The Landlady bemoans a favour owed…

My work schedule is now so complicated that I forget where I am meant to be and when I’m meant to be there. I have a fairly complicated shift pattern at The Supermarket, which has recently changed to encompass 7.30am starts. This, coupled with the randomness of the shifts I’ve recently acquired on The Pier, has made my working week exceedingly hard to follow. I am currently sitting here boiling with rage because, due to my own nonchalance as far as my various rotas are concerned, I am unable to go to a friend’s 50th birthday lunch in London this weekend.

The party was organised – and I’d even ordered my choice of lunch – way before I started my guardianship of The Big Daughter’s job on the Pier, while she’s off travelling. There are not really any set hours on the Pier and one can usually swap shifts with another person who works there quite readily. However, on this particular occasion, there is absolutely no one who is willing to cover my shift.

“The colleague said she couldn’t possibly cover my shift due to family commitments”

I ought to be used to this, as quite often at The Supermarket I have covered other people’s shifts when they are desperate – at much inconvenience to myself – only to have them refuse point blank to return the favour at any cost. For example, some years ago, I covered the whole of Christmas Eve for a colleague who was desperate to go off to her holiday home in Greece for the Christmas holidays. When I wanted a reciprocal day off later in the year on a day of no prestige or importance whatsoever, the colleague said she couldn’t possibly cover my shift due to family commitments. When pressed, it transpired that my colleague, her husband and mother-in-law were due to do their weekly shopping at Holmbush the on the morning in question. They could not possibly do it in the afternoon, as her mother-in-law “didn’t like it in there” when it got too busy. Arrrrgggghhhh!! Well, I ask you.

It is all very well to be angelic in situations like this and imagine that these deeply unhelpful people might end up with a serious lack of points on their Karmic Reward Card, but it doesn’t change how outraged and affronted I feel by their lack of willingness to help out a friend between a rock and a hard place.

So, this Sunday, rather than enjoying myself with my friends, I will be working, because I can’t bear to let people down. I shall definitely remember to take my sack cloth and ashes with me..