He Quits!

April 1989

It was approaching summertime and classes would be letting out soon. I was in college and wanted a summer job to supplement the two classes I was going to take. A job that wouldn’t be too trying.

A friend was currently employed in the Periodicals Department of the UC Santa Barbara library. We’ll call him McGettigan the Elder. He introduced me to his supervisor and we hit it off.

“You’re hired, but you’ll still need to fill out an application,” she told me.

“Great. I look forward to starting this summer,” I said.

The thing is, she explained, was that they needed someone to start now, not this summer. So I buckled and started the next week.

How about that. I got strong-armed into a job by a nice 70 year old woman. I was a librarian for a year. Score an assist for McGettigan the Elder.


July 1990

It was now my turn for retribution, of sorts, as it pertains to employment, but in an awkwardly amusing scenario for the Elder’s kid brother. We’ll call him McGettigan the Younger.

The Younger had an internship which fell far shy of what had been advertised. He wanted out and requested that I quit his job for him. He handed me the phone number and outlined the reasons for his discontent.

Thinking he was bluffing, I picked up the phone and dialed the number. I was expecting the guy to grab it away and hang up once he saw I was going forward. Curiously, he allowed me to proceed.

So expectant was I, that I was surprised when his boss answered the phone. Trying to suppress laughter, and the significant smile that was on my face, I advised that I, as McGettigan the Younger, would not be returning to work. Resignation was unhappily accepted.

The Younger has since gone on to more fitting and fruitful employment.


The McGettigan boys and I remain in current correspondence. In the nearly 20 years since, we have not requested another’s help in terminating employment.
-klem