It's not nice to call people names but this guy (we'll call him "Michael") really got to me. He had the audacity to say "Yeah well, you really need to be down here for this meeting instead of being out shoppin' with grandma." like I was breaking some kind of law by turning down that meeting. I suppose that it's bothered me for so long because this job was on a commissioned basis. The meetings were like live-action pyramid scheme websites with deals, incentives, popular music, and tree-killing handouts. The entire time I'd been rushing to these meetings to make this job work, "Michael" was just as friendly and nice in his cheap black suit and gold wire-rimmed glasses. Once I didn't play by his rules to give his district money, I was the worst employee ever. It's something I'll never forget.
Despite his crass tone, I chose to go shopping with my grandmother. As her able-bodied grand-daughter, how could I leave her to carry heavy items from the store and back home all by herself? I did that ONCE and my father never let me forget it. I wasn't about to let some tool with a quota to meet stop me from taking care of my family. The next week, I quit that crappy job and never looked back. I suffered for years trying to find another one, but I was able to be there for my grandmother when she needed me. I was able to proudly say to myself "I never put my job before my family."
I gladly stuffed all my sales rep. stuff into a box and shipped it off to the suite, refusing to grace that office with my presence. I knew if I went there, I'd have some pretty ugly things to say to that man. I wrote him a letter and left it at that. I think I was way too kind. It probably rolled off his thick back and went under his Italian leather dress shoes. Fine with me. Note lost, story written. The job was temporary and as empty as the mechanical letter they'd send out to thousands of young people just like me. (I know a lot of people have great stories to tell about their time with Vector, but mine SUCKED. Nobody wanted 78-800 dollar knife sets.)
I realize that sometimes one can't always put family first. Jobs call, bills call, duties call. There were many times when I wanted my dad to come to shows at school or just be at home so I could call him. There were a lot of times when he was there. He put my ring on my finger at my junior ring ceremony. He was right in the audience when I graduated from high school. Every birthday, every educational step I've been through, he's taken me out to dinner or a delightful lunch. When he couldn't be there, he was working hard at his job as an engineer to make sure I could go to private school and afford to go to the college of my choice. He sacrificed a luxury car to give me a luxury higher education. Long story short--he's the reason why I declined that meeting. When he was able to choose family over his job, he did it. When principles meant more than the paycheck, he was always there.
No matter what, family still had a way of coming first.