Jobseeker’s diary

Are there people you dislike, especially when they keep doing things that annoy you? You try to forgive or ignore these irritating things at first but soon realize that these people aren’t about to change. In my case, I have the misfortune of living with such people and there’s nothing I can do about it. 1.Dennis The most frustrating, disrespectful 11-year-old I know. He sulks, throws tantrums, picks his eyes and nose with his hands and I’ve caught him sneezing into the curtains many times. Above all, he does not respect me at all. Not that I expect people to prostrate before me but I’m way older than him and I think I deserve to be treated with a certain kind of respect. The other day, I left our room to pick my clothes from the line so I didn’t bother to close the door because I knew I was coming right back. So Denis calls out to me to close the door, in a tone similar to what a mother would use to order her child to do something. I walked on and then heard him jeering and slamming the door. I was so mad but I let it go and I know it’s only a matter of hours before he infuriates me again. 2. The maid: She’s one big-headed girl who never does her work on time and the few times she does, it’s not a good job. Sometimes she does odd jobs in the neighbourhood before tending to chores in our home, saying she needs all the money she can get! There’s also the fact that she sort of short-changes us, buying less quantities than you sent her for and pocketing the money. 3. Ritah Ritah is Jane’s “close” friend and has been living with us for a couple of weeks now. There are three things I particularly don’t like about her. First, she’s got odour issues and doesn’t seem bothered at all. I don’t have the courage to tell her to clean up and consider buying a deodorant so I guess I have to live with that. Secondly, she’s such a hypocrite. One minute, she’s ganging up with the maid, talking about Jane behind her back, and the next, she’s gossiping with Jane about the maid. I always resist being drawn into conversation by both parties and I certainly can’t tell Jane what her dear friend says about her. The third complaint about Rita is that she uses my things without my permission. You find large finger dips in your hair oil, your comb goes missing and you find out she used it and didn’t care to return it. Most recently, she has taken to wearing my flats. Her feet aren’t exactly small and so now my shoes don’t fit properly as they did before. Maybe I wouldn’t feel so bad if she at least asked, but she just takes them like she owns them and that really ticks me off. 4. Spencer He’s my friend but I don’t like his habit of visiting at odd hours and jazzing till 11p.m. You go home and all you want to do is shower, eat and go to bed but you can’t do that because you have to chat with Spencer. Told you about his perfect timing for meals sometime back and that hasn’t changed. A couple of times, I’ve returned home to find no food because Spencer passed by and ate my dinner! 5. Jane As if her mood swings are not annoying enough, she constantly patronizes me. “You can’t do this, that or the other,” seem to be her favourite lines. There’s also the outright mistreatment, like waking you up at 6a.m. on a Sunday to go and buy a pen or piece of soap so she can get change! Or you can be in the middle of a meal and she sends you to buy two sodas for herself and her son as if the rest of us are allergic to soda. If I didn’t know better, I would think that maybe she wanted to put something in my food but since nothing tragic has happened to me, I guess that’s not the case. May be I should also think of ways to get even, do certain things to get on these people’s nerves? To be continued… nsophie77@yahoo.com