When I worked at RKO, in my late teens and early 20s, I had a few bosses who got the biggest kick out me and my love of Bruce and I don't think there was anyone in the office at that time who didn't know I was a fan. On Monday mornings after my weekends "down the Jersey Shore", one of my bosses would love to discuss my weekends over morning coffee. I was always telling him how I "almost" met Bruce. Almost! Too many times almost. I would walk into a bar down the Shore and hear someone say, Tricia you just missed him, he was here, he sang! I couldn't believe my luck. When would it be my turn!! Even recently, my friend Karen lives in Jersey and attended an equestrian event for her niece. Who's there. Yes Bruce! And his wife Patti, as their daughter is also an equestrian. So there's my friend Karen hanging with them and chatting, doing her best to pretend like she's just talking to a fellow parent watching their kids, but in her mind she's thinking I'm actually standing here hanging out and talking to Bruce Springsteen, and wait until I call Tricia and tell her, she's going to be flipping! And yes I was!
Karen and I met at at Burger King where we worked after school and weekends during our high school years, and then ended up working together at RKO. We didn't work in the same department but got to have lunch together and added extra fun during lulls in the day when we could take a break from our work.
I worked in the advertising department with a small but hugely awesome group. Pam was the director, John the manager, Theresa the coordinator and I was the secretary. I learned a lot from these three talented, creative people in the years that I worked with them and our little department was always the center of social chats in the company. There was always someone stopping by to chat and get a good laugh. Yes, from me sometimes. But John, John was the super funny guy in our office. From his outward appearance, you would never expect the kind of man he was inside. He was so funny and silly and was always coming up with ways to make me laugh.
I used to type all the press releases, before computers and had to be very careful not to make typos. After they were typed up, John and I would proofread them together and John could even make proofreading fun. If there was a funny name or word, he always came up with something clever to say. Usually the next release I typed up would include those funny names or start out as a normal press release and then, as I was typing, I would realize that he was writing a story about me, and would just sit at my desk laughing. Those co-workers were great role models in my life, and of all the jobs I've had in my working career, that time with them was one of my most favorite.
Pam and John had their own offices and Theresa and I shared the outside office. I was the last one hired in the department and by the time I starting working, all three of them had nice lamps on their desks, giving the office a different atmosphere than any of the other brightly overhead lights everywhere else. I ordered a lamp but in the meantime Theresa had to deal with the bright lights and not having a cool relaxed atmosphere.
The lamp took forever to come. I remember calling the store, which was located in the lobby of our building and being told that it still wasn't in and they would call when it was. It got ridiculous after a while, and Theresa was itching to get the lighting atmosphere back to the office we shared.
One time Pam was out of town on business and Theresa asked me to call downstairs again and ask where the lamp was. I got the same answer, still on order and as soon as it came in I would be notified. When I told Theresa she decided to call back and pretend she was Pam, was outraged and demanded that the lamp be put on special order and delivered as soon as possible. I think the lamp arrived a day or two after. When the lamp came, Pam was still out of town and Theresa and John were out at lunch, but my friend Karen was around and helped me unpack the box.
When we unpacked the lamp, it seemed like there was cardboard wrapped around the base of the lamp. We both tried to peal it off, but that wasn't so easy, then we got a razor blade and cut the cardboard off the lamp. Not easy either, it seemed like this cardboard was really stuck on! After slicing down the middle of the lamp we were both shocked to learn that the cardboard was what the lamp was made of and we had just ruined it, we sawed it in half!
We didn't know what to do. We moved the evidence from my desk and into Pam's office so no one would see what we had done and tried to glue it back together. This was not working! Before using the razor blade, the pieces we were ripping off the lamp were not easy to put back together and the lamp actually looking better sawed in half!! John walked into the office and Karen and I, looking as guilty as a kids being caught with their hands in the cookie jar, jumped in front of the sawed in half lamp to hide it from John who knew instantly something was up. When he saw the lamp, he did his usual slap on the top of his bald head, saying, oh, what did you girls do, you're in trouble, I can't believe you sawed a lamp in half! I was also freaking out about the fact that Theresa had also pretended to be Pam, throwing the weight of her title around, and threatening to stop having any business with the store.
John said I should bring the lamp back, which I wanted no part of! I wasn't going down to the store and telling them I sawed this lamp in half! Karen told John she would go with him and I was so relieved. At least I didn't have to explain this disaster! We packed it up and sealed the box. When they got down to the store, John called me and said he really thought I should be the one to return the lamp. I didn't want to, but reluctantly went down to the lobby to meet John and return the lamp and explain to the store manager what happened. When the manager came up to us, I was nervous and all I could utter was that this wasn't the kind of lamp I thought I had ordered. The man just took the box from me, didn't open the box, never looked inside and said no problem, we'll take it back. I looked at John, like, do I have to add the fact that the lamp has been sawed in half? I don't remember what John said but we did leave the store without me adding anymore to the explanation. I was so relieved, though still worried at some point they might open that box and then what would happen?
Weeks, maybe even a few months passed by and no word about the lamp. I actually started to forget and not worry. Until one day when the Controller of the company called my office. He was a great guy but on this call he sounded angry, asking me what did I do to that lamp? How could I return it to the store sawed in half! The store was ready to call the president of the company. I was flipping out, I grabbed the phone to the corner of my desk and walked into Pam's office, stretching the wire to reach John as he was by the office door talking with her. Trying very hard not to let Pam know what was going on, I told John, Frank was on the phone and wanted to know about the lamp. John took the phone but after only a minute or so handed it back to me and told me Frank just wanted to talk to me. By this time I may not have been crying, but I was scared and tears were welling up in my eyes. When I got back on the phone, Frank just told me to come to his office to continue the discussion. His office wasn't too far from mine, I ran down the hall and by the time I got there I was crying, I didn't want to lose my wonderful job over this lamp!
I got to Franks office and every one in the entire firm was waiting there, with Pam and John right behind me. Surprise! Happy Birthday!!! I was so frazzled, I forgot it was my birthday. And even with every one in the office smiling and greeting me I was still crying. I still thought about the lamp and and being in hot water! Frank, Pam and John felt so bad I was crying, but that still didn't stop them from laughing too for being able to pull off such a great surprise. It had been a perfect plan to keep me off track about my birthday and my surprise. Well it worked! It took me a bit of time to calm down and to notice my birthday present, a life sized cut-out poster of Bruce with a back board so it could stand all by itself. One of my favorite birthday gifts!
I had it sitting behind my desk for years until I left RKO and worked in the financial world downtown. I don't think my life-sized Bruce poster would have gone over too well in that atmosphere! I took my poster home and it hung on my walls for many years until I grew out having posters all over my room.
I only have pictures now of that awesome poster and it will forever remind me of that silly cardboard lamp, the creative, talented people I worked with at the time and as always my love of Bruce Springsteen.
1 comment:
Oh my gosh! I have such distinct memories of this being in your room! Now I know the back story, interesting!
Post a Comment