Today was going to be just another day, meetings, phone calls, creating new systems, finding missing information, new information, arguments, laughters... I received a phone call from one of our client who calls incessantly. She is our famous client. She is ill. Ill in her heart. Constantly complaining, doubting, lying yet it's strange to feel that I genuinely care for her. Her incessant phone calls doesn't strike urgency like it used to. To a new receptionist, every words of her creates feeling of urgency. Receptionist carefully knocks on the door, she speaks of client wanting to talk about invoice she recently received. I can assume why because she has not paid invoices for awhile. Before she always paid cash immediately after the service was over to our field worker but that has ceased so now she has to pay like everyone else. After the service is done for that week, skip one week then gets an invoice via mail and must pay by mailing a check. Old fashioned client complains that she doesn't like owe anything to anyone and opposite is also not permissible.
After my meeting I make a phone call to our client to discuss her invoice. She likes me because I give her what she wants, the attention. It helps that I'm a younger male. Yet, I get stubborn in certain things such as keeping regular schedule and payment to be kept between and client and office while excluding field staff.
She has not paid three invoices but she only has the most recent invoice front of her and wants to know details on how money piled up. I explain thoroughly once. She asks again, then I explain one more time. She disputes one of the charge, I remind her of our conversation regarding hair cut, rain, medicine, dentist, family visits. It's surprising I remember those tiny details but this client has special part of my heart and long conversation she demands during my busy hours, I listen to every words she says. For her that is most important. She tries to bring out sympathy, but I quickly change the subject and she follows along and help both us stay away from dark cloud and focus on solving problems. It's quite exciting to see that her mood has gotten better than when we first started. She even increased her service schedule and became accustomed to her schedule. She likes the new field staff and so far things are breezy.
She demands that she receives the new invoice with total amount. She demands that someone from the office drop the new invoice in her mailbox tonight so she can see it in the morning. I demand back that I shall bring it to her tomorrow morning and that we meet in person, go over the invoice together and I shall collect the payment; save her stamp and envelop. She refuses. I push it. She caves in. Ok then it's settled. Time to say good bye and as she hangs up. She reminds me to bring the invoice tonight and requests me to leave the invoice in her mailbox. I remind her that that's not what we just agreed. She demands, she asks, she begs. This time I cave in. Ok I will stop by on my way home. But she doesn't hang up. She brings up about danger of motorcycle riding an insist that I drive a car. I say no. I only brought motorcycle today.
Few hours later she calls the office again. This time I'm in a meeting. After the meeting I ask the receptionist in regards to why she called again. The bill. I call her back. She is still in a good mood. States I must be a busy person because I'm always in a meeting. She asks when I will come because she has not taken her sleeping pill. I ask if she is going to stay awake until I get there. With a bit of an excitement she asks if I'm really coming. Then she cajoles me by saying if I don't come now she will take her sleeping pill and fall asleep and won't be able to hear the bell ring. I cave into her tricks gladly and tell her I will be there soon so hold off on the pills. She confirms what time I will arrive. I say in 30 min.
I arrive at her doorstep, knock the door gently three times. I can hear her talking on the phone, telling the person on the other end that I have arrived and she must go. She is still in her good mood even though we are going to talk about money. She is frugal. She calculates transaction. Ever since I have known her she has been this way. But she starts off by saying safety of motorcycle riding not to ruin my good looks. She says it to be nice. I don't acknowledge compliment as I rarely ever do. A typical Korean male at my age should have said thank you and said something nice back at her about her looking young. But I don't play those games. Save empty words for truth. A heartfelt meaningful sincere truth. And that truth doesn't come with words, but in action. Listening to every word, slow explanation, watching her body language to see if she is following my words, patiently waiting for her to understand and responding to her questions with simple yes and no. Bringing her out of doubting state, pulling accurate calculation of total balance and pushing back when she makes negative comment with doubt. Few words. Confident tone of voice. She brings her copy of invoice. She had already written out the check of correct total balance as if she already knew there was no mistakes about invoices.
I write on her copy. Write my name and sign. Repeat one more time she has paid all her outstanding invoice.
Im ready to leave. But I know deep inside I don't get to go away that easily. She asks about her malfunctioning cell phone. She has mentioned about her cell phone problem to me before. It's different every time. This time it's her Message app. It's not sending messages out she says. Sometimes cell phones do that and you just need to resend it. But it still doesn't work. I grab the phone with both hands. She has galaxy note. As I have been a iPhone user for several years, I struggle to find the solution. She won't stop talking. I intensely focus, blocking out her channel of worry and complaints. I'm a problem solver. I will not leave until this problem is fixed. I test to my number. Maybe it was a bad number. I test on my number. That wasn't it. I go to settings. Not finding what I'm looking for. She has wifi turned on but it has exclamation mark. I ask if she has wifi and she says no and many added explanation which I didn't hear. I just turn off her wifi. I focus back to the phone. Found a real setting. It's odd why one of the most important app is hiding. I change few setting such as saving/deleting old messages, permission, but nothing I see will block the phone from outgoing messages. I am almost tempted to call ATT to see maybe her son has blocked her from sending messages knowing her incessant restlessness for attention then suddenly I see a message from her son. That wasn't it. I restart the phone and it's working. She is amazed with many compliments. Now she wants to send a message to her son. I watch her type and I express amazement. A real, honest comment with zero percent bullshit. Purpose is simple. It's not to necessarily to compliment her to feel good about herself but I just never saw an 80 year old grandma who could type Korean on smartphone and navigate through it to send message, check for new messages and aware when they are not sent. She pushes hard on each button and she is slow. Then she complains that she used to have a pen to write on the phone. She is talking about Apple forbidden stylus pen. I tell her they are commodity. She wants one and I begin to shop online then I check her phone and finds built in Stylus pen. It was there all along. I pull it out but I struggle to find connection between stylus and writing the text in the Message app. I try few different things then I crack it. Then I show her. She is excited and immediately grabs the pen and sends a text message to her son. She is complaining about her other son to her son and demands a phone call. Then we chat about her books that she published. She wants to give me another box of books and I tell her no because I have my bike today. Then the phone rings. I put the stylus back in her phone and remind her not to lose it. She answers the phone and I leave. It's good to see her smile.
Ride back is calm. Cool breeze. Not too cold, not too hot. The sun is hiding behind the clouds, it's still an hour or so away from sunset. I'm the only odd one riding Harley Davidson on business casual. I pass by few cars to see the horizon for few seconds, I listen to engine roar as I push on the throttle. Pinching on a thought that delayed response must be air intake or fuel filter. Shouldn't have procrastinated over the weekend.
