The Sunny Side of My Job

I will never forget the day that my boss, Sue, called me into her office to tell me about a presentation she had scheduled with one of the organizations that were in the credit union's field of membership. I was working for Central Florida Educators Federal Credit Union in Orlando as the marketing assistant. The credit union had 250+ public and private schools and around 750 companies.

It was our job to go out to these companies and meet with staff usually during employee benefit days. So, we spent much of our time in the road telling people about the benefits of credit union membership and opening accounts.

On this particular day, we didn't have a whole lot of presentations on the calendar so when a group called wanting us to come out and give a presentation, she was very excited. "Kerri, I just got off the phone with Cypress Cove and they want a presentation," she explained. When I began to giggle, she asked, "What's so funny?" I replied as I tried to suppress my laugh, "Well, you do know what Cypress Cove is, right?" "No, why?" "Well, for one it's a nudist colony," I said through belly laughs. "No, it isn't!" "Um, yes, it is! I know because I drive by it everyday." "No, it's not. You have to be mistaken," she said. So, I got up and pulled their file to show her the brochure that proudly declared that it was a member of the National Sunbather's Association.

The brochure also showed RV lots, cabins, permanent houses, a lake, tennis and basketball courts and paddle boats. When Sue got a look at the brochure, her face dropped. Now, I couldn't just let this go so I asked, "Do they require us to do the presentation in the nude?" She snapped, "That's not funny!" To keep it going I said, "Well, you won't have any trouble picturing your audience naked!" I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life. "Do they wear tennis shoes to play tennis?" More laughs followed.

Sue tried to make me call to cancel.  This was the one time I refused to do something my boss asked me to do. I giggled the whole time she was on the phone with the organization's representative making the excuse that we couldn't make their date.

I don't know who originally signed up the group. I still wonder if they visited the place to get the paperwork completed. Everyday, I drove by Cypress Cove when I lived in Kissimmee. All I ever saw enter or exit were really old people and it made me laugh about how that presentation would have gone if I hadn't told Sue about it being a nudist colony. Some days, I wish I hadn't told her just to see her face!