The One Where The Tea Lady Was My Enemy

The One Where The Tea Lady Was My Enemy

Hellooo.. it's been one lousy week and I'm so glad it's Friday!

Lots of work and lots of meeting to attend and some people just don't appreciate others.  That's the normal thing in the office nowadays.  Let me entertained you guys with an incident that occur to me a few weeks ago, courtesy of the tea-lady.

There's a tea-lady in my office.  She's in her early 40's.  She serves coffee and tea to all the departments.  She would push her trolley and make her usual rounds, twice a day.  Approximately at 10.30am and 3.30pm.  That's her routine everyday. She never smiles, infact I've never seen her smiles at anyone.  She always puts on this gloomy face.  I don't really know what's her problem.  At first, I thought maybe she's lonely.  I mean serving tea/coffee to 140 people and have to take the elevator concurrently (twice a day!) pushing the heavy trolley to every department, it's a boring job.  Everytime she came into my department, I try to appreciate her effort by smiling and greet her.  Refill my mug with hot tea and say thank you.  Her tea was always extra sweet but hey I can always pour hot water to make it suitable for my likings.  No problem at all.  That's my usual routine  almost everyday since I started work in May.

Then the dreadful day came.

My mug slipped from my hand when I washing it.  It breaks into pieces and I have to throw it away.  So I was mugless.  And I forgot to bring another one from home.  She was making her usual rounds in the evening, and at that particular time I was thirsty.  So I went to her trolley,  there's a compartment there where she kept extra plastic cups.  So I pull the compartment drawer pull the cup out and then... I feel someone grab my hand, hard..

T-Lady:  Apa awak buat? (What are you doing?)

Teddy:  Saya lupa nak bawak cawan. (I forgot to bring my mug)

She pull the cup away from my hand, put it back in the drawer and close it.  At this time I feel awkward and very weird.

T-Lady:  Gelas nih untuk budak sales.  Jangan ambil. Nanti tak cukup cawan. Guna gelas department sendiri. (These cups are for the sales rep.  Don't take it.  It's not enough.  Use your department's mug)

Teddy:  Sori Kak.(I'm sorry)

I was so thirsty.  So I took Kak Zura's mug (she's on maternity leave).  The handle was broken, but it's still good.  So I fill the mug with tea to quench my thirst. 

Then I saw a guy in my department, open the drawer and took the plastic cup, fill it with coffee in front of my eyes.  In my astonishment, she just stood there.. DOING NOTHING.  He was NOT a sales rep.

WHAT THE FUCK??

I feel like someone just slapped me in my face.  The tea just taste awful for my likings now.  I don't feel like drinking right now.  How could a person do that??  I was being nice to her all this time and this is what I get in returned??  I just don't understand.  Fuck I don't.

These kind of attitude makes me sick. I told my collegue about it and they say that she has an attitude problem, it happened to them before.  Huhh??  It's been going on for years and nobody complaint?

If I was born and raised to be a cruel person, I would just report straight to HR.  But my mom and dad raised me to be a responsible and considerate person.  I think about her feelings and family first.  She doesn't earn a lot and I don't want to be the one who pulls her bread and butter away.  It's not fair to me as I was being treated like shit but this time I will spare her. 

Since that day, I don't take any drinks from her trolley anymore.  I think it's better for me to spend RM1.30 for a drink rather then being treated like a beggar.  I can't tolerate with this kind of ugly behaviour.

So long and goodbye tea lady.  You won't get far with that attitude.

Thank you.