After I accidentally fired myself last week, my friend Joey invited me to a networking event to make new professional connections and I thought going was a pretty good idea, considering (1) the strong likelihood that I’d soon be unemployed and (B) my ongoing, desperate need to make a complete ASS out of myself in a roomful of strangers.
(Which, as it turns out, I totally accomplished… just not in the way I expected.)
The event was held at Mangia Pizza. And you won’t understand yet why this is important, but there are actually multiple locations of Mangia Pizza in Austin, Texas.
(There are at least two that I know of. That I know of NOW, I mean.)
I was running late because I hadn’t officially been fired yet – a situation that was swiftly and dramatically rectified a few short days later.
(Saving THAT little nugget of gold for another day, but until then here’s a fun little teaser…
Boss Lady: I know I said things were cool but I changed my mind for no reason and now I hate you more than ever! Fuck off and die! Go away forever!
Me: Huh?)
Anyway…
I walked into Mangia expecting to find a large group of people I didn’t know all turn around at once to stare at me and make me feel horribly awkward and uncomfortable.
(Which, again, is EXACTLY what happened. It just wasn’t the group I expected.)
Walking through the restaurant, though, I didn’t see a large party anywhere. I asked the host if there was a back room or separate area for events; he nodded as if he knew exactly what I was talking about and quickly led me to a large set of double doors. He pulled them open with great pageantry — and effectively brought ALL activity in the next room to an abrupt and utter HALT as all eyes turned to… ME.
(Let’s just call this Awkward Horrible Moment #1.)
This was clearly the party room, and there was only one party in attendance – a table in the center with about 15 people seated and one woman standing, giving a speech. I didn’t recognize anyone but hadn’t expected to – well at least no one except Joey, who was nowhere in sight. The nice lady standing stopped mid-speech, warmly waved me in, and showed me to an empty seat, where I sat as quickly and quietly as I could. I gave smiles all around and received several in return. Everyone seemed so nice! I was looking forward to “connecting” with all of them!
Nice Speech Lady: (smiling at me) Okay, so now that everyone’s here…
Me: (smiling back, then looking around) (She seems nice. Where’s Joey?)
Nice Speech Lady: …I just want to say that…
Waiter: (whispering) Would you like something to drink?
Nice Speech Lady: … I know we are all really going to miss Nick and his smiling face…
Me: (whispering back to waiter) Sure! How about a Dr. Pepper? (Wait. Who’s Nick?)
Nice Speech Lady: … so Susan and I tried to think of the perfect going away gift and finally we came up with the funniest thing…
Me: (confused) (Going away gift?)
Nice Party Lady: (pulling note cards from bag) … we made these hilarious note cards from old IBM time cards, which we all know Nick just LOOOOVES to make fun of!!! Hahahaaaa!
Other Party People: HAHAHAAAA! HA HA! HAHAHAAA!
Me: Haha haa!! (No seriously. Who the fuck is Nick?)
Nice Speech Lady: But seriously, Nick, I just want to thank you for your years of hard work…
Me: (texting Joey: “Hey, where are you? Who is this Nick guy?”)
Nice Party Lady: …and for being such a great sport…
Cell phone: New text from Joey! “I’m here at the table! Nick? I don’t know a Nick.”
Me: (OH. MY. GOD. It can’t be. Oh shit it is. I AM IN THE WRONG PLACE. THESE ARE THE WRONG PEOPLE. What the fuck do I do? I have no idea. No idea. No idea.)
Cell phone: New text from Joey! “Where are u? U didn’t go to the wrong Mangia did u? U know there’s more than one LOLOL”
Me: (TOO LATE TOO LATE TOO LATE MORE THAN ONE MANGIA TOO LATE)
Nice Party Lady: …and because you’ve just been so great to work with, Nick…
Waiter: (delivers Dr. Pepper) (ignores my pleading look) (leaves without saving me)
Me: (suddenly VERY thirsty) (sucking life from straw) (wishing desperately for booze)
Nice Speech Lady: …We just all really wish you the best of luck, Nick. And thank you for all your years of service! We’ll miss you!
Other Party People: (clapping enthusiastically)
Me: (clapping nervously) (I have NO FUCKING IDEA what to do. None. NONE. I have never seen nor read anything in my life that would prepare me for this moment. There is NO easy way out of this. NONE. NONE. Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK WOW.)
Nice Speech Lady: Everyone let’s raise a glass for Nick!!
Other Party People: (raising glasses) Here, here, Nick!!
Me: (raising glass, deer-in-headlights) (Just go with it, Beej. Just go with it.) (smiling) Here, here, Nickster!
Other Party People: (drinking to Nick)
Me: (sucking from straw with the strength of a thousand Hoovers, wishing I could suck myself out of this room right now)
Nick: (beaming)
Me: (One day this will be funny, Beej. It really will. I swear it will. Just get through it. You can do this. She’s going to sit down, when she does just calmly excuse yourself and walk out. It might be a little awkward, okay, yes, definitely awkward… but what else can you do? There is NO un-awkward way out of this. None. Just wait. Breathe. She’ll sit down, everyone will start talking, and you can just quietly get up, act like you’re going to the bathroom and never come back. They won’t realize until later that they didn’t know you. It’s perfect. The perfect plan. Okay. I can do this. Go ahead, Speech Lady. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.)
Nice Speech Lady: (sitting down)
Me: (looking around, waiting) (YES. Go ahead, Party People. Start talking. Start talking. Start talking.)
Other Party People: (silent)
Nice Speech Lady: Why don’t you say a few words, Nick?
Me: (There is no god.)
I suppose I could tell you all about Nick’s speech, and how excited he was to be moving to Wisconsin with his wife (yay!), but a little nervous about the house she bought because he hasn’t seen it yet (gasp!) and also kind of dreading the long drive up there with the two dogs (hee hee!) and more than anything, sad to say goodbye to all of his friends at IBM (awwwww!). But instead I’ll just tell you that Nick talked for a long, long, long, long, LONG FUCKING TIME. And the entire time Nick talked, I felt more uncomfortable than I have ever felt.
Ever.
In my life.
EVER.
And believe me when I tell you –
THAT is saying something.
Also, through all the speeches I could see the guy next to me stealing glances, trying to figure out who the hell I was. But I just kept clapping and laughing along with everyone else and let him wonder, because Nick was talking and I’d be damned if I was going to ruin Nick’s party!! He’d already been through so much, with the wife and the dogs and the house and OY!!
But.
This fucking guy had initiative.
And Nick DID finally stop talking.
IBM Guy: (extending hand) Hi. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Mark.
Me: (firm handshake) Hi, Mark. I’m Beej. And we’ve never met because I actually don’t belong here at all.
Mark: (confused) Pardon?
Me: (taking the bull by the horns) Yeah. You’re confused, I know. Let me just explain. This is not my party. You are not my people. I do not work at IBM. I have never met Nick. I have to go.
Mark: Wait a minute — you just sat here the whole time and didn’t say anything?
Me: (Should have left the bull’s horns alone. The bull seems angry. Backtrack. Abort mission. ABORT MISSION.) W-w-well, I didn’t want to ruin Nick’s party.
Mark: But you ordered a drink!
Me: (defensive) Just a Dr. Pepper! It’s not even spiked!
Lady on my other side: What’s going on?
Mark: This woman doesn’t know Nick.
Me: (dying) I really should be going.
Mark: She isn’t with IBM.
Me: (dying dying dying) I’ll just go now.
Lady across the table: What’s happening?
Mark: (loudly) She doesn’t know Nick!
Nice Speech Lady: (catching on) She doesn’t know Nick?
Me: (getting up, taking empty glass) Well you were all just so nice and welcoming and I thought you were my group and the Mangia guy seemed so sure but then you were talking and I knew but I didn’t want to interrupt and ohmygod I’m so sorry I’ll pay for my drink so awkward I don’t know what to say…
Mark: (crossing arms across chest, looking angry)
Nick: (looking confused)
Me: (backing out of room) (running into chairs) (waving at Nick) Best of luck, Nick!
Nick: (still confused) (waving) Um, okay, bye!?
Lady on other side of table: Who was that?
I don’t even know what else there is to say, except this:
As soon as I was in my car I called my mom and told her the whole thing, and this was her reaction: “Well, maybe you should apply for a job there. I mean, with Nick leaving and all, you KNOW there’s an opening.”
And that right there is proof that I come from pure awesome.
The end.
Stumble it!
Tags: Good luck Nick, My mom is awesome, this is ridiculously and unnecessarily long
April 29th, 2011 at 12:25 am
Wow. You just made me feel a WHOLE lot better about the crappy day I had. Also made me pee my pants a little. (Totally worth it.)
April 29th, 2011 at 1:26 am
Holy balls, I love you.
April 29th, 2011 at 7:29 am
I have so done this but usually I pick a drink with considerably more kick to it and then seem to have clothing malfunctions. You mean this doesn’t happen to everyone?
April 29th, 2011 at 7:49 am
I can never read your blog at work. My loud laughter is not appreciated.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:27 am
I think I love your mom.
April 29th, 2011 at 9:08 am
If it was anything but an IBM employee going away party, the conversation after you left would have been hilarious.
April 29th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Brava. Love the kicker.
April 29th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
This is so not my fault. However, you have a dry cleaning bill on it’s way once you get a job. Thanks to your story I laughed coffee out my nose.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Oh, my gosh your mom is FUNNY.
April 29th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Oh my God! You are hilarious! I am laughing out loud by myself at this! Bless your heart! What an awful situation. You totally did the right thing, really. And your mom was right. You know they have an opening!
April 29th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
You are sooooo…………the bomb!
April 30th, 2011 at 9:32 am
i honestly believe your mother is related to my mother…you know, your grandmother, not the other way around. They are awesome. You are you.
April 30th, 2011 at 9:48 am
i mean you are too.
April 30th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Oh my gosh. I’m blushing for you! This is my NIGHTMARE! Networking events are so overwhelming. And then like that…ugh, I’m so sorry. This has been a rough time for you!
April 30th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Dude. That was YOU?
Those people were talking about that for days.
Seriously though, why has Rob not hooked you up with a job over at ye old statesman?
May 1st, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Best. Story. Ever.
May 1st, 2011 at 8:27 pm
oh my god – that is something I would have done – well except I wouldn’t have stayed. But now I know I definitely do not want to work for IBM.
May 2nd, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Aaaahahahahaha, I love that you stayed for Nick’s party and then confessed it. Such humiliation is the only way we can come up with such good stuff, I’ve decided. So please do continue embarrassing yourself — FOR US!
Kimber
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:44 pm
You are so much like me it scares me sometimes. Except that you’re funnier and braver. But otherwise, just like me. Also? You’re funnier. Did I say that? And brave, too, as well. But yeah, otherwise, JUST like me. Just. And I swear that Mark is Mean Boss Lady’s super-pious cheating husband. It is written.
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Your mum!!! Awesome indeed!
bahahahahahahahahahahaha
May 3rd, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Ohmahgawd! I would’ve just gotten up and left. I can’t believe they were mean to you. If I’d been the speech lady I’d have just laughed and then retold the story to, like, everyone I know. How embarassing.
May 3rd, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Holy shit, that was awesome!
May 15th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Tell me that did NOT happen!!!!
May 20th, 2011 at 8:57 am
That’s awesome. Reminds me of when I spent a session in an advanced college art class. I was a little late and I did wonder why everyone there already had all their supplies out. Some folks kindly lent me a little charcoal and then we did a thing where we passed around canvasses that everyone would draw on a little and then pass, draw a little then pass, and so on. My classmates’ skills were remarkable! I ruined about six drawings before figuring out this was not the basic drawing class I had signed up for. Wrong room!