Debbie does!
A friend of mine is leaving (fleeing?) the company, which is sad mostly because I wouldn’t have categorized her as a “friend” until six months ago even though we’ve been working in the same department for two years. Oh, she’s perfectly nice and all, but it takes a while to crack that work-acquaintance shell. Maybe it’s the litigious nature of society. It’s hard to josh around with someone if you’re afraid they’ll take something you say and twist it into you giving them your house as part of a settlement.
“Nice day, isn’t it?”
“You’re just saying that because I’m BLACK!”
“… you’re not black.”
“You’d notice, wouldn’t you? RACIST!”
And next thing you know you’re having to stay one step ahead of Tommy Lee Jones. Yeah, screw that. Easier just to smile and nod and be absolutely non-committal until you can pick up subtle clues that another person doesn’t want to drive a pair of scissors into your eye. For a normal person, this phase takes a week or two. For me, it averages a year and a half.
Anyway, she says she’s off to “Dallas,” which I think was a TV series once. I wonder whether it’s closer to Hooterville or to Petticoat Junction.