Perpetual Unbalance

Ok wow. So my feelings were kind of hurt yesterday morning. Well not really kinda, they were definitely hurt. Try as I might, it's hard not to take personally.

First let me tell you that there are a couple of girls in my small unit who buy a lot of movies. They bring them for us all to borrow. Very giving spirits. There was a little confusion early last week when our boss returned a movie she borrowed, Elizabethtown. Seem we had 2 of them floating around, one belonging to D and one belonging to L, but the boss was sure she borrowed D's. So D takes it home end of story.

Well last week L was one of the people laid off. Unfortunately she is pretty bitter. She worked for the company for 22 years and feels betrayed I guess. I've never been laid off so I'm not sure how I would feel, but I would cherish the friendships I left behind.

While L was packing up her desk she kept forgetting things. Pictures of her dogs, pictures of her friends son, we pointed them out to her before she left and she took them but just seemed distracted. Totally understandable given the circumstances. After she left we realized that there were some other things that she left. Maybe she meant to, I'm not sure. One of the things she left I was sure she would want. Her husband works for a glass company and made her a beautiful name plate, which she left here. Also, over the weekend D realized that she now had 2 Elizabethtown DVDs, obviously the one the boss returned actually belonged to L. D called L on Saturday and left her a message letting her know she had her movie. D never recieved a callback.

So today I called L to let her know I could bring her stuff by after work, L and I live very close to each other, if today was a good day for her. Here's how the conversation went.

L: Hello

Me: Hi L, it's Unbalanced

L: Oh hi (her tone her was friendly)

Me: I was calling to see if today was a good day for me to stop by to drop off somethings you left last week.

L: Like what? (tone losing the friendliness a little)

Me: Just some little things and maybe you didn't want them. But one thing I was sure you wanted was your name plate M made for you.

L: No, that's ok. (tone now ice cold, like she would rather take the opportunity to be nasty to me rather than have her things)

Me: You don't want it?

L: No, that's ok. (again, ICE cold)

Me: Ok. Well D also brought your movie, I think she called you about it this weekend.

L: Well they sure acted like they wanted it, I tried to tell them it was mine. (not sure how to describe her tone here, sufice it to say it was anything but friendly... she acted as though the boss and D intentionally kept her movie)

Me: You don't want your movie?

L: No, that's ok. Ya'll can keep it.

Me: Ok. Um. *silence* I guess. Bye then.

L: *dial tone*

It really saddens me. I feel like I should be sympathetic to her situation. But, I didn't do this to her. If it were up to me she would not have been laid off. I really like her. She had her moments but then didn't we all. This is someone we spent time with outside of work. Someone I considered a friend. She's been to my home, I've been to hers. She would make special trick or treat bags for my kids and we would make a point to go to her house so she could give them to the kids personally. I will miss her. Especially now that I realize she does not plan on continuing our friendship now that we don't work together anymore. The whole situation is just sad and I'm sorry it has cost me a friend.