My First Job - My First Boss

My First Job – My first Boss

I was born at a time and place when young married women usually stayed home with their children. Husbands went off to work as they say – to bring home the bacon.

Children tend to grow up, leave the nest and stay-at-home mothers, are not trained for the workforce, which has changed dramatically during the ensuing 20 years. At least that was the way it was for me.

At the age of forty-two I enrolled in a Community College to study the profession with a bombastic name of Doctor’s Office Assistant. In other words, I became a receptionist with knowledge of medical terminology.

I was quickly hired by my own family doctor and began work on the day of the annual Christmas dinner. Office politics demanded that the staff each present the boss with a small but meaningful gift for the holiday. I was stumped. I hardly knew the man other than that he had in the past examined my entire naked body on average once a year. Inside and out – I might add. He definitely knew me better than I knew him.

I had learned however, that he was very impressed by literary ability, especially poetry. Well, I thought I can do that and so proceeded to work diligently on a poem I could present to him at the annual staff dinner party.

The night of the dinner at a local restaurant I was shaking with nervous energy. Each staff member handed him a small, brightly wrapped gift and I, embarrassingly handed him just a plain white envelope with a Christmas card inside

When he opened the card and read what I had written, he burst out laughing. He laughed until tears ran down his cheeks. Curiosity and amusement on the faces of people around the table encouraged him to pass the card around the table.

Here is what I had written.

World’s Greatest Boss

You are indeed the greatest boss
That I have ever had,
I’m not at all dissatisfied,
And that can’t be all bad.

I hope that you will realize
This compliment is true,
And simply disregard the fact –
My ONLY boss was you!

Word count 365
Written Oct 28, 2009