At home that night, I chose to inform my family of the good news during supper. My house is small for five people or at least I think so. My parents occupy the living room couch if they are not at work. This means I do not watch much television unless it is The View (Mom’s influence) or sports center (Dad’s influence). My sister, Samantha, is not home much between going to college, working, or hanging out with her boyfriend. When she is home though, her time is spent on the living room couch, doing homework, or in one of our two bathrooms. This fact usually inconveniences me. The only one not in the living room tonight was my brother, Benjamin, who is almost always locked in his room, playing video games with the door locked anyway. I sat on the floor leaning against the couch with my spaghetti plate balanced on my lap. We eat in the living room because the kitchen is small and the television is in the living room, it is almost never turned off, poor thing.
“I got the job at Hardy’s, I had the orientation today and it turned out alright, better than I expected anyway.” I announce on a commercial break.
“That’s good. Who interviewed you?” Dad asks.
I know he asks this is because he is a manager at Chili’s and is very caught up in the position of general manager. He puts in a lot of hours and I hardly see him due to our alternating schedules, but he works over eighty hours a week. I only work twelve this week at my job.
“The assistant general manager, his name is Corey. He is nice and all, but he is just a little creepy because he does not get the idea of personal bubbles. I always had to take a step back when he talked to me. When I did though he would take a step forward. It probably looked like we were dancing around the store. But, he was doing it because he thought it was funny that I would take a step back each and every time without saying anything.”
“Oh, well make sure you do not fool around at work. You are getting paid to be there so you better be doing your job, okay?” When is your first day?
“Yeah, I know. Corey was probably just trying to make me feel comfortable and get me to come out of my shell a little. My first day is tomorrow, I work over lunch and they want to try to train me in on front counter.”
“Okay, sounds good. Make sure you tell your mother before you leave tomorrow though. Quiet now, the show’s on.”
I stayed in the room until I finished my food and left. That had not really been the announcement I expected, but honestly what was I expecting them to do, jump up and hug me, I do not think so. Mom had been asleep because her job exhausts her and my sister had just kept working on her laptop. I suppose if I want more enthusiastic responses I should tell my friends. Kendall would be stopping by tomorrow after work so I will tell her then. I will probably need someone to complain to after work anyway. The thought of work makes me a little nauseous. Ugh, I would actually have to smile and serve customers tomorrow. Corey had said at some point during my daze that we should try to make polite conversation, like “How’s the weather?” I am pretty sure I can’t do that very well.
I have to tell someone tonight about this news so I end up calling Sydney. I know she will talk for hours with me. I listen to her Shakira music as I wait for her to answer her cell.
“Hey, what’s up? Guess what my mother did to me the other day. She woke me up at 2 in the stupid morning so that I could drive her to the grocery store to buy…” I listened to her for the next two hours. Sydney lived with her mom and 5 or 6 siblings, I do not know because her mom has a kid every so often that I lost count. Sydney ends up baby-sitting all the time too, because her mom is always off doing other stuff with her boyfriend.
“ … Sometimes he makes me so angry that I want to punch him in the face, but you know you can’t, just can not punch a baby in the face. Oh by the way why did you call?”
I stop spacing out and reply, “Oh I got a job today at Hardy’s downtown.”
“Wow! Yay, you can pay for your gas now can’t you? That means when school starts, we can go out to eat instead of having to force down the cafeteria food! When do you start, we should celebrate by having a movie fest or something, maybe go out to eat, but I do not have a job yet so I have no money. My brother keeps on borrowing form me and he never pays me back. Oh shoot, I am getting off topic. I will tell you about that later. Can you hang out on Sunday, after I am done with church?”
“Uh, yep I can pay for my own gas, not exactly what I planned to do with my income, but I suppose I overlooked the fact that cars need gas to run. Sunday sounds good, but I have to leave at six because I work a supper shift at eight.”
“Nice, is that your first day?”
“No, tomorrow is my first day. I work over lunch.”
“Sweet … that does not sound like fun, but good luck. I have to go Mikey is hitting Andrew with a toy train.”
“Oki Doki, see you Sunday.”
“Yea ok, bye. Stop it Michael James or you…” Sydney’s voice ended abruptly as she hung up to go punish Mikey. I felt tired. Talking to Sydney always made me feel tired, especially at her house. She is in non- stop motion; cleaning, running after kids, and all that. The energy she emits is too much for me in the long run. I could feel my eyelids start to droop as I walked down the basement stairs, and to my remodeled room, it use to be a storage area before my dad installed a closet and carpeting. Plus the window since it was required by law, just so I would not burn to death with no chance of escape in case of a fire, but it just let bugs in so I would have rather been without it. What are the odds that my house will burst into flames when I am in my room, I would be more worried about Ben. He would be too caught up in a game to notice a fire and if someone tried to warn him they would have to break down his door to get in. The thoughts and scenarios kept circling in my head as I lay in my bed. That night I dreamed of flames dancing around me as I suffocated in my windowless room, with no one to save me.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Start Of The End
Before I left the house, I checked in the mirror one last time. Today was my interview for a job at Hardy's, this was the only placed that called me back after weeks of applying almost everywhere else. I do not really want to get a job, the thought scares the bejeezus out of me. I have little choice in the matter though, I promised my parents that I would have one before my eleventh year of high school. Honestly, I do not interact well with others. I am very very shy in fact. Which is why I did not like the thought of being stuck with a bunch of strangers and forced to be all smiley and joyful.
When I started getting close to my destination, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach start to flutter. Great. Pulling into the parking lot, I ran through the mental list my father had drilled into me for aceing interviews: smile, eye contact, friendly, hair pulled back, etc. I walked in the door and nervously scuttered toward the front counter to ask the cashier about my interview. She looked me up and down while pointing to a table where a boy sat. I walked over to the table and sat down, sneaking peeks at the boy seated to my right. He was short with black hair and brown eyes. He did not dress well for the interview as I had, he chose to wear jeans and a huge baggy tee shirt with multiple chain necklaces. I now felt horribly ridiculous for wearing black dress pants and a nice black shirt. I debated on saying hello, but he looked to caught up in his game thing to notice me much, so I sat there cursing my father for making me dress so fancy just for a fast food job.
" Hi there, I am Corey. Here are a couple drinks for you guys while we run through what will be expected of you here at Hardys."
I looked up at a blonde haired man in his early 20's. He was nice and I spent the next half hour signing papers with Mike, the boy next to me, and Corey, apparently the assistant general manager of the fine establishment. I finished the last of the paper work and slid it over to Corey.
"Excellent! I bet you are a super fast worker too. That's awesome! Now let's go over the dress code. You will be given two shirts and a visor. You are expected to have your own pair of black pants, a black belt, black shoes and socks. Hardy's is better than most fast food places and you should take pride in your appearence. We do not want some of our regulars walking in to see some boy on front counter with his underpants hanging out. Oh, here is a perfect example of an appropriate appearence. Hey Thomas, come here."
A tall boy that was in the process of stalking napkins at the condiment bar snaps his head up and heads toward our table. He has brown semi shaggy hair that curled slightly out from under his hat. His face is childish and his eyes are chocolate brown. As he gets within the range of our table, Corey's hand snaps out and pulls up his pant leg to reveal black dress socks.
"Wa--h! What are you doing?" The boy's face has twisted up into a crooked grin and he stares accusingly at Corey.
" I needed you to show the new kids on the block how to look superfly in the workplace. This is Nate Gomez and Elisabeth Soff."
He stops looking at Corey like he is a nutcase and his eyes move to Nate, acessing him, and then they slide to me and the butterflies in my stomach flutter a little as my eyes meet his for a second before sliding down again and returning back.
"Hi, I am Thomas. Nice to meet you guys."
"Okay, back to work. Thank you Thomas. I still need to give them a tour and describe what they are going to be doing."
"Hey, anything for you Corey. Have fun."
With that the boy, Thomas, walked back to the condiment stand, without a glance back at the table. My eyes, however, followed him as he finished stalking the napkins and walked back behind the front counter.
The rest of the orientation, as it turned out to be, went by with me in a daze. I walked around with Corey and Nate, made polite conversation, and accepted my uniform, thanked them both, and left. I sat in my car a moment before starting it. That turned out to be alright. I now had a source of income, granted that it was minimum wage and the people there seemed fun. I thought it would be more strict and corporate-like. Maybe this job wouldn't have to be too terribly bad, or at least I hoped it wouldn't.
When I started getting close to my destination, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach start to flutter. Great. Pulling into the parking lot, I ran through the mental list my father had drilled into me for aceing interviews: smile, eye contact, friendly, hair pulled back, etc. I walked in the door and nervously scuttered toward the front counter to ask the cashier about my interview. She looked me up and down while pointing to a table where a boy sat. I walked over to the table and sat down, sneaking peeks at the boy seated to my right. He was short with black hair and brown eyes. He did not dress well for the interview as I had, he chose to wear jeans and a huge baggy tee shirt with multiple chain necklaces. I now felt horribly ridiculous for wearing black dress pants and a nice black shirt. I debated on saying hello, but he looked to caught up in his game thing to notice me much, so I sat there cursing my father for making me dress so fancy just for a fast food job.
" Hi there, I am Corey. Here are a couple drinks for you guys while we run through what will be expected of you here at Hardys."
I looked up at a blonde haired man in his early 20's. He was nice and I spent the next half hour signing papers with Mike, the boy next to me, and Corey, apparently the assistant general manager of the fine establishment. I finished the last of the paper work and slid it over to Corey.
"Excellent! I bet you are a super fast worker too. That's awesome! Now let's go over the dress code. You will be given two shirts and a visor. You are expected to have your own pair of black pants, a black belt, black shoes and socks. Hardy's is better than most fast food places and you should take pride in your appearence. We do not want some of our regulars walking in to see some boy on front counter with his underpants hanging out. Oh, here is a perfect example of an appropriate appearence. Hey Thomas, come here."
A tall boy that was in the process of stalking napkins at the condiment bar snaps his head up and heads toward our table. He has brown semi shaggy hair that curled slightly out from under his hat. His face is childish and his eyes are chocolate brown. As he gets within the range of our table, Corey's hand snaps out and pulls up his pant leg to reveal black dress socks.
"Wa--h! What are you doing?" The boy's face has twisted up into a crooked grin and he stares accusingly at Corey.
" I needed you to show the new kids on the block how to look superfly in the workplace. This is Nate Gomez and Elisabeth Soff."
He stops looking at Corey like he is a nutcase and his eyes move to Nate, acessing him, and then they slide to me and the butterflies in my stomach flutter a little as my eyes meet his for a second before sliding down again and returning back.
"Hi, I am Thomas. Nice to meet you guys."
"Okay, back to work. Thank you Thomas. I still need to give them a tour and describe what they are going to be doing."
"Hey, anything for you Corey. Have fun."
With that the boy, Thomas, walked back to the condiment stand, without a glance back at the table. My eyes, however, followed him as he finished stalking the napkins and walked back behind the front counter.
The rest of the orientation, as it turned out to be, went by with me in a daze. I walked around with Corey and Nate, made polite conversation, and accepted my uniform, thanked them both, and left. I sat in my car a moment before starting it. That turned out to be alright. I now had a source of income, granted that it was minimum wage and the people there seemed fun. I thought it would be more strict and corporate-like. Maybe this job wouldn't have to be too terribly bad, or at least I hoped it wouldn't.
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