Cleaning crew getting down and dirty at work

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This article was published 30/01/2017 (3228 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: There are two people who clean my office in the evenings after the day shift is gone. One night recently, I had to stay late to complete a project, and they must have thought everyone had gone home because I caught them having sex in a shared office used by some middle managers. They begged me not to tell anyone and underlined that they were single and not hurting anybody. Is that really the issue?

I don’t want to wreck anybody’s life and the office wasn’t locked, only the drawers and filing cabinets. Do I owe it to the company to out these two lovers? They promised they would never do it again.

— Hate Making Trouble, Winnipeg

Dear Hate Making Trouble: The point is you want people who are working inside your building after people have gone home to be trustworthy. True, you didn’t catch them going through anybody’s confidential files that night, but they were having sex in somebody’s office when they were supposed to be cleaning the place, for money. They should not have that contract. If they are willing to to bend the unspoken rules that far, what other mischief might they do?

These people have no reason to be behaving badly. It’s an employment deal. So yes, you should mention what you saw to the people who hire the cleaning company, but don’t gossip to fellow employees, even though it’s juicy information.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I was born with one side of my brain extremely dominant — the creative side. My creative brain is switched on at different levels of intensity 16 hours a day. The logical, practical side is weak, so just gives up competing and dozes. It’s not much help during the day.

You see the problem? I am totally useless running the house. That’s Mr. Mom’s job. I have no interest in helping my husband with the housework, the paperwork or shovelling snow in the yard. I don’t want to do anything repeatedly, such as getting kids ready for school, shopping, housework or making meals. My problem is easy to disguise at a party, as I can be funny, charming and a great conversationalist on every subject, except when it comes to things necessary to support a household.

For years I have supported my husband and he stayed home and did all that stuff, and it worked for us. Now he’s gone and gotten an outside job, without talking it over with me, so our teenage kids have no parent at home. My husband is loving being out in the world, socializing at work and bringing home his own paycheque.

What if he finds a new woman at work? What do you think of this mess?

— Knocked Sideways, Southdale

Dear Knocked Sideways: I think you’re a well-to-do creative type, and a female chaunvinist of the worst order. Turn it around and you sound like a 1950s husband whose wife saw the light and went out into the working world.

Your mate took off his apron and said to you, “To heck with this. I’m going back to having a modern adult life out in the world just like you!” So get used to it.

With two incomes, there’s probably enough money to hire a housekeeper if need be, or you can divvy up tasks at home between you parents and the teenagers. Some working couples offer allowances that go with how much work is accomplished by teens every week beyond the bare minimum of cleaning their rooms, loading the dishwasher and doing their dirty laundry.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I am enamoured of a woman who gets on the same bus as I do on the way to the University of Manitoba. I often sit beside her and find myself getting red in the face. She smells so good, her hair is often a little bit wet from the shower and she seems like she’s a lot of fun. I just want to kiss her so badly. I know it’s the wrong thing to do and when I catch myself thinking about it, I blush. I want to ask her out, but what if she is shocked and says no, and then I can’t sit beside her on the bus again?

—Can’t Win For Losing, Fort Garry

Dear Can’t Win For Losing: Instead of asking for a formal date, ask her to meet you for coffee on campus that day. Then you can at least face each other and chat without the whole bus listening. Her hair will have dried and the shampoo smell will have faded away, and you’ll be able to hang on to your cool.

See how that goes, and a few days later ask her out for lunch. If that’s also a success, it’s time for a pizza and a stroll at The Forks on the weekend. There’s always cool things happening outside and down at the river to talk about.

In the beginning, don’t waste two hours going to see a movie where you can’t interact, unless it’s a film both of you are dying to see. Then go for a drink somewhere and talk about it after, and go for that first kiss at the end of the evening. Good luck!

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6.

Miss Lonelyhearts
Advice Columnist

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