The most mundane day can easily turn into the story of a lifetime-just add an overexcited customer. This collection of short stories covers the most humorous moments one man experienced while working for a telephone company, from his perspective at the top of the poles.
In his fifteen years as a field technician, author Robert Lewis Hayes Jr. went on countless premise visits, some of which were unexpectedly eventful. And as anyone who's worked in a service industry will know, dealing with annoying customers and discouraging employers is part of the job-but that doesn't mean you can't laugh about it later.
Once, thanks to a distracted supervisor, Hayes, still fresh to the job himself, was put in charge of training three new techs in pole climbing. Later on, a more experienced Hayes had to figure out how to deal with an extremely animated customer intent on getting his attention-from forty feet below.
A lighthearted look at one man's career, these stories show us how to find humor in the everyday and encourage us to bring our own personal style to whatever jobs we do. Sometimes, all we can do is to hang on and laugh.
About the Author: Robert Lewis Hayes Jr. is also the author of Dial Tone Dragnet: The Earthy Education of a Phone Man and, more recently, Grandma's Lost and Found.
Hayes worked for a telephone company for thirty-four years, half of which he spent as a field technician. He graduated with a BA from Morris Brown College in 1973. Now retired, Hayes spends his time writing and staying active by participating in various running events, such as the Peachtree Road Race. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
