THE GRUMBLER

So far, I have spent four days in my new branch and it has been interesting. I say interesting because I have a new set of colleagues and I have had fun studying them and my environment. There's a particular lady that I just wonder at. *Sharon is the Cash Officer and she is quite a character. When I resumed, there was no system for me, so I had to share hers for a couple of days. I don't appreciate when people tell me things about other people. I just don't want to know and besides I feel like that person would also say things behind my back. While working on Sharon's system the first day I resumed, she started what I have termed her usual way of muttering. She was sitting beside me and was just muttering to herself. At first I thought she was praying beneath her breath, but after about ten minutes of muttering and no word from me, she asked me if I didn't hear what she was saying. With a surprised look, I turned and told her that I didn't know she was talking to me.

Apparently she had been grumbling about a lot of things and wanted my input in the matter. She complained about the music our Hop *Lekan was playing. *Sharon said the music was too loud and it wasn't even Christian songs, so what makes him think everyone would want to hear it (she was playing her Christian songs too). I blinked in shock that someone would make such a silly and petty comment. I told her while smiling that it was none of her business what kind of songs he was playing cos it's a free world. Next she complained that *Lekan always favors his people (Yoruba) and would always side them. *Sharon is from Delta state. I didn't say anything to her, but continued working.

She would complain that *Lekan does not do his job but leaves everything for her to do. She would give instances of the tickets that were posted by the tellers and are supposed to be verified by the two of them, but *Lekan would leave everything for her to do and instead be reading his mails. All this while, i had been quiet as she muttered, but I was tired of hearing her talk. I told her that she can't just talk like that and he might have important issues to sort out via mail. *Sharon grumbled about how *Lekan wastes time with customers when he has to personally address their issues. Once, she pointed out to me a customer that had come to see *Lekan and was talking with him. In less than five minutes, they were through and the customer got up and left. *Sharon then said that that was an exception because usually the customer would seat there for a long time with *Lekan.  On and on she went grumbling about one thing or the other that *Lekan and some other people do. I never witnessed any of this things that she accuses them of.

I heard an earful of how *Funmi (the C.S.O) is a very lazy girl and because she is Yoruba, *Lekan would always side her. On my third day in the office, *Lekan called that he was stuck in traffic and would be a little bit late to work. *Sharon started her muttering and was saying that ehnnnnnn, he always comes late to work and has one excuse or the other and it would become worse now cos there's a new staff that can cover for him. It's always to my hearing only, so when she mutters like this , I tell her off if I'm in the mood, but most times, I just ignore her.

Yesterday, I and *Sharon entered the vault to bring out some cash for the tellers and almost as soon as we got in, she said that we should hurry up and leave because she doesn't like wasting time in the vault. She said that the vault was hot and had a musky smell. I shook my head, looked at her well and just started laughing and I told her to calm down. I was laughing because it's not as if she is an ajebutter or anything of that sort. ( I don't mean to be mean cos I'm not an ajebutter either :-D ). I asked her if she has ever seen a fan, air condition or windows for ventilation in a vault before. Of course she didn't respond, but picked the cash and we left the vault.

I don't know if she has had issues with *Lekan or the other people before. I'm not interested in all that. After she has grumbled beneath her breath, she would always turn to them, be all smiley and still work as if she doesn't spite them. I don't want to conclude that she is a frustrated, bitter and spiteful person cos I have known her for just four days, but that is the way she comes across to me. So far, she is the kind of person that I wouldn't want to be friends with. I have decided that I would just relate with her as a colleague. If she can tell me (a colleague that is just 4days old in the branch) such things about other people, then I don't need such a person as a friend.

So far, *Lekan seems to me like a correct guy. He is fun to be around and does his job. My other colleagues all make sense too. I also noticed that the relationship they have with *Sharon is kind of official. They don't really gist with her. Oh well, I might be wrong though.

My system was fixed and configured by an IT guy yesterday, so I now stay on my own and don't have to constantly hear her mutterings. Thank goodness.