H2-Oh No!
Posted in Daily Life by Howard | Tags: flood, water, workYou would think, “Hey, it’s Thursday. Just another day at the office.” Which is true in my case, except for the 60 gallons of water seeping in from every angle. That’s right! I had the pleasure of walking in on this so early in the morning. Immediately I can see the day flash before my eyes:
- I’d end up cleaning all of this alone. Check!
- Everyone that walks in will ask “What happened?” & assume I did it. Check!
- My boss will pretend to take charge and get involved in something that’s being handled. Check!
Literally, that is how the day went. It also seems that when an incident occurs, oh wow, do people transform into rejected MAD TV actors and start spurting out terrible jokes. Luckily for me, earbuds were activated.
I failed to mention that when I did arrive this morning … the main gate was unlocked. Unusual. And at 4:30am in a warehouse, the a/c (heater in this case) isn’t running, so it’s extremely quiet. I can’t even hear myself think because my own breathing is annoying. So when I heard some doors slamming, and lights coming on in places they shouldn’t be coming on I become werry. Not curious. In situations like these, just as you’ve seen in movies, you never go to investigate! But I had to put my lunch in the fridge.
I stumble upon the guy. A Hispanic version of me, this is how I later described him because I was growing tired of saying generic bodily features – dark hair, this tall, blah blah blah. I figured he’s a member of the cleaning crew, except he was trying to get into my boss’ office. I mean there’s plenty of trash in there, but everyone knows that door stays locked, even during restroom breaks. We exchange a polite, but awkward, “Hey” and continue with our lives.
To make a long story short, mainly because I didn’t think I would be too tired to tell it when I got home but I am, boss come in … freaks out, oh no! … I then start to vacuum up all the water into a 60 gallon drum that I eventually kick over outside. Exciting.
Oh, the fun part. In the company’s random acts of thinking and panic-mode all the managers huddle together, formulating plans and what not. They end up hiring a water leak specialist to come out and inspect the whole area of the building. Nothing. Plan B. They come up with all possible scenarios for the unfolded events, taking into account the stranger I saw this morning.
Maybe it was the rain from last night. 60 gallons worth? Maybe someone left a faucet running. And it leaked through the wall and only flooded the warehouse? Oh, maybe the strange man had something to do with it. Retaliation for being treated horribly?
So now insurance claims are being filed, pictures taken, and me, having to identify this man tomorrow morning. I am now regretting that I said or saw anyone. Damn it, why couldn’t I have woken up late and missed 10 minutes of work?
