I was just looking at the big fossil exhibit, you know, the one with the huge bones all put together. I had my hands in my jacket pockets and was just enjoying the quiet for a minute. The light in that room always makes me feel peaceful. That’s when it started.
A woman came up to me real fast. She had a colorful scarf tied around her neck. “Excuse me,” she said, kind of loudly, “I need to know where the gift shop is. And hurry, my grandson is getting fussy.”
I turned to her and tried to smile. “Oh, I don’t actually work here,” I told her. I figured that would be the end of it, just a simple mistake anyone could make.
But it wasn’t. Her eyes narrowed a little bit. “Don’t be silly,” she snapped, her voice getting even louder. “You were just looking at that display with such a serious face. Of course you work here. Just tell me where the dinosaur toys are. He absolutely needs one, and we are running out of time.”
A little bit of frustration started to bubble up inside me. I felt my shoulders tense. “Really, I’m just a visitor,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “I don’t know where they keep the specific toys. I can point you to the main information desk if you like? They could definitely help you out.”
She put her hands on her hips. Her voice was like a hammer hitting an anvil. “No, you are going to help me. I don’t have time for your games. My grandson wants a specific type of dinosaur figure. I need to find these right now. Show me where they are.”
My jaw began to clench. I started to get a dull ache behind my eyes. I looked around the big room for someone in a uniform. I spotted a guy a few aisles over, wearing a grey shirt with a little museum logo on it. He looked like he worked there for sure.
“Look,” I said to her, my voice feeling tight. “I’m going to go find an actual employee. They can help you with what you need.” I started to walk towards the man with the logo shirt.
She practically lunged in front of me, blocking my way. “What are you doing? Are you trying to ignore a customer? I am paying money to be here! You help me or I will report you to your manager! They’ll fire you for being so unhelpful!”
My blood pressure felt like it was going up. I could feel my cheeks getting warm. “I don’t work here!” I repeated, my voice a bit louder than I meant for it to be. “I am not an employee. You need to ask someone who is.”
She just looked at me with pure anger. “Don’t you dare walk away from a customer who needs assistance! You are clearly terrible at this job! I’m going to call your supervisor right now and tell them exactly how rude you are!”
My muscles were really tightening up now. I began to see red around the edges of my vision. I didn’t care what she said. I needed to get someone who actually worked there. I pushed past her gently, but firmly, and walked quickly towards the uniformed guy. “Excuse me!” I called out, trying to get his attention.
He turned and started walking towards me. As he got closer, the woman behind me let out a loud, high-pitched noise that made everyone in the room look over. “This is absolutely unbelievable! I’ve never been treated so disrespectfully! You are all completely incompetent!” Her voice echoed off the high ceilings.
Before the employee could even reach me, or hear what she was truly saying, she stomped her foot on the polished floor. Then she spun around fast and marched away, heading straight for the exit doors without another word. She was out of sight before the museum worker even reached me. He just looked at me with a confused expression.
