The Saga of Someone

I worked for a bank when I was in college.
Part time during the school year and full time in the summer.
It was a blessing to have a full time job each year from May to September.

I was a floating bank teller throughout the summer.
I went to whatever branch needed vacation coverage.
I finally settled in one location, in a charming little town.
An interesting journey got me there.

There was one branch office where no one wanted to work.
I didn’t have the luxury of refusal, so when called, I reported early Monday morning.
The branch was right on the outskirts of Philadelphia.
I walked in and was surprised at what I saw.

Plexiglass from the counter to the ceiling with only a slot to slip the money through.
Buzzers and locks everywhere, with no easy access to anything.
The branch was the scene of quite a few robberies.
They took all precautions.

What I loved about my job was the people…seeing regular customers…talking to them.
What I disliked about this branch was how cold and sterile it felt.
You talked through a slotted speaker directly in front of you.
You slipped pens through a small opening if someone needed to endorse a check.

I knew that I would only be in the branch for a few weeks.
I tried to make the best of it and offer a smile to anyone who came to my window.

The branch manager made me feel very uncomfortable.
He would buzz into our teller area and find the need to touch our backs or shoulders.
He stopped to talk to some tellers more than others as we were trying to work.
He reprimanded us loudly for the littlest thing.

There was talk and rumors about him…which I tried to ignore.
The longer I worked there, the more I saw.
I was the new girl…the floater.
I always managed to walk away when he was nearby.

Back then, banks were not open on weekends.
They were only open until 7:00 on a Friday night.

The other tellers were very nice.
I made friends with one girl in particular who was closer to my age.
It helped that we sat next to each other in our Plexiglass box.
She felt uncomfortable as well, but never said anything because she needed her job.

The Friday before my last week at this branch was a terribly rainy day.
We were all expected to leave together each Friday night as the branch manager locked up.
The employee lunch room, where we kept our belongings, was downstairs.
That night I realized that I left my umbrella there.

I asked my friend to wait for me near the vestibule.

It was raining very hard and I knew I would need my umbrella.
As everyone was gathering their things, I quickly ran downstairs.
I came right back up…umbrella in hand.
When I got to the top of the stairs everyone was gone.
Everyone but the branch manager who was blocking the doorway.

Where is everyone? I asked, trying to stay calm.
I let them go…It is raining so hard…

He wouldn’t move from the doorway.
He moved his hands and placed them on either side of the door frame.
When I moved…he moved the same way.

Please, get out of my way!

He stood there laughing.
He never said a word.
He remained there, blocking my exit.

I had no idea if the door behind him was locked.
With determination and speed, I ducked under his arm.
I pushed open the door, which he had not locked, and ran to my car.
I could hear him laughing in the distance as the rain drenched my clothes.

I cried all the way home.

Things could have turned out very differently.
Why should I have to put up with this kind of behavior at all?
Why should any of the women have to put up with it?

Monday morning came…my last week at that particular office.
I went to the regional office instead and talked to the manager.
I told her that I will not work in that branch office again.
She could put me anywhere else…but not there.

Can I ask you why? she said calmly.
I cannot work with that manager…He is inappropriate. I am uncomfortable around him.
I see. I understand. You will be permanently placed here in this office.

The charming town…with the park benches…and the trees…and no Plexiglass boxes.

Someone had to work in the other place.
Someone had to work with inappropriate talk and touches.
Someone had to deal with that, day in and day out because they needed the work.
Someone had to smile and try to do their best, under the circumstances.

But someone shouldn’t have to!

Do not rebuke and older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. (1 Timothy 5:1,2)

Purity is never paramount when control is all you care about.
The branch manager felt strong when he made someone else feel weak.

The cross demonstrated strength through weakness.
Because of Jesus, we stand victorious.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus who has become for us the wisdom of God, that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:27-30)

I don’t know what happened to the branch manager.
I heard that he was eventually fired.
Too many other “someones”.

Lord Jesus, purify our hearts, our minds, our actions.
Make us more like You.