Love Bombed

3

Before the pandemic, she had been upset for having to rent a 2 bedroom. She had been on the waiting list forever and someone had rented the 1 bedroom just minutes prior to her appointment with the building manager. The rent for the 2 bedroom had been a stretch and there were days when she’d had to eat Ramen noodles in order to make it. She had been so thankful to Reagan who had often invited her to lunch or early dinner and would insist that she order two entrees so that she would have food. She had even offered to buy her groceries but Mandy hated feeling like a charity project. However, Reagan insisted that she was only paying her back for all the times she had saved her during college. After her mom’s death, she had fallen into depression and lost her scholarship. While everyone else in their circle had written her off, it had been Mandy who would sneak her into the dorm so that she wouldn’t have to sleep in the streets. It was Mandy who brought her home to the farm for her first traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. The two were so close that Mandy’s parents lovingly referred to Reagan as their bonus daughter.

We are all good here on the farm. Mandy’s dad responded. Your mother and grandmother miss u. When are u coming for a visit? Mandy held off on sending a response. While she was no longer struggling to eat, she doubted she would be able to afford the gas or plane ticket back to Terry, Mississippi anytime soon. She didn’t want her parents to worry so she would have to think of something to say. She had charged the plane ticket for Christmas on a credit card with ridiculous interest fees. At that time she could not drive because her car had been repossessed. She had just purchased a small used Sedan from a friend of James. The man had given her a great deal because of the connection. The car had belonged to his teenage son but they had recently purchased a brand new Lexus SUV for the him as a high school graduation present. “Definitely different circles,” she thought to herself.

I miss y’all too. Mandy typed. I just started a new job so I don’t know when I’ll be able to get down that way. Mandy cringed at the lie as she hit send. It wasn’t a complete lie. However, her dad knew that she worked from home and could probably work just as well in Terry. She logged in to her work computer and started the Zoom application. Her phone buzzed. Ok babygirl. Maybe we will come see you. I know you have work now. I’ll talk to you later. I love you. Mandy responded. I love you too, Daddy.

The Zoom meeting was its usual waste of time. The company had recently hired a new supervisor for her team. Katherine—excuse me, Ms. Paul—insisted on a morning meeting to boost morale—and productivity. In reality, it felt more like micromanaging. Everyone on the team worked remotely but Ms. Paul was trying to push to get people on site. The entire team had pushed against it. Mandy was the only one on the team that actually worked in Nashville where the company was located. She had moved to the city because Reagan and James lived here and she had needed a change of pace after her breakup with Dane. She had hoped to get an interview with James’ company so that she could put her marketing degree to use but the company had implemented a hiring freeze just as soon as she had signed the lease on her apartment. The HR professional had been super nice but let her know that they would not be able to hire her. She promised to hang on to her resume. She had applied for her current position thinking that she would only stay 6 months. However, the hiring freeze persisted and that 6 months had turned into almost a year.

“Amanda, I have noticed that your productivity has decreased over the past week,” Ms. Paul’s voice boomed out of her computer speakers. “Please call me Mandy. I have had some difficult calls over the past few weeks. The callers have needed more help than my typical calls,” Mandy proffered. “Amanda, you have been trained to help our customers and anticipate their needs. You should not spend more than 7 minutes in one call.” Mandy wished she could just hang up. Unfortunately, Ms Paul insisted on having the cameras on during the Zoom calls. Mandy plastered a huge smile on her face. “Well, would you like me to hang up on them?? That way the call would be under 7 minutes and it would increase my productivity because they’ll have to call me multiple times. It’s a win-win.” Ms. Paul gave an icy b***h stare and replied, “Amanda, we will discuss this later. Let’s move on.” “Gotcha you cunt!” Mandy thought.

Ms. Paul rambled on for a few more minutes and then stated, “See you all tomorrow morning.” Mandy got up to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. As she reentered the room, she heard the ding of a notification being sent to her computer. She had two messages. One was from Kimberly, her work bestie, and the other was from Ms. Paul. Amanda, please call me ASAP. Amanda sighed, “I knew she wouldn’t let me off that easy.” Amanda grabbed her headset and took a deep breath before initiating the call. “Amanda,” Ms. Paul stated. “I want to discuss your attitude in the morning huddle.” Of course you do, thought Mandy. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Mandy responded, “Well, I honestly did not appreciate you reprimanding me in front of the whole team. I did not think that a huddle is the appropriate forum for such an action.” Mandy paused and tried to remember some words that her mother would often use when discussing her job in human resources. Donna was a force to be reckoned with and Mandy had learned a lot just from the dinner table and listening in when her mom’s work colleagues would call for advice.

“Your reprimand made the environment feel very hostile,” Mandy flatly stated. “I really like my job and I thought that the customer came first. However, since you are now focusing on productivity. I guess customer service doesn’t matter.” Silence. “Hello? Ms. Paul?? Are you there??” Ms. Paul responded—sounding a little less sure of herself than before. “Amanda, I never want you to sacrifice the happiness of the client. You are correct that the customer comes first…and I did not mean to sound harsh in the meeting. I simply wanted you to be aware that your numbers had decreased.” “I am aware now,” Mandy retorted. “Ok. Great. I will talk to you later.” Ms. Paul abruptly ended the call.