When I first started working as an HVAC technician, it felt like they gave me the dirtiest jobs possible. I think some of the jobs I got were because I was a woman and they wanted to make sure a woman could deal with anything that came up with a furnace, air conditioning, or even in the ventilation system. I was also petite which meant that I could fit into spaces that many of our other HVAC technicians could not fit into. I was always having jokes pulled on me, which just made me feel like one of the guys, not that that was always a good thing. They thought it was funny when they made me blush, so I tried to ignore them. Then, one day, the owner of the company came into the office. He gave me a skeptical look but he continued on with his inspection. He talked to all of the HVAC that had been there for a while, and then he talked to the newer HVAC techs. He wanted to know if they were doing okay and if anyone was giving them a hard time. He didn’t ask me the question because he knew the answer. When he talked to me, he asked if I had heard the joke about the ancient HVAC technician? I stood there and stared at him, not knowing if this was going to lead to more teasing. I shook my head as he smiled. He told me that he knew how to get out of any rocky situation and still come up with a smile. I hugged him since my daddy always knew what to say when he realized I was in a down mood.