Okay. I did it. I called the agency and told them what was happening. They weren't surprised. In fact, the young lady there let it slip that she knew. She said something like, "Well, after you leave we'll have to talk to the managers about paying attention to their staff. That's the reason why they keep having turn over, because our employees don't feel comfortable there." Great. Initially she asked me to stick it out until Friday afternoon, and I said yes. But I'm going to call her tomorrow and tell her I changed my mind. Right as I was leaving I heard them talking about how one of the female sales reps who was in the office for a meeting yesterday complained to her boss about what she witnessed, and they were all in a huddle, even Ma, "getting their story straight" so "everything would be normal."

"My job is to whup Sistah's butts!" The Great White Liar announced as they laughed. I think that vibration under my feet was Harriett Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Martin Luther King Jr. all turning over in their graves at once along with Carrie Nation and Susan B. Anthony. These people are just very different from me....and that's okay, as long as they are different from me while I'm not around them.

The good news is that I had two phone calls today on my business line. One was a potential customer! I'm going by her house to do an estimate tomorrow. Of course, I can see how this is going to go, "I just got out of the hospital. I'm on a fixed income. I'm 79 years old...." sigh. If you all are making side bets on how little I'm going to do this job for just don't tell me how low you're going. I was actually pretty calm when I was talking to her.

I flubbed up at a worse time, when I called the 2nd lady back. She was from the department of aging and wanted to "check me out" before mentioning to any senior citizens that she saw my ad. Was I insured? Did I have references? I was very honest and told her that I was just getting started, that I have numerous references to my good character and one business reference. I told her I was in the process of getting my liability insurance, which is true...the main part I'm in the process of is trying to get the money together, but the binder is written up for me: I just have to pay and sign. But I found myself just kind of babbling to her about how much I care about old people - which I do, but still, babbling is a bad thing in any line of work. So I looked up her agency address, wrote her a professional sounding letter stressing my good points which I plan to send along with a detailed flyer and some business cards. Tomorrow I'm going to call and ask an admin assistant how to spell her name so I don't screw that up.

By then I was so freaked out by the idea of actually having customers and leads that I was basically just wandering around the house flapping my arms like a bird when The Hub came in and decided that I was in no condition to reliably cook supper, so he got us some Chinese food. Also the cat is now a little scared of me.

Also, the other good news is that I avoided a huge sinkhole which opened up in front of the mall where I usually go at lunch time. This morning I had one of those feelings that I ought not go the way I usually do, that I ought to go in through the Hecht company and buy a paperback to read at lunch. I almost always do it when I get the "go the other way" feeling - so I never know what would have happened if I'd gone the way I would have gone if I hadn't gone the way I went. But this time, when I was leaving, there were all manner of emergency vehicles speeding toward the back of the mall just as I had left.

Maybe somebody Up There likes me, or at least doesn't think I'm a total loser.