Monday, June 25, 2018

My Employer Is Flat Out Crazy!

It's only June but it's already hot as the dickens right now, more like something we'd expect in August! At least the summer solstice arrived this week and our dear planet earth starts to tilt northward again, one slow day at a time until Autumn arrives. I for one can't wait! Cooler temps, football games, and all the crazy holidays headed our way.

I don't know if it's the heat that's affecting both me and my employer but we've been at odds lately. On a huge property like this I'm pretty good at hiding out and conveniently running errands without ever having to come face to face with him. In fact sometimes there's ten-day to two-week stretches when we never see each other at all. But when we do there's nothing but whining, bickering and quarreling about every damned little thing around here:

He: There's a couple of tree lights out in the driveway.
Me: Yes, bulbs do burn out, don't they?
He: When you find the time would you mind changing the batteries in my remote?
Me: Certainly Sir, I've been waiting all day for such a challenge.
He: Why's the TV not working?
Me: Because it's raining and I'm not the one who chose satellite for this house!
He: Are you happy here Andrew?
Me: About what Sir, if I might ask?

The thing is, in my mind the rich have nothing very much to complain about in this life. They have luxurious secure housing, as much gourmet food as they want or need, top-dollar health insurance, vacations, travel - and free time out the wazoo. What else on earth is there to grumble about?

The big rub right now is that he has a new girlfriend - I've lost count but she's like seventh or eighth since the divorce several years back. Some last a few months, some a couple of years, but this new one has a strange grip that I've not seen before. She's like a Goody two-shoes type (nothing wrong with that) but she's planted Bibles all over the house, including the old man's bedside table. And she's even coaxed him into going to church on Sunday mornings - which is way too late in my opinion.

So here's how it goes: the pharmacy delivers Viagra to the house on Saturday, they go to church on Sunday morning, then come home and fornicate all afternoon. Which is fine, I'm no one's judge - and it certainly does keep them out of my hair for the day.

But the other thing is my employer is getting up there in years and showing signs of dementia and paranoia. Which is scary! He has total recall of things that never happened, and in his mind everyone is trying to steal from him or screw him in some kind of way. He'll devour an entire can of nuts while watching a soccer game, then claim the next day that someone stole his cashews. It's not just the house-staff here that gets the evil eye, but the office staff as well. He'll approve a new purchase or renovation for a property he owns, but then forget about his approval and chew everyone out for spending his money! This gets old really fast. How can we know what to do without running afoul of the bear?

The good news tonight is that my spy confidant at the office said the pilot has been alerted and the old man and new woman will be away during the week of July 4th celebrations - a much needed respite for all of us! And I think if I'm wise I need to sit down and update my resume while it's quiet around here for a few days. Who knows what the future may bring?

Thanks for dropping by this evening. I hope you're planning some fun events for the Fourth. I'd love to be with my family for some outdoor grilling and homemade ice cream, but it's not in the cards this year. House sitting and dog sitting are never-ending tasks, whether the old man is here or not.

Andrew
         

6 comments:

  1. You've said before that you want to leave this job but you never do.

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    1. I know, right? But it's a cushy little job with lots of free time, hard to let go. Hope all is well Christina and thanks for your comment! Andrew

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  2. I'm a butler too Andrew and understand precisely what you're saying! My employer can really get under my skin and reading this was like some kind of cathartic release. :)
    Peter

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    1. Thanks for the commiseration Peter, and by all means please stay in touch!
      Andrew

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  3. Oh no. Not the senile boss predicament. Been there, done that. Not in domestic service, but as the EA at an office. One day I got so ticked off I said I will not do anything other than my regular daily duties unless I had it in writing (so send it to me in an email or text) or someone else was there as a witness. But at least I was in a situation where the wife loved me so I knew making those mandates wouldn't get me fired. Even so, it was still a pain. On the flipside, I had to see him every day and you don't have that burden, so...guess it balances out.

    I don't like that he's asking if you're happy there. That's usually a bad sign, but on the plus side, he is lazy, so he's likely to keep you on rather than find and settle in a new butler. However, you should start sending out feelers to agencies just in case. Maybe even do a couple of interviews. He may be the devil you know, but a devil is still a tricky bastard. A senile devil trickier still. You don't want to look for a job after he fires you for theft of pistachios.

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    1. I appreciate your commiseration Stacy. You're right about the question of "Are you happy here?", which is generally a bad sign. Yes, my resume is updated and I'm in contact with my agency, in case this cushy little job continues to go south. :)

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