I Won, I Won: Paris All Expenses Paid!
It took six months for my Parents to announce to the 300 plus sales team it was me that won the contest. WTH.. issue # 77
ifOnlyi…had dared tell Vicky I was going with someone else, Paris would have been everything it should have been. I learned NEVER to say ‘yes’ when you mean ‘no.’
They were so worried that it would look like an inside job. Fixed! It was an absolutely miserable experience for me for a while. Every week, I had to ask if I could tell the girl I planned to take with me to book her vacation.
I won first prize for my sales results at my family's Company. I was a salesman competing against 300-plus salespeople around the country. Many of them had such long-term relationships with their customers that I never thought I had a chance. But I did, and I put in every effort to become a great salesperson.
When told how close I was to winning, I tripled my sales effort with my customers. I so wanted to go to Paris, have it all paid for, and have some cash in my pocket.
The season sales results were in, and when they were all tallied up, it ended. I did it! I was in 1st Place. I was the top salesperson at the company. I was ecstatic and told Vicky from Ohio how excited I was, but things got out of hand too quickly. I stupidly asked, "Do you want to go with me?” OH…NO.
During the time it took to announce that I was the winner, I started dating Jill, a wonderful girl living in La Jolla, California. Every weekend, I drove 2-3 hours in Friday traffic to spend the weekend with her and her friends. Fun, Fun, Fun!
I had invited Vicky before I even met Jill. But by the time of the winning trip, I had already spent over six months with Jill and had just a few dates with Vicky.
I was pushing the Company and my Mom to announce the winner. It had been months, and I know she felt embarrassed, but I did put in the effort and came out on top. All the salespeople knew I was a contender and could win.
Vicky lived in Ohio and never traveled other than to California, so I had to be the not-so-lucky one to meet her.
It was great for the first couple of dates. I thought there was something there; I did. I introduced her to my folks, and I think it was the Midwest mentality that got me. She was kind, fun, quiet, respectful, blond, fit, and working.
I thought it was a bummer that Vicky had to go back home. We wrote to each other, spoke on the phone occasionally, and kept in touch regularly.
Then the announcement came, finally revealing that I was the first-place winner. I had to help Vicky get a passport as she had never traveled outside the USA. It took a few months to get her the week off work, get her passport, and await the flight tickets.
These return tickets were only paid for from Los Angeles to Paris. It was my part to pay for Vicky to fly to New York, and I made a stopover there to ensure her safety and board our flight.
I was dating Jill this entire time, and to confess, even though I had made these plans with Vicky before we met, it was truly heartbreaking for me. It was Jill that I knew I needed to take.
When we connected at the JFK airport in New York, my stomach ached. This was not the same person I met just over a year ago. Vicky had changed; the spark she once held was totally gone, and she had also gained a lot of weight. She looked scared, and I had no idea why.
While we were in Paris, the city where Love was always in the air, it certainly wasn’t the city I imagined. The last time I was there was seven years prior, with my Mom and Dad on our drive to Portugal.
During the night, when Vicky was sleeping, I would go downstairs to the hotel lobby. I recall always asking the front desk to get me an outside line. I would call Jill and talk; we would talk for quite a long time. I apologized to her, saying it was her I needed to bring to the city of Love.
When I checked out, they gave me the bill. I said the company prepaid it. The hotel desk clerk said, "Sir, you have phone calls to pay for." Oh, okay. How much would that be? It was in French Francs back then, but it worked out to around $ 250.00. That was a lot of money for me, certainly not what I expected. But it was my fault for making all the calls.
When I look back and ask myself what the best parts of the 5 night trip were, I figured out my top five were the following:
Climbing the steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. 1665 steps. I was in great shape back then. We took the elevator down because I had drunk too much coffee.
What a view climbing up; every side was beautiful from the Eiffel Tower. The food! Eating beautiful cheeses in small cafes and enjoying French wine.
Laughing at the rudeness the French had for Americans. Not only did I reap a lot of it, but sitting and watching it was just as good.
The love they show Americans I went out to a four-story nightclub with Vicky, and when she disappeared, I left with a French girl who spoke ZERO English. We jumped into a cab and vanished. All communications were made with hand movements.
Without a doubt, being taken off by a total stranger, a French girl (with whom I only had a few dances), from the nightclub into a taxi and going from place to place, drinking, dancing, nibbling, walking, and stopping, then being dropped off back at the club was in my top five. I wish I still had that “Pure Trust.” I had it when I was young and carefree.
Parisian Taxi, the stranger and I. The best time of all was when I toured the Pernot building. I took a great interest in this unique Company and asked many questions about how they had their upside-down pyramid building. While on tour, I was asking the tour guide too much, so I was pulled aside. Suddenly, I was taken off the tour and to the top floor of the Executives.
They were enamored by my business knowledge for someone only 20ish and shocked at the questions I was asking of them on and off tour. The senior Executive told me that if I learned French and could speak the language, they wanted me back for a full-time career. I was in shock. They told me about my pay and even all the benefits I would enjoy compared to working in America. They were serious.
Then came the SHOCKER! On our last day in Paris, on the way to the airport, Vicky said, “Ollie, I have something I need to confess.” She told me that she was married and was going through a divorce. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. So perhaps deep down, she missed her ex or felt that the two of them should have been together.
I was happy to be heading back to California and ready to prove even more of my capabilities to my parents. I knew there was little chance of my ever learning to speak French fluently, as I had studied the language in school and had already forgotten most of what I had learned.
The trip taught me one thing: never say yes when you mean no.
IT’S FREE……………..
Wow, I don’t know how the heck did you managed to live through the entire trip with Vicky instead of Jill. Yes, I’m sure the Kate night phone calls helped, but for me it wouldn’t have been enough. But I do understand the part about speaking before you thought about anything. I still have a problem with that, only because I become so excited about something I want to blurt it out and sometimes it’s to the wrong person. I’ve gotten a little better with it, but still find myself wanting to stuff something in my mouth to shut me up!
That was some trip!! You did so well to balance the mixture of the excitement of being in the City of Lights yet not with the person you wanted to be with. It sounds like you had a fantastic time anyway.