Things at work have lately been getting much better.....a thing I never imagined. Yes, there are still 3 people who hate me. I never liked them to begin with, so no loss there. Only a very few won't call be Beverly or Bev, but call me by my last name instead. That way, they get what they want, and so do I, mosly. It sounds rude to some of the customers, but hey.....at least a last name is gender neutral. Otherwise, everyone else is content to call me Bev or Beverly, and a fair number of people I didn't know very well, have befriended me. Nice. My old used-to-be best friend calls me Bev, in public and private, still cares for me somewhat, but we are not close at all, and never will be again.......and now, after 6 months, I'm okay with it. She often looks sad, but all she had to do, is reach out....
My GM has stopped looking askance when I walk by, and greets me openly as Beverly.
All the other women that worried so much about me using the ladies room have stopped worrying, and now it's just ordinary, boring news. There was nothing they could do about it but talk, and apparently, they're all talked out. In fact, it's now against the law, technically, for me to use the men's room. What a hoot! I could get arrested now for using a public men's room.
I haven't been clocked by a customer (that I know of) in a very long time, but toward the end of a long day when my voice is tired, I might get a quisical look, which goes away as soon as I return to voice.
Sounds good, but it took six hard months to arrive at this point! I'm sorry to say, though, that company sales continue to dwindle to level that won't support my bills and expenses, so I'll have to go elsewhere as soon as I'm able (there's some surgery I need before moving on). I guess though, when I do move on, I won't have the "Mike" name, and associated male pronouns to deal with. I know people will always continue to talk, even in a new situation, but unless you are extremely stealth, like a friend of mine, it's just something that comes with the territory.
Bev,
Movin' on (I hope)
