Bit**es Get Stitches

Shadowing

Excited to get hands on experience, I arrive early at work.
Staff were there already and the day went fine.

The concern the staff showed me was obvious, praising me, asking me to stop, and relax, to take a break, it seemed genuine.

I was hoovering the stairs while the staff and children were stood between the hall and front office chit chatting.
Me, the new worker was working away. I cleaned the upstairs, and was now hoovering down the stairs.

The children and staff said" ohh look at Mote, working away, she's so good"
Before you knew it, the hoover rolled back, I missed the steps and went flying down the last few stairs.

On the journey down to humiliation, I wacked my nose off the bannister, yes, as you have gathered I have a big nose.

All eyes were on me! all the children and the two staff members were now gathered around the bottom of the stairs.
" ohh Mote, are you OK?"
They vocally showed me their natural concern.

My team leader came out and switched the hoover off, asked me if my nose was OK and to sit down and rest.

I hated the attention, I said" I am totally fine, please let me finish my job and can some one put the hoover back on?"

They put the hoover on and I got on with the day. All I was worried about was how 'did I land, who seen my fall position, did i look scared?'

The fall reminded me of when I was at high school.
One day, leaving high school, I slipped and fell, all the other students were leaving school and would have seen my little accident. Instead of just getting up, laughing, wiping my clothes off and walking away, I lay there and pretended I had fainted. Yep, I was too humilated to act normal.

So now 32 years later, I am shook, lying there at the bottom of the stairs, with Henry wrapped between my legs and back, and ten multi-coloured eyes of all colours glaring at me in shock,
because I couldn't cope with the embarrassment.

Once the drama of my fall had calmed down, everyone got back to their own thing.

The fall had been some sort of an ice breaker, the children found it a funny memory, it was spoken about every day, my humiliation had a positive effect on the bonding session with everyone.