FACEPALM MOMENT

A couple came to the bank and approached my colleague at his wicket. They explained that they had not used their bank accounts in a long time. But they knew they had outstanding balances.

"Do you have your client cards?"

No. They did not have their client cards.

"Do you know your PIN?"

No. They could not remember their PIN.

"Do you remember your internet banking usernames or passwords?"

They did not. They had also forgotten that.

My colleague looked frustrated at this point.

"Do you remember your names?"

The couple smiled. Yes, they happened to remember their names. It was written on their driver's license.

You could tell they were in love. They held hands and looked like they were both pushing 40. The woman was beautiful and only spoke a smattering of English. The man acted as an interpreter during the discussions.

The man wanted to know if he could act on the woman's behalf for all her banking transactions because of her language limitations. He didn't want the legal hurdles involved in getting a Power of Attorney. Were there any other options?

"So you want to act on your mother's behalf?" my colleague asked.

WHAT?! They were clearly an item and not mother and son. What was he thinking?

The man bristled at the suggestion that his companion looked like his mother.

The woman asked him what was wrong. He explained to her what my colleague had asked. I could see her self-esteem collapsing.

She looked at herself in surprise. I could imagine her thought process. Was it her poor grasp of the English language? Was it her hair? Did it look tangled? Was it her dressing? Was it not fashionable? Was it her body? Was she out of shape? Was it her flat shoes? Would heels have been better?

Facepalm.

"She's not my mother. She's my wife," the man corrected. My colleague apologized but I noticed the woman had cut off eye contact with him. She looked uncomfortable and heartbroken.