So all my life I've been fighting one of the most difficult battles in all the world: keeping people I just meet from calling me Caroline. Carolyn, I know, is close to Caroline but at the same time so different. The "lyn" adds a bit of Arthurian flair to it, makes it more graceful, more soft, more awesome. The "LINE" at the end of She-who-should-not-be-named name is harsh and recalls a more rustic kind of attitude and lifestyle. Even Neil Diamond had to add an adjective to soften the name for the title of his song "Sweet Caroilne."
Anyway, I make sure that people know my name is NOT Caroline and can get very touchy about it very fast. So I of all people should understand the plight of someone with a unique, atypical name. Taking this receptionist job has meant that I butcher names left and right. Marks become Mikes and Jens become Janeanes and I end up looking like an ass. I'm so sorry other person on the phone, but I can't hear you! Speak up and speak clearly! I don't know you, I've never met you and I'm sure if I did we'd be best friends forever. But it's just this short mini conversation we can have over and over again if you're not eloquent!
Me: Good Morning Our Company's Name!
Person with cottonballs in their mouth: So and so please.
ME: Who can I say is calling?
Person who managed to put more cottonballs in their mouth in the meantime: It's sjleon.
Me: I'm sorry who?
Person:Sjleon.
Me: I'm so sorry I'm having trouble hearing you. What did you say?
(this is the point where some people have hung up on me)
Person: SEAN.
Me: Ahem. Sorry. Where are you calling from?
Person: Bezzex.
Me: Bezzex?
Person. NO, Bezzex.
Me: Sean from Bezzex.
Person: Bus i ness X.
Me: Thank you hold on one moment.
Granted this has gotten easier over the past week as I begin to recognize the same people calling over and over. Except for the Myserious Brother. Someone kept calling for one of the partners here and I kept thinking they were saying it was their brother. Turns out his name is Butter. And turns out that I've been getting his name wrong since I've been here. And he came in today and introduced himself. Very nice guy and I couldn't have apologized more. We had a short conversation and I think I apologized for butchering his name eleven or twelve more times throughout.
I felt sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad. And I thought I'd been championing all my life against Caroline. To think what this guy's had to go through.
Just goes to show, don't judge a person by their phone conversations.
No comments:
Post a Comment