“I know you from somewhere, but I can’t say from where. You know me?” the question came from a random woman in downtown Georgetown.
When I shook my head in the negative she proceeded to ask me where I worked and it was the beginning of a conversation. I had made a very early morning visit to a Regent Street store to avoid the holiday rush. I was so early that the store was not open and the stranger and I were among a few other women waiting for the doors to open. We all wanted to leave the city before it got crowded.
“Where you does work?” the woman then asked me and when I told her she said she could not have known me from the media.
“I don’t look at the news. I don’t read the newspaper. I don’t do anything like that because I suffering from mental health and I does have to protect my space. Right now, is two mat I come down to get for my kitchen. Is years now I shopping here you know,” she told me, referring to one of the few locally owned stores remaining on the popular shopping street.
She moved closer to me. I had not said more than two words to her at that point, but from all indications she wanted to talk.
“I was working [name of international organisation] for 26 years and I just had to one day come off because mentally the work was affecting me and I couldn’t do it anymore,” she told me. I asked her if she benefited from a pension after working so many years.
“No. no I came off with nothing. They used to pay good but that was it, they had no pension scheme or anything. So, I had to survive on whatever little savings I had and now I getting pension from NIS,” she answered.
I asked her what caused her to have a mental breakdown on the job.
“For years I was the only one dealing with a certain area [she named the area] and it became too much for me. It was very burdensome and I would take the work home in my mind because there is always work left over. There was not one day when I would have completed everything and it was really getting to me. Then there were other issues, it was just too much for me,” she answered.
“After I realised it was too much and I know I was almost at tipping point I went to them and I asked if I could move. I wanted to work but just not in that department anymore. I even suggested that maybe if I get some help that I could give it another shot. But they told me that they had no one else to replace me with and no one to help me either,” she recalled.
“You all ladies out here early, me staff ain’t come yet,” the store owner interrupted the flow of the conversation as the doors of the store opened and some people began putting items out on the pavement to be sold.
“If you all know what you all want and where to find it you could go up and see by the time but the staff ain’t come yet,” he continued.
The two of us looked at each other and smiled. We happily took the store owner up on the offer, along with the others who were also waiting.
As we browsed the conversation continued.
“One day I went home and I said to myself that I just have to leave, for myself. I have to. And I sent it my resignation. You know when I left they put three persons in the area, for years it was just me and I asked them for assistance and they said no. But when I resigned three persons were put to do the job I was doing,” she said.
“I just said to myself that maybe it was time for me to leave but I did not want to leave under those circumstances. It was as if I was pushed out because I cared about myself and that can’t be right. But I have no regrets because I learnt a lot on the job and it was really an interesting area to work in but as they say all good things must come to an end,” she continued.
“Girl you think this colour will look good? The kitchen green,” she moved seamlessly onto another topic, jolting me in the process as I was intensely listening to her.
I told her the colour of the mats could work and that they appeared strong. She seemed satisfied and picked them up to take to the cashier.
“Girl, thanks for listening to me. Right now, is just me and my mother and I don’t drive so we don’t come out much. When I come out is just to do everything and then go back in. I don’t have children and I never marry so it is me and her. I read a lot and I do watch television, but just not the news, I don’t want anything to add to my mental health,” she said to me almost wearily.
She then asked me if I found the item I wanted and I replied in the affirmative.
“That is good! We can both get out of this place before it is too crowded. Enjoy your holiday and I hope your new year will be a good one,” she responded.
I thanked her and we parted ways.
The encounter with this sister was interesting and I just wanted to share. I have said it before in this space that at times people just want someone to listen. The sister did not sound sad and appeared to be coping quite well but maybe she wanted to share how unfair she believed she was treated by her former employer. She did not sound bitter (she did share a but more than I have written about) just sad at some points.
Kudos to the sister that she is taking her mental health seriously. We all need to do that and while I don’t make New Year resolutions I do plan on taking care of my mental well-being some more this year. As you get older you realise how important this is for your survival. On this note, sisters, I want to wish you a happy and prosperous New Year. This is the first piece for the year and I hope to continue writing for just a little longer.
