Bad News

Yesterday was a bad news day. A day that was marred by phone call, a letter, and a personal visit at my office door. It's hard to divulge every detail, as bad news is fodder for gossip, and I hate gossip. And also because bad news is bad, and why would anyone want to know just about the uglies?

First, The Phone Call... It came from an unidentified number, though something definitely long-distance. Because I didn't know who it was, I let myself miss the first. But when the second call came in an hour later, I answered. The news coming from the other end was that a friend had lost something very precious to her. I tried to offere condolenses and comforting words... I offered help, though I wasn't sure what I could else I could do.

I don't have the same sense of pain because the lost item isn't mine, but I do feel some very real emotion, having lost my own precious things in the past too. But what I can do is stay positive, have hope, and support my good friend. Be reassured that this precious thing will be found, as it's still very likely that it may turn up.

Second, The Letter... Technically, it arrived to my Richmond home a couple of weeks ago, although the contents of the letter did not get to me until yesterday. The letter said that I had a long-outstanding balance on a forgotten credit card and that my credit was now being cut. I was instructed to destroy said credit card and rectify the situation immediately. The outstanding balance was minimal, but the damage was not.

Defaulting payment, no matter the excuses, is considered credit card evasion. The Banking Gods punished me by putting dirt on my long-term credit ratings. I tried claiming ignorance and innocence, but of course I'm not innocent--just forgettable and somewhat irresponsible. A $20 charge has now affected my credit reputation.

Third, The Visit... I'm not too happy to report on this one... but it's an important issue, for any of us struggling with careers.

At my year-end review, I negotiated an ideal upgrade to my salary. A "recategorization", I called it, as I felt that my salary deserved to move into a new salary category, not just receive the status quo pay raise. Results? I was denied. Twice.

I'm worth more than I make, and I'm dissapointed that the company that I am so loyal to cannot recognize that. They cover up with excuses: following policy, fairness across the company, and, get this, financial hardships. This all comes after the $1.2 million revenue-generating Print World in which I worked 40+ overtime hours over five days.

Anyway, the tragedy of this will be my own. Being denied a raise is one thing, but being denounced of the value of my work is another. There can't be a future for me here and I don't see how I can stay at this company anymore. And for me, that's the worse news of all.