Caught rotten!
Yesterday my husband was on a day off from work so we spent the afternoon at the zoo. It was great! Mid-week in November meant it was lovely and quiet and we got to see all the animals with our little boy (who incidentally didn't seem to care less). Anyway - I'd highly recommend the off-peak mid-winter visit to the zoo. A listener then got in touch and said they were going to call in sick and go to the zoo today. Because of me! What had I done? What if they got caught? With social media these days , you really can't get away with anything. What if they're seen? What their phone checks them into the zoo and then lets their boss know? Okay I sound a bit paranoid now, but calling in sick and then trying to enjoy the day with the feeling you're about to be caught must not be fun?
Here are some stories of sickies and people who got away with them... and people who did not:
- “I once called in sick to a crappy call centre job, went to the cinema and bumped into my manager. Who had also called in sick.”
- “Paula I used to work in a cinema. Someone called in sick, and then came in to see a film later that night...”
- “Paula that reminds me of when I was 13 and the ONLY day I decided to skip school, went to town with one of my friends instead. We were bored after an hour and I had my lesson learned by then. However, we had another 6 hours to kill with no money. Couldn’t wait to go back to school the next day. Anyway, I went home that evening and my mother’s face was like thunder. I had left my glasses at home and she dropped them into school that morning, to be told I hadn’t gone in. So I learnt my lesson AND got ripped out of it by my mother. Never again!”
- “Morning Paula, I find I can't book sick even when I am sick. I've had one day off in 15 years and that was for an x-ray on badly sprained ankle!” - Mike
A friend pulled a sickie to go to the US embassy to get a holiday visa, back in the early 90's. Embassy rang his boss to confirm he was their employee and had a full time job. Next day, boss calls out to him, "Des, did you get your visa sorted yesterday", Des "Ah, eh, yeah thanks
— Luke Kiernan (@lukekiernan11) November 6, 2019
- “Hey Paula! I'm currently pulling a sickie and listening I'm Abu Dhabi on the app on my way to the pool!” - Fiona
- “A friend of mine got to second year in school without ever missing a day. Decided towards the end of school term he’d head out with the rest of us to go on the duck... nothing planned, just away from school. Freedom! For about a second, until he realised his mam was sitting in her car, parked up to pick up younger brother for a dental appointment. Grounded!”
- “My mam used to take us out of school to go on day trips to Dublin or Cork or wherever – we’d do zoo or museums or whatever was going on. We’d be warned not to tell the teachers anything… but we always ended up telling them. Never said a word, they probably were jealous!”
- “Hi Paula, I had a hospital appointment a few years ago and decided to stop off at the Ploughing Championship on the way home. Was walking around when I met a work colleague who was on a sicky!” - CJ in Wexford
- “Lad working with us called in sick on pay day but still went in to collect wages. Boss said John you don't look like you’re very sick to me. To which John replies that's a coincidence as you don't look like a doctor to me!”
On our J1 in San Diego, one of the lads was hungover so pulled a sickie from Sea World, but then went into Sea World later that day because he could get a free dinner! Spotted by his supervisor.. “Barry.. is that you?!” he just kept his head down and pretended he was someone else
— Jimmy Two Shoes (@jimtbone1) November 6, 2019
- “Hi Paula, my late husband and his friend skipped school in the 70s to see an Ireland match in Landsdowne road! They left their bags behind the bank in Dunboyne and got the bus! When they came back the bank was surrounded with tape as the bank had been robbed! Imagine the walk of shame with their parents to collect their school bags that evening!”
- “I'm usually too scared to leave the house if I call in sick. Now I’m glad!”
- “Morning Paula, Many, many years ago when I was in 5th or 6th class myself and 2 mates decided to mitch school. I remember it like it was yesterday as we had one of the best days of my life hanging out in the woods near our school. We built forts, climbed trees, carved our names into the tree trunks (which I’m told are still there) and generally had a ball. Anyway, when the day was up, we headed home in high spirits thinking about when we would do this again IF we get away with it and guess what? We did! Noone knew anything, the perfect crime! That is until the next morning when I was woken by a VERY angry mammy who more or less dragged me out of the bed. She was mad as hell and knew everything about yesterday, I honestly thought she was going to murder me. She frog-marched me to school that day and informed the principal of what me and the lads had done, and we were in all sorts of trouble over it. I was convinced one of my mates had sold us out, but no one admitted to it. Years later while having a pint with my mum and dad we were laughing at the trouble I used to cause as a kid when through tears of laughter, my mum told the story of how she once caught me and my mates mitching because apparently I was a talker in my sleep and she had developed a way of asking me questions about my day and I would spill the beans on every single detail of what I got up. It turns out I squealed on myself all those years ago and the grudge I held on the lads had been misplaced. Although we are all still friends today!” - Mick in Wicklow
- “Paula it’s kinda like a sicky. I told my parents I was going away for the weekend with my girlfriend and her parents. A half-truth as her parents were going away. We stayed in their house around the corner from my parents and ordered take away all weekend and stayed in bed.... wink wink”
