There are certain things you don't say to a person. You can think them in your head all you want, but for them to come out of your mouth – in front of someone –noooooooooooo…..
Fire – as this woman will be called. Not because she was fired, because she wasn't, she totally gave her two weeks and finished them off. Her name will be Fire because she acted like one, single-handedly destroying things that were in her way. Intentional? A lot of people here think so. She had many enemies. There was actual cheering after she walked out the door last Friday.
Well, I worked with Fire three days a week, and I dreaded them. I work with two other people that I love, but Fire…oh my God.
Let me give you a quick story that happened just the day before Fire and I butted heads: Another co-worker and I were in the break room. She had heard me speaking Spanish to a client and commented on how she would have never in a million years have been able to understand what I was saying. I laughed. She asked me where I was from and I told her "Well, born in Puerto Rico, raised in NYC." "Wow, that's funny because I don't pick up on any accents, New Yorkers usually have a distinct accent…" she said. "I learned very early on that in order to fit in, you have to speak clearly and with no accents, Spanish, NY or any other. I was taught to not let my self be distinguished by my accent." I said. Which is true, my mother went through- and still goes through a lot of shit because of her accent.
Nice enough conversation, right?
Well, the NEXT DAY Fire heard me speaking to a client, but I was speaking ENGLISH. "Where are you from?" She asked me. "New York." I said, I didn't feel like explaining anything at that moment. "No, which country?" I looked at her. "Here. My family is from Puerto Rico…" "That's what I thought, you have a very heavy Puertorican accent when you speak."
*Did you just hear tires screeching in your head?*
"I have a heavy accent? That's funny, I just had someone tell me that I had no accent."
I shut up. I was flooded with work I didn't want to chit-chat.
She waited a minute…then asked "Do people ever ask you if you're illegal?"
*more tires*
I looked at her and said "No, no one would ever dare ask someone else that kind of question."
I walked away from my work.
I spoke to another girl and asked her if she heard an accent when I speak, she laughed at me thinking I was joking. I told her the story. She suggested I go to HR. I shrugged. Daddy said the same thing. I shrugged again. The next day she gave her two week notice, so I didn't say a word. Why bother if she was leaving anyway, right?
It has actually become somewhat of a joke here now, if I say something to someone I excuse myself and say "I'm sorry if you can't understand me due to my heavy puertorican accent…" because I can laugh at it…but there are still certain things you JUST don't say…
