Would I lie to you?

By Raised by Wolves

Still talking to myself mostly, I guess, but that is of no moment. The important thing is to tell the story. So where was I? Ah, yes, the life of a temp. I think the most important thing to grasp about the life of a temp is that a temp has no life. When times are “good,” the temp – let's call the temp CA, for contract attorney, since every time I try to make it plural and refer to contract attorneys, I get Cas – is working 80 hours a week and really has no idea what day it is, what other people are up to or what a normal existence looks like. The other end of the spectrum is a 40-hours-a-week gig, which is slow starvation, meaning the CA is desperately trying to find another gig and at the same time trying to find an excuse to leave the 40-hour project without pissing off the agency.

Naturally, this means the hiring agencies get lied to a lot. I think they know they are being lied to, but they are OK with it. If you tell the truth – “I'm leaving to go to a better project at another agency” – you will not work for the agency you say that to for a long, long time. On the other hand, if you say, “My grandmother died and I will be out of town for a week or so,” no one at the agency will say boo, no matter how long you are gone or how many times your grandmother has died. They will cheerfully pretend that they believe you. I think I've killed at least six grandmothers, plus two mothers-in-law, my mother twice and my dad. My father is still alive and my mother died years before I became a temp, but I don't think we should quibble. The truth is not important – appearances are. The agencies were satisfied, and so am I.