Bagged Or Blind


          The names have been changed to protect the  innocent:

          I work  for a  carpet manufacturer in  Chatsworth, Georgia  as an
          order  taker.  As a result, I  talk with many people in different
          cities in both  the U.S. and Canada.

               At the time of this  experience, our department consisted of
          between 30 and  40 people, most of them women.  I  was one of the
          few men working there.

               One day,  I answered the  phone and found myself  talking to
          one of our  outside  sales representatives from Central New York.
          After  introducing   himself, he  said,  "I never  talked to  you
          before, I  usually talk to  some of  the  girls.  Like,  Marge, I
          wonder what she looks like".

               I said, "Couldn't tell ya".

          Trying again, he  said, "Well, what about Barbara,  I wonder what
          she looks  like."

          Acting as  innocently as  possible, I replied,  "No.   Don't know
          what she  looks like either".

          So,  he tries  a third  time, getting himself  in deeper  all the
          time.   "Well,  what  about Michelle in Pricing?   Man, I bet she
          looks good"!

          "No," I said, "couldn't tell ya what she looks like either".

          Now, he's really puzzled.  He probably wonders how this guy could
          work  around so many girls, and not  have a clue what any of them
          look like.  So,   he asks, "What?  Do you come to work with a bag
          over your head"?

          That  was when  I dropped  the  bomb on  him.   I said,  "No, I'm
          blind."

          "Oh, I'm sorry!,  I'm sorry!" he said, probably turning beet red.

          However, neither one of us was really offended, and we had a good
          laugh   over the whole thing.  There were several occasions later
          on when he called   me to help him out with  a particular problem
          order, or to check on  production dates, and the like.  In short,
          we both remain on good speaking  terms.

               I don't  know what became  of this particular  rep.  He  did
          open a carpet   store in partnership with someone else, but, I've
          lost track of  him.  Maybe,  one day, I'll talk to him again, and
          I'll tell him I've  finally taken the bag off my head.

          Joseph Norton