#130 - MW

When I started to work as a PT, there was a lady who worked for my boss.  I wasn't really sure what her official job description was, I just knew that she had been there for a really long time and she was completely loyal and devoted to my boss.

We walked to work everyday.  She did not have a car and she did not drive.  She lived about 1/2 mile away.  In the 7 or 8 years that we worked together, I think I saw her accept a ride to or from work less than 5 times.  If it was cold, she bundled up and walked.  If it was raining, she either came early or late to miss the showers.

She had her own chair that she sat in most of the day.  She would get up and sweep, then she would sit.  After a while she would get up and dust a little, then she would sit.  Vacuum, then sit.  Windex, then sit.  She was in charge of the laundry.  She would wait for the dryer to be done and take the towels out and fold them pronto so they would not wrinkle.  She would take her lunch break the second the hands on the clock ticked to 11:30.  After she ate her sandwich, she would sit.  The same drill would continue all afternoon until the stroke of 4:30 when she would grab her rain hat and bag and walk home.

Two funny stories about #130.
1.  Whenever she would sit to rest...she had a small prayer book that she would read.  (I know she's is heaven looking down on me, but don't take offense Ms Mary)  I have never seen someone'e eyes roll so far up.  She would keep her head down like she was reading the book, but roll her eyes up to keep an eye on what everyone else was doing.  She never said too much, but she new everything!

2.  She taught me how to fold the gowns.  OK now, I was a PT school graduate, but a lot of times I had down time and I would help out folding the laundry which consisted of sheets, towels, and gowns.  I had the towels and gowns down pat, but my folded gowns looked like Seth folded them.  After about 2 weeks of re-folding my attempts, Ms. Mary pulled me on the side and showed me how, if you start at the bottom and make the edges touch, you can make a nice folded square instead of a lumpy mound to stuff in the cabinet.  Very simple...but so much easier.

Whenever my partner and I purchased the business from the owner and he retired, #130 retired with him.  She was loyal to him to the end, and in return, he took care of her by giving her a good job with good pay.  Did he absolutely need her services?  No, he could have gotten by with a weekly cleaning service and the aides could have handled the rest.  Was she a valuable employee?  Absolutely!  She provided honest work and did not ask for anything except to be treated with respect.  I definitely respected her.  She showed that education does not always make a person smarter and it definitely does not make them better than everyone else.  Good lesson to remember.  (You hear me kids?)

I read in the paper a few years ago that she passed away.  So did my former boss so I know that they are together again, just waiting for the rest of us to get there so they can show us all the ropes...again.