(Just) a Friend from Work

(Just) a Friend from Work…

by George VonAllmen

1.

I’ll never forget the time she found me crying in the bathroom at work,

and immediately put my embarrassment at bay, calmly stating

“Honey, I’ve hidden in here on more than a few occasions when I was

struggling with bad news. I don’t know if that’s what’s got you in here,

but whatever it is, if you want to tell me about it…betcha’ you’ll feel better!

And if you don’t want to, I’ll understand – just want you to know I’m here

for you.”

Of course I told her! I knew it would go no further, that it would

immediately have less power over me, and that we’d both have a little laugh

together...before we decided who would walk out of the rest room first!

2.

He had seen me doing my “St. George, the Patron Saint of Passed over for

Promotion” bit before, and in just the nick of time pulled me away from the

coffee machine and into the safety of his office. Left to my own devices

and penchant for public pouting, I would’ve surely further secured my #1

spot in the Douchebag Hall of Fame - “Up and OVER the Top

Bitching” category!

“Georgie Boy, you’ve got a lot on the ball and a chip on your shoulder –

a lethal combination!” As usual, his 10-minute pep-talk/dressing down

was exactly what I needed to put things in perspective - laced with

an exacting measure of both compliments and criticism. I sauntered out of

his office and met any cohort’s inquiry of “What was THAT all about"…with

a guarded smirk, explaining “Another one his non-PC jokes that was not

yet ready for Prime Time!”

3.

Her official title was “Executive Assistant”, meaning she was simply in

charge of ALL the tasks no one else was capable of or would (without a

gun to their head!) sign-up for! One of those gems was “March Madness

Moderator”, earning her the nickname of “Angie the Greek”! She not only

produced all the Bracket Ballots, but, for sports dummies like me…would

give you a few guarded tips on what was (she never minced words when it

came to anything sports-related!) “a dumbshit sheet”! As long as you could

make adjustments for her deeply-rooted bias for the Buckeyes…you now

had a fighting chance of winning it all!

But the same no-nonsense Gal Friday was also the first one to help you

with successfully planning your upcoming sister’s bridal shower, your little

girl’s Princess Birthday Party – anything that was a “Celebration with

Family and Friends”! It was a natural – she was the most organized person

I ever encountered (someone said had been a Director of Catering for

some big-time hotel). And her abiding love of her own family and friends

was clearly evident in her regular get-togethers with old

GRADE-SCHOOL friends, and hilarious recounting of some of her favorite

“My Dad Would’ve Said” stories.

4.

He knew all the signs - he had never denied his “experience in these

matters”. But it was never the subject of idle chat or the pat answer to the

perfunctory “So tell me about yourself” when first getting to know a work

associate. He would only reveal the fact that he was a recovering alcoholic

when you made a sheepish inquiry of him. This only after (as the 5 of us

who had quietly become his acolytes would later figure out…) his name

was thrown out, like a life-preserver, as someone “who might be able to

help”.

Little did I know that the ending of my drinking life was, markedly, the

beginning of my new life. Instead of my solution of drowning any pain

or difficulty in my life in alcohol, sobriety and the ever-present counsel of

Paul, taught me to meet my problems head-on. Turns out it was as simple

as accepting whatever God allows to “happen” in my life as teaching

moments…instead of indefinite suffering. An attitude of gratitude will

always blossom into a spirit of humility, the perfect foundation for a life-

changing personal relationship with God.

I wish my daughter could hear me now, as she hugs her brother and

wipes away tears of joy mixed with astonishment. “That last person to go

through the line…they told me the most BEAUTIFUL stories about

Dad, and how much he meant to them!” And when I asked

how did they know each other, a simple smile crossed their face as he

whispered – “Oh, we were just friends from work.”

These special people, these "friends from work" - not our parents, siblings, children, or others in the long list of relationships each and every one of us has…CHOSE to be a part of our lives. They entered on their own volition, and they remained steadfast when others may have broken ties or drifted away.

And, in my case, are here at the end.