RUBBING PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY

THE TEXT
RUBBING PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY
Paula Mooney, a not particularly popular Sentinel Savings & Loan mortgage underwriter, was
the recipient of awkward goodbyes from coworkers Monday, her last day with the company.
Mooney, who in two and a half years with
moving to Texas to be with her boyfriend, but
Sentinel "never quite hit it off with the gang,"
I'm not positive."
was given a polite but emotionless going-away
Another employee who exchanged banal
party
an
pleasantries with Mooney was receptionist
Entenmann's chocolate cake, Hi-C fruit punch,
Alana Hodge, 22. According to Hodge, Mooney
and a good-luck card signed by whomever
was "her usual strange self."
near
her
workspace.
Featuring
happened to be at their desks when it was
passed around, the 15-minute gathering met
the minimum standards for a farewell party.
"She asked me if her old phone extension was
going to be retired," Hodge said. "I said we'd
probably just give it to whoever takes her place.
"I never had any deep, personal grudge against
Then I asked her why she was asking. After this
Paula," said Barb Ridnak, 48, one of the nine
awkward silence, she explained that she was
Sentinel employees who chipped in to buy
joking, saying she was such a legend, her
Mooney a $13 picture frame as a going-away
extension would be retired. I was like, 'Oh.'"
gift. "But there was just something about her
that rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know,
there was a certain coldness about her. And a
phoniness. When you talked to her, she always
came off kind of, well, surface-y."
After avoiding eye contact with Mooney for the
entire party, Ridnak bumped into her in the
women's rest room shortly before quitting time.
Despite her distaste for Mooney, Ridnak forced a
grin and gave her an awkward goodbye.
"I said something like, 'It's going to be different
not having you around.' Which I guess,
technically, is true," Ridnak said. "Then, she gave
a little nervous laugh and shrugged slightly. She
didn't really say much, Miss Personality that she
is. I guess she felt just as uncomfortable as I
did."
Added Ridnak: "I'm not even exactly sure why
she's leaving here. I think somebody said she's
VOCABULARY
savings & loans -- spořitelna
mortgage underwriter -- upisovatel hypoték?
recipient -- příjemce
awkward -- ošemetný, trapný, nepříjemný
hit it off -- padnout si do noty
the going-away party featured... -- na
rozlučkovém večírku se objevily...
grudge -- zášť, zaujatost
chip in -- přispět (penězi)
it rubs me the wrong way -- pocitově mi to
nesedí, dráždí mě to
phony -- neupřímný, hraný
she comes off kind of surface-y -- působí tak
nějak povrchně
bump into sb -- narazit na někoho
quitting time -- padla
distaste -- nechuť, odpor
force a grin -- přinutit se k širokému úsměvu
shrug -- pokrčit rameny
slightly -- jemně, trošku
I'm not positive -- nejsem si úplně jistá
exchange banal pleasantries -- vyměnit si
otřepané fráze (lichotky)
she was her usual strange self -- byla divná jako
vždycky
phone extension -- přípojka
retire st -- stáhnout (z provozu)
I was like "oh" -- já na to jako "aha"
CNBW READING ROOM / SMALL BLACK BEETLES / HOW WEIRD CAN YOU GET
AWKWARD FAREWELLS AT WORKPLACE - 1 - RUBBING PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY