HONESTY

As promised, here's what happened Friday a week ago. Hang on - it's long. "Shortening" is not an ingredient I use very well.

As with most places, we have snack and drink machines in our breakroom. Ours are serviced by Phil, who was born legally blind. He works through state voc rehab's BEP (Business Enterprise Program). Phil has a driver, though like me, he has some usable sight.

Sometimes the machines don't work correctly, and even though we got a new snack machine about a month ago, it sometimes wouldn't take coins but would take dollar bills and give the snack and correct change. Other times, you'd get your snack but no change. Most recently, after having been worked on yet again, it began giving the snack - and TOO MUCH change! I would put in 3 quarters for a 70 cent snack, and it would return 2 of the quarters - that sort of thing, and I wasn't the only one that happened to.

Recently I was told to get the phone number and call when something went wrong with the machines, so of course I called about this latest. A man came to work on the machine, and I was told: "Come deal with this guy!" Granted, he was odd, but BEP is set up so that people with various handicaps will have a job. The repairman was not blind, though he obviously was disabled in some way.

Two of my co-workers questioned why I had called BEP. I reiterated that one of those who was questioning me had recently told me to call when anything went wrong with the machines, and because it was returning too much change, that was dishonest. I was yelled at and all but cursed out. One told me that if I wanted to be "honest" (imagine a snide tone of voice), that I could give Phil back the too-much-change that I got.

If someone puts in money and DOESN'T get their snack, or their change - or if THEIR paycheck is short, then they fuss, even if it's only a nickel. Of course the money from those machines is Phil's paycheck. It is a double standard. To some, honesty is a flaw!

If I'd had a way home, I would have done so for the rest of that afternoon. I rarely cry, but I was so upset that I got an immediate headache. If the next day had been a work day (rather than Saturday), I would probably have called in sick, because that's how I felt.

That wasn't being stoned or beat - or crucified - still, I felt "persecuted" for being honest.