I just finished school as a massage therapist. Yay for me, right?
Not so much. I was forced to quit my job at Evil Soulless Mart because I had developed extreme back problems, and they refused to transfer me to another position. I realized that my options were quit or become crippled and unable to work at all.
It was OK for a while- I had a good chunk of change left over from my Pell Grant, and my mom found a tax preparer who filed amended returns for both of us and got us back another good chunk of change, plus my refund for this year. (I had always filed 1040EZ, and had no clue of the deductions I was entitled to.) Enough to live on until school was finished and I could take care of my back and get healthy again so I can work in my chosen field.
But, see, now that I’m done with school, I have to wait three weeks for the Program Director to “process the grades,” whatever the hell that means. What, the instructors turn them in, you enter them in a computer or something? Less than thirty students graduated from the whole program, what’s the deal, here?
Then I have to apply to take the National Exam. Another month of waiting, at least. Oh, well, plenty of study time. There’s the licensing process. In some cases, the City of Las Vegas will issue a temporary license pending the background check, but even that takes a few weeks. I’m probably looking at September before I get the license and can legally go to work. I’m getting help from a charitable organization with the fees for the Nat’l Exam and licensing, so that’s not a money issue, thank God.
In the meantime, I’m out of money, one of the tax refunds I’m due hasn’t shown up yet, and Mom doesn’t make enough to support us both. So, I’m job hunting.
I’ve applied for jobs in a bookstore, as a receptionist for a water purification company, and in two casinos. I plan to apply in more casinos, but a lot of employment offices are open very limited hours, and, not having a car, it increases transportation time and limits the number of places I can apply in a day to about… one.
Yesterday, I went to the casino where I worked when I first got out of dealer’s school. My old pit boss, who taught me to deal, still works there, though he’s quitting soon and moving out of Vegas. He told me to come back on swing shift, because the swing shift pit boss is the hiring manager for both shifts.
Swing boss was a nice guy. He threw me on the game for an audition right away, even though he usually doesn’t audition people on weekends. Realized that my stick handling abilities have gone to seed, but, hey, a bit of practice will bring that back.
I can still deal.
I haven’t touched a casino chip in a year and a half, and I can still deal craps.
I can still cut checks- not as well as when I was in top form, but I can still do it. I still remember what the bets pay. I can still handle having several people telling me what they want me to do with their bets, keep mental track of it and get around the layout. I could even remember some of my press moves- that will be the hardest thing, I think, but it will come back to me.
Trouble is, pit boss just hired someone the other day. So, if instead of applying at bookstores and water filtration companies, I had gotten myself downtown, the job would be mine right now.
But, being a break-in house, dealers are quitting all the time and moving on to better jobs- sometimes en masse. So, he told me that if I haven’t found a job by next week, I should come back and see him and let him know I’m still interested. Last night, and now for nights to come, I prayed that someone there would find a better job so I could have the one they don’t want anymore.
The place still feels like home. It’s still cozy. I imagine the money is still lousy but the bosses still treat the dealers well. I felt comfortable there. The box I used to stand on so I could reach the Pass Line was still under the table. The same box. The box that one of my former co-workers referred to as my Pet Box.
I hope I get this job. If I have to work at some crummy job until I can go to work as a massage therapist, I think I would like it to be this one.
I felt happy being there on the craps table again, and I think I could quite happily work there until January, when one of my instructors opens his new spa and I can move into the room he’s promised me.