Being forgetful sometimes, no human can claim to be a saint. At least for once, we have forgotten something we weren't supposed to, and there is always this question of how did I? It happened to me several times in the past, and it's not like I don't still forget things, but it's not as bad as it used to be when I was very much younger.
I remember quite well those years when my mom used to ask me how I could pass at school with my level of forgetfulness. This minute she's giving me a series of instructions, and the next minute, I am so carried away with something else that I won't remember anything she said. Unfortunately, I didn't have a better means to tackle this forgetfulness of a thing, and it didn't get better.
Sometime in 2019, when I was still new to my previous job, I made a blunder all because of being forgetful, and it almost ruined the beautiful impression I made that gave me a promotion shortly after I started the job.
My normal routine before I got the promotion was to visit my designated market in the morning, get orders, and make deliveries even before our competitors set their foot in the market. As a supervisor, I still had to visit markets to check how my foot soldiers were doing, but there are chances of being called for an impromptu meeting before going to the field.
On that particular Sunday evening, I got a message for supervisors to report to the office on Monday morning by 9 am for a brief meeting with the regional sales manager.
I wanted to set a reminder immediately but got carried away with the Liverpool match that was on at that time. I made up my mind to set the reminder later, and that was all.
Very early on Monday morning, I met with some of my team members working close to where I live. I gave them some motivation and advice before heading out to the Ketu/Ojota market. I got stuck in traffic on my way to the market, and while checking around on my phone, I saw the meeting reminder, which starts in 10 minutes.
I immediately remembered the meeting notification I got the previous day and was covered in sweat. That was my first general meeting for supervisors, and I already messed up.
My eyes were fixed on the time, and in the blink of an eye, it was 9 am. I was typing an apology message with an excuse of being stuck in traffic when my phone started ringing, and it was my boss.
I picked up, and he asked where I was because the regional manager wants to meet the new supervisors, especially. I began to stutter while explaining my situation, and he just ended the call.
I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up, and the only thing on my mind was that I had lost my job. While contemplating what to do, the cloud started gathering, and I made up my mind to take a bike even though it would cost me a lot of money; it's a better option than losing my job.
I was able to get a bike immediately, and as we were going, it started drizzling. The bike man asked if we should take cover at a fuel station because the next place we could hide from the rain wasn't nearby. I told him to keep going, and he did.
We hadn't moved for 30 seconds when the rain started pouring seriously, and there was no place to hide. I got drenched before I could know it, and my issue only got complicated. The rain poured for a short time, but it has caused irreversible damage already. I didn't have a choice but to show up at the office wet, and immediately the HR saw me from afar; he told me to just go home.
I left the office dejected, and immediately I got home, I wrote a message and sent it to my boss. He finally picked up my call and told me to just work within my environment since I have a team there.
Later that night, I sent my report, and my boss was impressed with the sales. I knew that was my best shot at getting his forgiveness, and it worked.
"Report to Surulere tomorrow morning and ask for the regional manager's office." My boss texted me, and I was happy.
I set a reminder immediately and was at Surulere even before the building was opened. I met Mr. Akshay, and he expressed his displeasure about me not showing up despite what my boss said about me. I apologized and talked about a few things. I went back to Ikeja to meet my boss before heading back to the field to do my daily task. It was quite stressful moving that day, but the stress was worth it.
Image are mine