Doha Days (7)

Exam resit week for the employees. The 'excellent' have passed and gone; the 'no-hopers' who cannot pass have also gone; I am left with the middling rump, who can still pass if they get off their Blackberries and do some work. The class is now fragmented, with the students all having different modules to get through, which means more work for yours truly in preparing separate materials for them.

In the midst of the hurly-burly comes a call from the bank. "Mr. Simon, sir? It's X here from Al Khaliji."
"Yes, yes, what do you want?"
"Mr. Simon, sir, your new card is ready. Are you free to come to the bank to pick it up?
"No, I'm busy. Call me at 1 o'clock."
(fawning) "Yes, Mr. Simon, sir."

1pm: "Mr. Simon, sir?"
"Yes, I have no time to come to the bank."
"Where are you, sir?"
I tell him.
"So I will come there at 2 o'clock to give you the card. Is that OK for you, Mr. Simon, sir?"

That's how I like my bankers: cringing, subservient; aware that their livelihood depends on my goodwill. Why aren't more of them like that? Why aren't they all like that?

Comments

Anna L. Walls said…
Oh my - I have never encountered such a creature. To answer your question: They aren't all like that because we have trained them to believe that we need them, badly, so they can call whatever shots they see fit.
29 March 2011 at 20:56
Bydaderisms said…
God, you're harsh sometimes. ;)
29 March 2011 at 23:37
Anonymous said…
Maybe you will want to put a facebook icon to your blog. Just bookmarked this article, however I must make it manually. Simply my 2 cents.
30 March 2011 at 01:37
Simon M Hunter said…
Yes, you're right!
30 March 2011 at 13:35
MeltonM said…
They probably noticed the savage beast on your wrist in the photo. Bank clerks, as you know, are renowned for their imagination and empathy. The sensation of sharp talons tearing the skin of their scalps would be as real as the interest payments on a long-term Gold Standard with-profits high-interest bearing savings bond (the value of investments may go down as well as up).
30 March 2011 at 23:44
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