Tuesday, September 18, 2012

What's that smell?

I think I've told you that I work in a 'high rise' building (33 floors is as good as it gets though).  The building has many employees of its own.  There are security people, cleaning people, maintenance people . . . you get the idea.

There is one guy that has worked here for a long time.  I see him in the parking garage and those elevators all the time.

He works very hard doing menial tasks.  He sweeps up the garbage (even stuff like this) in the parking structure.  He empties garbage cans.  He wipes the door handles (waxing them so they shine pretty) and other miscellaneous things.  He does a good job.  When he's on duty, things are clean and tidy.

He has a terrible body odor.  It's so bad that you have to hold your breath if you are riding in an elevator with him.  If he's been in and out of an elevator, you can smell the BO for quite a long time afterwards.

I worry about him a bit.  He's quite large.  I'd guess around 300 pounds.  He never speaks, smiles, or even nods a hello.  I wonder if he has a mental disability and just doesn't bathe as he should.  Or does he have a physical ailment that makes him smell so bad?  Maybe it's something related to his body size?  I hope he's OK.  If I'd see him smile once and a while I'd probably feel better.

Now, I've been in elevators with people that wear too much perfume or aftershave.  His body odor isn't really any different that that.  I have to hold my breath with them too!

2 comments:

Michael Strauss said...

I work with a guy like that, too. He works in the Hard Count room and is responsible for transporting 1000's of pounds of coin every day. Money in bulk is very dirty and smelly. We all comment on how terrible he smells; mostly to him directly...trust me...we are not shy about letting him know. He claims his odor is because he ate lead paint chips as a child. We ain't buying it.

Liz said...

Mike - Lead paint? You make me want to Google that. I think I will. I hope that if I smelled like that, someone would say 'something' to me. Nicely maybe? HA!