The first interview was swell. The young man interviewed me and we got along well - had a nice chat. He was starting the business and seemed on top of things, enough, for it to hit the ground running. I got a second interview which was a group situation. American businesses love group interviews. Maybe it has something to do with survivor being in its umpteenth season but next time i might try and knock someone out of the running, literally, so as to outwit, outplay and outdo...or something.
I was not too confident but, after i had given up hope, i was offered a position. I fronted up to training, thinking i was maybe a bit late, to find myself beaten by only one guy. Training started late as they people turned out and worked out what we were doing there. Turns out that the premises was owned by the sandwich shop guys and they used to run a frozen yoghurt business as well. As the aging, Vietnamese couple were getting sick of this constant, incessant work, they asked the son of a friend if he would like to try his skills as an entrepreneur and open a French bakery. There seemed to be a blurred line, right from the word go, as to who exactly ran the show. At the training day, a young chef tried to show us the oven switch to turn on/off should we be asked. The small, aging, Vietnamese premises owner appeared from nowhere and scolded her saying we were not allowed back here, on, what looked like, our side of the building. No soup for you.
No one knew what to do. I felt like i was dealing with the Soup Nazi off Seinfeld and better just follow instruction... do we butter him up with fro-yo? Do we say "forget him!" and do our thing anyway?! Training was interesting. We did not do a lot but learned the ropes and were promised that we would get good guidance throughout the learning process. I believed this. The owner seemed genuine. Even though he was young, he knew his trade and surely would learn the business side of things. I stayed back to have some forms filled out due to my visa requirements and Soup Nazi was back talking about something, moving things around and, essentially, being the Little General. It was unnerving. Naturally, someone tried to cook something in the wrong area, the steam let off the fire alarm and the fire department came. i loved it. was this a Seinfeld episode?
My first shift lacked fireworks. And i like fireworks so that is a bit of a shame. It was a soft opening so we did not expect much business and, i suppose, anything was better than nothing. I continued to learn more things and tried hard. tried to give the impression that i was working hard. that was difficult! i was rostered on for a six hour day but was told to leave after three... i suppose, given that two other people were rostered on and only five people had been served, it made a lot of sense. We even had to turn customers away because we were not stocking the things that they requested that day. I went home feeling a bit unsatisfied but nonetheless happy to be employed. The next shift would pick up!
The following night, tonight, i was out having a quiet beer with Laura and her friends. i intrude, i know it, and she is sweet enough to put up with me. I have no real friends of my own. I call the people at the bank my friends. Laura's friends are welcoming, sweet, outgoing and so wonderful to me. But i still feel as though i am intruding sometimes. Her phone rings, a number we both know to be bakery job. I go to answer and then decide not to... 9:30 on a friday, no way! I get funny feelings and decide to call back.
Anytime someone says "i have some good news and some bad news" there is always a catch to the good news (usually where the bad news comes in) and, when you find out that the shop is changing location and will be in on a one month hiatus, when you are reeallllllly looking forward to that next pay check... yeah the bad news sort of overshadows the good news (then something about having the catch the light rail to the new location...). It was not really what i wanted to hear. Turns out that relations with the Soup Nazi little emperor hit boiling point and, essentially, we are not welcome there anymore. Employment in America, for what i have found, just refuses to be normal in any way, shape or form.
It's not what i wanted to hear but it is what it is. Tomorrow is more important than yesterday so it is now all about finding a better job to replace this one and finding that groove once again. With routine, my life will be back peaking. I will feel better and be happier. It is just up to me to be persistent. Until then, no soup for you. And maybe no beer and treats either.
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