Lindsey and I consider ourselves pretty lucky to live in a nice apartment complex. There are gates at the entrances, a gym, a dog park, a tennis court, a pool - all anyone could ask for as far as amenities go ( well, not all, but I won't get into that now). There is even a motley staff in the office who we often liken to various television characters (such as Morgan from The Mindy Project) and who are really quite friendly, or at minimum entertaining. All save one. All except Peggy.
Whenever I see Peggy's name on a flyer or hear her voice I make a face. I make this face because I do not like Peggy. There I said it, I don't like her. There are a lot of things in this life that I do like.. Kittens, rainbows, macaroni and cheese, surprise gift cards at Easter (thanks mom!), but Peggy is not one of them. I so dislike her that I actually find it quite taxing to be nice to her at all, despite my typical nice girl problems (see previous posts). You may find yourself asking "But why, Michelle? Why can't you be nice to this little office lady but you can be nice to the old-enough-to-be-your-father creeper who won't stop chewing your ear off in the subway line?"
Well, I'll tell you why.
The first reason I don't like Peggy is that we had a terrible first encounter. One summer day last year, I was out by the pool in the hopes of burning my pale arms into blissful tanned submission. As you can imagine, this sent my body into all kinds of shock including, but not limited to thirst. Being a native Floridian I had obviously thought ahead and brought a tumbler full of ice cold water, however I had been in the sun for so long that my once refreshing beverage had now become nothing more than bath water. Ew. I was ready to test the strength of my immune system by drinking from the water fountain when I recalled that the clubhouse had a perfectly good refrigerator and freezer inside, a freezer which housed ice that was often used for resident event nights. Now, in my defense I was pretty sure that when we moved in someone had told us there were water bottles and things in that fridge for anyone to consume, but out of politeness I decided it was silly to ask for a whole bottle of water when all I really needed was a few ice cubes. So, in I went - perfectly dry, shoes and shirt on. Once inside I realized the freezer was locked, yes, locked (these people are obviously touchy about their maytags), so I went up and introduced myself to Peggy, the new office hostess. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: Hello, I'm Michelle! I am a resident here, you must be new!
Peggy: Hello. What can I do for you?
Me: Well, I was out by the pool and my ice melted in my cup, I was just wondering if I could have a few ice cubes from the freezer to cool it down..
Peggy: Residents are supposed to provide their own ice.
Me: Oh well. I just thought I would ask since I noticed the freezer full of ice the other night at the resident event.
Peggy: (huffy sigh, jingling keys, stomping past me to the freezer)
Me: Oh.. Well, thank you! I'm so sorry to bother you but I really appreciate it!
Peggy:(deadly silence as she personally fills the ice in my cup so high that I can no longer put the lid on)
Me: Ok..well, have a nice..um..day..
This was the first time I realized two things about Peggy. One, she has an attitude problem and two, she hates people. The first of those issues is apparent every time you interact with her which is the second reason I don't like Peggy. Some people are just grumpy, and I've come to terms with that but when you are grumpy and rude, then that's just ridiculous. Every time Peggy answers the phone her voice is dripping with disdain.
"What's that? Your dryer is broken and maintenance hasn't shown up yet? Too bad, I could care less and no, I don't have time to call you back to confirm the problem has been resolved. I'm super busy here in the office."
Unacceptable, Peggy, just be friendly.
I'm probably being a little unfair. I mean, she is nice... Just not to people. The last reason I dislike Peggy is because she will only be kind to you if you have a dog by your side. It's true, I can't make this stuff up people! I walk in one day, sans dog, and get the typical treatment from Peggy. The very next day I decide to go on a walk with Abbie, my dog, and stop in the office to pick up a package and voila! Brand new Peggy. She smiled. At me. And she pet my dog while talking in a baby voice. Dogs are obviously Peggy's kryptonite.
I like to imagine that Peggy is miserable only because her dream of conducting a travelling dog circus with her veterinarian husband Marcelo was dashed when Spot and Pepper her twin Dalmatians ran away from home in the early 2000's. There are some things in life you truly never recover from.
Or maybe she just really doesn't like me.
You tell me which is the more plausible answer.
*Names have been changed to protect the grumpy dog lovers.
I may know what Peggy's problem is. I work in leasing for an apartment complex. It's true, we all go in being people lovers and come out absolutely positively no longer in love with the human race. There are several reasons for this. I won't go into too much detail but there are two sets of residents the normal ones like yourself and the needy ones. The needy ones are everyones worse nightmare. Trust me they'd make anyone want to rip their hair out. Most likely Peggy has been cursed by the needy residents and unfortunately taking it out on you, the normal resident. Hopefully she will snap out of it soon and realize you are not the enemy. :-)
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