Smelly Dude, Smelly Dude; It's Not Your Fault! at 7:18 PM

Isn’t it Spring right now?  Why did it snow once already this week, and why is it threatening to do so again?  I’m annoyed with the weather.  I’ve got a laundry list of things I want to do around the outside of the house, and it’s still too cold.  

I kept waiting for the comments section to pick up before I posted next, but I waited in vain.  Of course, I just realized that perhaps I should have contributed myself before expecting other people to do so.  Oh well.  There’s really not too much going on around here as far as news, so I’ll just favor you with the aforementioned conversation.  But first, an introduction.

The way it works around here is that the donors come in and first have their medical history taken by the medical historians.   I know, it’s a weird job title for such a position.  Anyway, if the medical historians take someone into a booth to do their questions and are overpowered by stench, they will defer that donor for the day because of poor hygiene.  Usually people take it well; or at least as well as can be expected when someone tells them they can’t donate because their odor makes everyone want to shove pinecones in their nostrils to mask the smell.

On occasions where the donor does not take the bad news in stride, reinforcements are called in (namely Zimm or myself, depending on who’s working).  So here’s how that particular conversation went (after far too much buildup, I might add):

Me (pulling an unintentional face as I entered the booth):  How’s it going today?
Smelly Person:  Uh—not great.  They said I can’t donate today because I smell bad?
Me: Right.  The problem is that sometimes when this situation comes up, we can’t let you donate because it’s distracting to the employees and other donors around you.  It makes everyone uncomfortable.
SP: I don’t stink!
Me: Well, I don’t know whether the smell is coming from you personally or something you’re wearing, but there were employees outside this room who said they could smell it, and there were donors in the waiting room who could smell it, and I’m sitting across from you and I can smell you.
SP (indignantly): Who said I stink?!
Me: …
SP: Which donors said I stink out there?  That’s none of their business!  Why don’t they come up to me and tell me to my face?!
Me (not sure where to go with this, because I was not expecting the conversation to go in this direction): I actually don’t know who said it, and it really doesn’t matter.  They don’t make the decision on whether you can donate or not.  I make that decision, and I’m telling you you’re not donating today.
SP: I want to know who said I stink!  I don’t stink!  People used to make fun of me and I don’t like it!  I wash my clothes by hand because I don’t have a washing machine, and I took a shower today!
Me: Well, maybe it’s something that you use to wash your clothes, but none of that really matters.  What really matters is that you’re not going to be able to donate today.  So you can come back tomorrow as long as the smell is taken care of, okay?
SP: Fine, but I’m gonna find out who said I stink, and we’ll have words!
Me: Don’t do that, or you won’t be able to come back anymore.  Just let it go for today, alright?
SP: Fine. (leaves)

Can I just say I love my job?