I guess to continue ranting. Last month I wrote about my experience during the Streak Era where I tried to get a job with my mother’s company and although she was a higher up it just didn’t work. Just had to be late and the hiring manager proved to be a stickler for time and note that I tried to be responsible let that person know I was running behind.
Well for the moment I want to go back to an old standby story which was Anthony’s strange fixation on yours truly getting an interview with Finer Foods. So my interview with that neighborhood bank occurred early in May 2014. Sometime after that I gave Ant a call just to tell him about my visit to the cinema where we both tried to get jobs as managers.
Now I mention fixation. So prior to my interview with that bank he had been trying to call me or even sending me texts urging me to call his Finer’s contact. I tried to explain my actions via email to him even allowed that I could’ve followed up but his only response which was incomplete was still “When you call [Finer’s contact]”. The response to anything I say about this topic was never going to be to his satisfaction unless I did what he wanted me to do.
I know I told this story enough times the basic gist was he was worrying me about Finer’s at some point in the late winter months. I gave in because the Streak Era had seemingly stalled again and looked to him for a lead. He asked what happened with Finer’s I told him and he got to work. He told me to call his store manager and get an interview which long story short I did.
So I go up for the interview on a cold morning on the northwest side of Chicago and was hungry got lost on the way once I got off the bus. Was a bit late because of a course correction. And once I got to that store was kept waiting until an employee – not sure if she was even a manager – comes to speak to me asks if I was certain I was meeting with store manager. About an hour after I arrived she finally tells me the store mgr was doing a walk with his boss and he won’t be meeting with me wasting my time.
I was teed off, however, I was not very willing to just walk out. It would be fine with me if they told me something although it was become apparent as the waiting continued this was going to be a wash. They told me something finally instead of just keeping me waiting I shoot Anthony a quick text about the situation he tried to call me was in no mood just moved on. Until maybe two days after.
When he calls me and just wants to know what happened with the interview. Basically my text giving him a quick update wasn’t satisfactory enough. I attempt to explain he seems to interject with questions which I try to address, however, he finally arrives at “So did you call them?”. My answer was the wrong one and he gets livid letting me know that he heard I never followed up. Was just too frustrated and teed off to even think about that. Now this is where the disappointed father kicks in, he tells me to call them tomorrow and although I tell him to call me tomorrow he just hangs up.
After that he started trying to get updates making phone calls that I don’t answer or sending texts I won’t respond to. Again fixated on me getting up to his store on the northwest side of Chicago. He wants to know what happened after the last time we talk and no there was no follow-up my mind was on they needed to call me. Besides I had called them and essentially got nothing for it!
That was until I called him later trying to get things back to normal at the time. Started off talking about my recent visit to the theater we both tried to get jobs and he didn’t even acknowledge his next thought become “What happened with Finer’s?” Again just fixated on that whole drama and at that point the interview with that bank was behind me and I’m unsure when I finally told him about it. Don’t think it was that moment.
I’m sure I gave him as close to the shorthand version of what happened however he starts to analyze this. According to him he knew I was teed off, but now they owe me. He mentioned the whole situation about the store mgr with his boss. However, he goes further by stating that they fed me a line I accepted that and they sent me on my way. And then he tried to stir up some drama by stating that I tried to blame him for what happened because I just stopped communicating with him at that point.
My only response was to stop him from taking over the convo and just let him know that I wasn’t blaming him. Of course in my email I did take issue with how he flew off the handle when he called me sometime later after the non-interview. Of course he doesn’t address that he just says call his contact. One thing I have said overtime on this is that while he can’t be blamed for what his mgmt did as far as my interview, my issue was with his behavior immediately afterwards. However, I never quite went there in this convo just told him for the interview I didn’t blame him for that.
So we talk about other things and I want to tell you about one weird moment in our convo. Was trying to agree with him on something but I heard him growl over the phone which irritated me. Forget the subject hell he didn’t even express irritation with what was being said. The message for me with that growl was more or less just shut up and listen I’m not done talking or your point doesn’t matter.
Disappointed father….
I ask him if he’s meditating. He says “I’m listening”, but was so annoyed by his action I just tell him I’m done. He just keeps making his point as if nothing I said penetrated. Don’t even remember what we were talking about for his final point. Eventually the convo began to wind down and he suggested again that I call his Finer’s contact tomorrow.
This time I didn’t acknowledge his last request only stating “I’ll talk to you later”. Only he knows his response to my parting statement as we ended the call. He didn’t quite acknowledge my response at that point, however, it just shows how fixated he became on this issue. He was fixated that I start telling him about other banking interviews during the rest of 2014 he still felt the need to state “I really need you to call [Finer’s contact]”. So at that point it was probably about August or September and was some time away from finally getting a job offer with Gotham Bank.
Now in that instance all I did was get a phone number and with no plans to even follow up with this it was just filed away. This information is still around the house somewhere. 😛
Also consider that after that Finer’s episode where I got no interview he “arranged” for me to have an interview at another store he worked at near downtown Chicago which still resulted in no job offer. And while he did try to update me or even urge me to follow-up with them he wasn’t as all over this as he had been with Finer’s. And also note that over two years after the fact he still needed to ask what happened with that and led to his attempt to get your’s truly to jump ship from Fresh Foods to Finer Foods.
What a strange series of events with this guy. And again disappointed father, just a domineering man who feels as if it’s his role to call all the shots. What did I get out of this? Well let me see rides in my mother’s vehicle, me giving him small cash infusions, and occasionally free lunch on my dime. And with not much respect for my efforts.
Have I said enough times I’m glad to have finally cut ties with him.