Day 28: A 3-8 shift on a Thursday. Another goddamn Thursday night missing choir practice. By my count, that makes three.
I arrived 30 minutes early because Mom had to go to a doctor’s appointment. I was allowed to punch in early. Before I came in, I had a talk with The Kid, the 18-year-old who helped me out on Day 1, and has a wide smile, a great personality, and a work ethic as wide as the day is long.
I needed to have a hard to heart with him while he was doing trash. He once told me that, since he started at the tender and very illegal age of 13 at this store, he could run it better than Boss Lady at this point.
I used the OREO method of constructive criticism on him. Give him a compliment, hit him with a dose of reality, end with a compliment. That’s how I roll, instinctively.
I told him the wonderful things I think about him, and said that he’s inexperienced and he’s young, and every 18-year-old thinks they know everything and that’s not the case. I deliberately wore a T-shirt my parents picked up on their second honeymoon to Maui in 1998 to illustrate this point. It’s got a couple holes in it and is not perfect, but overall, I’ve taken good care of it over the years. It’s holey but still functional, and is is fuckin’ six years older than he is. Don’t try to grow up too fast. Besides, both of us were made for more than working at a convenience store the rest of our lives, and this is just a stepping stone to bigger and better things.
I walked into the store, and before clocking in, I had a conversation with Journey Man. “¡Hola, mi amigo! ¿Como estas?” And I wasn’t done with him yet, either. I can understand Journey Man for the first time in my life, and it’s wonderful, because he’s a great guy. I told him I was learning Spanish and I was already on Unit 3. Now that, we can bond over.
Journey Man has a wicked sense of humor, too. He told me to get the fire extinguisher, that there seemed to be a truck on fire out there. It was just blowing a lot of exhaust. Smartass.
Someone came in with their gift card they purchased from us, and a copy of the receipt, and was missing $400 off of it. It never got loaded properly. They didn’t have the proper paper copy, and we can’t figure out what the problem is. Grandma was the one who wrote it up. (New nickname for “Slow Old Lady”, which is just as much of a slur as “Foreign Man”. Moreso, since it’s a statement of opinion and not fact.)
First Big Story: When Mentor came in, I had already gotten one person to sign up for the Rewards program. My goal for the day was 10. I was about to challenge him to see who could get more, but before I could practically open his mouth, he said, “I’ve got a challenge for you-- we need to talk when we get free.” Uh-oh. “We need to talk.” And that didn’t happen for four hours, because we were so, so busy, and we had a guy on the lotto machines fucking around. The tension and anxiety built throughout the night, and it was very stressful.
I’m going to go ahead and skip to what we were talking about, even though it was obviously not in chronological order. First off, he told me that Grandma is intimidated by me, and felt belittled and frightened of me, for making her, an 82-year-old lady, take out the trash. First of all, I never made her do anything. I merely request people to complete certain tasks. I have no more authority to give her orders than does my late pet cat, and he’s been dead for 20 years. Secondly, she never complained to me. Thirdly, it didn’t occur to me that she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Fourthly, l wanted to put us where I thought we would do the most good-- me, in front of the customers as the public face of the store, her, doing chores. But apparently, I was wrong for making an 82-year-old grandmother with an intellectual disability do the trash after dark, as if she was afraid she was going to be raped or something. I don’t know, is there something I’m missing here? If I’d known she felt that way, I would have done it myself. We need to work on our communication.
I assured Mentor that I meant nothing by it, and I didn’t know she felt that way, and I have nothing but great respect for Grandma, and I will make it right by her, I will get down on my hands and knees begging her to forgive me and serenade her if that’s what it takes to make this right. I fuckin’ love that woman.
I sang a lot during my work shift, more so than usual, even more so. I did it as a way of coping with the stress. Mentor wasn’t bothered by it, I asked him, and my customers seemed to like it. I invited Mentor to my concert series.
Second Big Story: I pushed the 7Rewards program like crazy (although I never signed up anyone against their will) and got 5 already in the first half-hour of my shift. 30 minutes. 5 Rewards. I ended up with 8 by the end of the night. It’s so easy to sign up for, and it doesn’t cost anything, and it makes you look like a million bucks. It’s easy, very easy to sell. Some people are in too much of a hurry, though. Mentor didn’t push it, and in fact, I had to teach him how to sign someone up for one.
Three Black men, on the opposite side of the hot dog display from me, were chatting with me. One of them requested something and I replied to the wrong person. Their faces were all obstructed by the display and it was a mistake that was very easy to make, but one of them looked very offended even after I explained myself. What a special little snowflake. He’s just looking for a reason to be offended.
Third Big Story: I spoke my vastly improved Spanish to every Hispanic I could find, and even some white and Black people, trying to keep up with my practice. The Hispanics were very, very impressed.
I don’t remember the context, but I got along great with a sweet Black lady who was so impressed by my customer service that she turned to the other people in line and was like, “Wow!” And she gladly went out to get her ID when I had to card her for cigarettes. I think I made her day. She called me “Mr. ekedolphin”, so I’m calling her “Mr. ekedolphin Lady.”
Cute Puerto RIcan Guy, the one I have a crush on, came in twice today, and apparently heard some of the conversation I had with Mentor, because the second time, he asked if Mentor and I were fighting. Since Mentor made it clear that store business is store business, I told CPRG that we’re just having a teaching moment about store business, and I can’t talk about it, even with someone I love as much as CPRG. I said that, too. I told him I loved him. But he didn’t take it like that.
I found out that The Kid has been working here since he was 13. Boss Lady has been flagrantly violating child labor laws, as many, many immigrants do, and has gotten away with it. Yet I’m the one who’s going to apparently be called out on the carpet for embarrassing Boss Lady on the group chat. Well, if she fires me, I’ll have pretty good evidence for a wrongful termination lawsuit and a breach of a written deal to give me the raise for mastering the 7Now app. Even Mentor is at minimum wage.
I spoke Spanish to a cute Hispanic girl, and she told me it was helping her learn English.
Mentor told me I wasn’t in trouble with Boss Lady, not really, but I do owe her an apology, which I gave her over text and voice message, and she said she’d talk to me when she gets back. She was getting on the plane back home from western Canada; Vancouver, I think.
I clocked out at 8:15 and spent from 8:15 to 9:45 waiting for my ride, playing a little Duolingo and telling jokes, singing songs, and getting a couple of winks.
What is the biggest story from Day 28?
- First Big Story: “We need to talk”
- Second Big Story: Big Rewards sales numbers
- Third Big Story: Speaking Spanish to Hispanics
- Something else not listed
What is the most heartwarming story from Day 28?
- Talk with The Kid before work
- Bonding with Journey Man over Spanish
- Cute Puerto Rican Guy asking if I was okay
- Helping Hispanic girl learn English
