Paradise: Part 1

RB thought back to the early days in the Customer Care Department.  RB knew he could write.  He also had plenty of experience in customer service.  This was different.  He would have the final say for the corporation.  His job was to respond to customer correspondence.  He would either keep a customer or lose one.  He didn’t like losing any.

There were ten people in the training class.  He sat next to a young lady whom he found very attractive.  She was married but periodically during the day, he found himself wanting to look at her.  RB was married himself but it stop him from appreciating a masterpiece when he saw one

How did I get here?” he wondered.  RB did not like confrontation.  His natural impulse was to avoid it.  He once met someone who liked to work in baggage service at the airline where they worked.  This person loved it.  RB said, “I would never work there.”

“Why not?”

“Because any time someone walks through the door, you know they aren’t happy?”

Now he was embarking on a journey that would require him to deal with unhappy people.  In reality, RB was good with people and never let an irate customer get the best of him.  Actually, RB liked the challenge to making people smile when they were angry.  His internal trouble with confrontation was when he could see it coming.  When it merely happened, he was fine.  He was anxious on the inside but you would never know it.

That seemed so long ago.  Now, he was handling deals for the company executives.  The manner in which he got that job is a story all in itself.  He had handled every type of complaint the office received.  He started working the basic stuff but you never knew what a letter would say until you read it.  He had a mentor when class was finished and he was to start writing letters for real.  Darla was a gem but she was tough.  RB once asked her if she invested in a red ink company since she used so much of it when she proofed his letters. 

It hurt RB’s pride for Darla to find so much wrong with his letters.  While he realized he wasn’t a perfect  writer, was he really THAT bad?  He buckled down, trying to write in a manner that was acceptable.  It was a full week before she accepted a letter that met her standards.  RB was proud.  He hated the process but knew he was a better writer.