactly like a small red penis on all occasions, as this story will illustrate.
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