
Once, in an important work meeting with the senior execs, I opened my notepad and was confronted by a huge, black cockroach that had taken up residence between the pages of my notepad. We all saw it waving its monstrous antennae as it contemplated its next move. I made a hasty exit from the meeting, at which point the cockroach made its own dash for freedom. There may have been screaming. Did the bigwigs help with the dispatch? What do you think? I love my life.
Eyes agog. Cockroach!
One extra makes a quorum.
Best meeting ever.
True story, one which is best told on a weekend when nobody is reading.
I have never regretted being a pesticide-free household.
Kind Regards.
Tracy.
NaPoWriMo #23
Hah– this is such a great story!
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Thank you. It gets funnier as time passes.
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Ugh. Those things are the bane of my existence here in sunny Florida. And they fly!! Watching me kill those things is an art form. RIP damn bugs. I pulverize them to within an inch of their existence, swearing with every whack of my flip-flop until the deed is done.
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This is cockroach story I promised you, Lois. Finally. I know how much you love them. 🤣 if I was a roach, I would give your place a wide berth.
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You more than delivered, Tracy!!! 😆
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That would have me leave the room also!
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Perhaps I should have let it plop onto the meeting table.
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😁
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Great story! I bet that brought down a few bigwigs!! I was visiting Victoria, BC this past week and my highlight was a visit to the Bug Zoo. Got a good look at a cockroach, and it was actually quite lovely. Not at all like I remember the one that fell upon our table(luckily not into the beer) in a dark bar on Queen Street in Toronto a number of years ago. That one had my sister making a hasty exit! lol
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There are some beautiful ones, Heather. This one was really ugly.
Gross! No wonder the bar was dark.
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Haha! I’d have made a quick exit too. Great haibun too.
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Thanks, Margaret. I was more worried about my professional reputation. I was still young and enthusiastic at that stage.
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Young and enthusiastic counts for a lot.
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It does.
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I’d have been out of there, too. I kind of had my fill of cockroaches in Guangzhou, though, at a certain point, they did become interesting. There was one we named “Tex” who actually attended every party. He’d walk out from under a shelf and just stand there in the living room as if he’d been invited. 🙂
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Haha, Tex sounds like he was a pretty cool dude. Still, it probably wasn’t quite the impression you wanted to leave.
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Did the big wigs think it was a “subtle” way of implying that they were insects ? At some places having that happen could be what we used to call at UPS a CLM (pronounced clem) A Career Limiting Move.
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I wish I’d know about CLM when I was working! I would have had plenty of occasion to use it.
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🤣
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I don’t know what they thought, Lou. They never referred to the incident at all. Very strange. Still, I wasn’t yet persona non grata. I ditched my brief case after that in favour of a back pack that I could hermetically seal. I could never successfully pull off the sophisticated career woman trope.
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This was hilarious! “Best meeting ever” was the kicker.
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At the time I was embarrassed even though I could definitely see the funny side, but now looking back, definitely the best meeting ever.
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😀
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😛
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Very funny. 😀 😀
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It was hilarious. In hindsight.
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A story worth recounting, Tracy! Time is so wonderful at times, what we think was embarrassing becomes funnier with its passage.
Great haibun, by the way.
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Thanks, Punam. I’m getting low on funny stories though.
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You are welcome. They will come when they have to.
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There is screeching inside my head as I read this … the cockroach is so not my favourite insect!
But also much laughter as I follow the exploits and enjoy your so-very-clever haibun.
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Thank you, Ju-Lyn. There was much screeching too on the day it happened so I can relate to your reaction.
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