Taking bets on whether I lose my job today

It's a good thing I had a damn good weekend, because this am is not too whoopy. Actually, I'm not even upset. It's getting personal. After my last "talk" with the local boss I was told he knows it's not really my fault that I'm a single mother and that I have a sick child and they sympathize... Good thing I know it's not my fault I've got no morals and a few gay friends and GASP democratic-views.....

ANYWAY, the whole circle of secrecy thing where no one ever gives 2 weeks or gets 2 weeks' notice here in the dungeon is starting up again..whispers, shocked looks, etc. You're gone at 4:45pm the last day of the pay period so they don't have to cut a partial check for a 1/2 day or 2 days or something. Well, this afternoon's the last day of this pay period (we don't get paid until the day AFTER the 15th and the day AFTER the last day of the month). I have to take a half-day Wednesday am to get trained on Joey's new fangled VEST thing that's his air clearance/shake the crap out of him/new plan to help him get the congestion out of his sinuses & lungs. I have to be trained by the company's representative or blue cross won't pay for the $16,000 cost of the machine. I recently sent a very appropriate, professional email to the owners & cc: the management team (me, my buddy & the controller) about how I'm trying to minimize any time lost and I appreciate that they are running a business and to let me know if they would consider me working part time or whatever I can during this time that my son is ill or if not, let me know and I would be happy to train any replacement they deem necessary. I have not heard word one in response to my email, no acknowledgement whatsoever.

My father took Joey to work Friday so I didn't have to miss any time, etc. I said this am in the big Monday Meeting that my daughter isn't able to go to the after-care program today so I have to pick her up at 3:00. I could either take my lunch then, bring her back to the office for one hour between 4 and 5 or I could leave early. Last time I had to bring a child to the office for an hour it caused a stink because Miss Hateful complained about me getting "special preferential treatment". (I know, it's redundant, but she's not that bright.) The last time ended up with a "little talk" from the local boss explaining how I needed to try harder to act just like everyone else and the fact that I was salary and management and required to work more than 40 hours ANYWAY didn't matter. I just had to "avoid the appearance of special, preferential treatment." So, instead of saying take the afternoon off or bring her in, he looked at me with the patented fatherly "I'm disappointed in you" look and said "we'll discuss it later, just you and I in my office" and kind of did this sigh thing. I'm telling you, I'm 36 freaking years old and not putting up with this crap. There's no FMLA (family medical leave act) applicable here as we're too small of a company. Basically the rules of government agencies and any other normalcy do not apply. I'm surprised we haven't started floating around in the air and that the law of gravity still works down here.

SO, my original thought was they would keep me until the old analyst/computer guru could come in and train someone else. He's now teaching school, so the plan was probably wait until summer originally, then I've had to miss a few half-days and had 3 sick days in the last month, so it was probably pushed to Xmas vacation. NOW, scandal of scandals, I'm planning on taking a few hours off. You know, THIS is why I explained to the big bosses in person last time they were here AND in email 2 weeks ago that though we were hoping for better times, I could well need more time off here and there. I am making sacrifices where I can and my family is helping as well, but that's all I've got buster.

Haven't heard word one about our "talk" yet. It's about lunch time. I'm leaving at 2:30 to get Beth and if I haven't had a talk before then, tough. Any bets that my "talk" will end up with me hitting the road? I think the newest plan was the big bosses having a "talk" next week when they get here and basically giving me an ultimatum of not missing any more work or I'm gone, but now I'm thinking it could be today. We'll see. Might have a lot more time on my hands. Any bets?

OK, two and a half hours later update --> It sounds like the big bosses are wanting to work with me, it's just the local one I'm upsetting. Guess I'll be down here for a while longer... Still haven't had my talk yet, but the gossip highway is like being back in high school. I was pretty good at keeping up with who liked who and who didn't and all that, so those skills are coming in handy years later. Who would've thought the 2 things I'd use most that I learned in high school would be algebra and the gossip grapevine?

I will write later about my great weekend and how I'm going mary-kate-anorexic for a couple of days to make up for all the food my friends fed me! I may be pissy, but I'm also pretty lucky to have good people in my life.