The hardest part about training at the Southside Mini Mart was not screaming at people who jeered me about being the new guy. I wanted to say, “I’M EDUCATED AND TALENTED AND CREATIVE AND THIS JOB IS ONLY TEMPORARY!” Instead, I said, “You’re right, I’m the new guy, so you’ll have to tell me again what kind of cigarettes you smoke- I swear I’ll get it next time,” and “I know it’s been a long time since anyone has asked you for an I.D., but I don’t know you,” and “I don’t know why the register is making that sound and I’m sure that this button will stop it… or this one… or this one…”
I stocked massive amounts of Mt. Dew and Mr. Pibb and Dr. Pepper and a sugar-filled kid’s drink called Bug Juice that doesn’t sound good to me in any way. I refilled the rack of Marlboro Lights again and again. I stood looking dumbly at the cigarette rack like a turkey in a rain storm whenever someone asked for a pack of Misty 120’s. I learned how to use the lunch meat slicer in the back of the store and got to take home my practice cuts- the ones that I didn’t cram directly into my mouth. I like the New Ulm summer sausage and the oven roasted turkey. I learned to pluck the slices of meat as they came out of the left side of the machine while running the uncut meat- and not my fingers- through the blade on the right side. I learned how to check lottery tickets. I learned that some people scratch tickets without having the faintest idea of what they are looking for, so they bring them to the convenience store attendant so that he or she can check them to tell if the ticket holder will have to go back to the feed mill on Monday. I learned how to make the machine that monitors the gasoline pumps stop beeping and then I forgot that information and then I learned it again.
On May 19, I worked a four hour shift with a teacher. On May 20, I worked another four hour shift with help. On the 22nd and 23rd, I worked full seven hour shifts with someone there to help if I needed it. By the end of that week I could easily find the Misty 120’s and the pumps had stopped tormenting me.
I was given a key. On May 27th, I would be on my own.
I stocked massive amounts of Mt. Dew and Mr. Pibb and Dr. Pepper and a sugar-filled kid’s drink called Bug Juice that doesn’t sound good to me in any way. I refilled the rack of Marlboro Lights again and again. I stood looking dumbly at the cigarette rack like a turkey in a rain storm whenever someone asked for a pack of Misty 120’s. I learned how to use the lunch meat slicer in the back of the store and got to take home my practice cuts- the ones that I didn’t cram directly into my mouth. I like the New Ulm summer sausage and the oven roasted turkey. I learned to pluck the slices of meat as they came out of the left side of the machine while running the uncut meat- and not my fingers- through the blade on the right side. I learned how to check lottery tickets. I learned that some people scratch tickets without having the faintest idea of what they are looking for, so they bring them to the convenience store attendant so that he or she can check them to tell if the ticket holder will have to go back to the feed mill on Monday. I learned how to make the machine that monitors the gasoline pumps stop beeping and then I forgot that information and then I learned it again.
On May 19, I worked a four hour shift with a teacher. On May 20, I worked another four hour shift with help. On the 22nd and 23rd, I worked full seven hour shifts with someone there to help if I needed it. By the end of that week I could easily find the Misty 120’s and the pumps had stopped tormenting me.
I was given a key. On May 27th, I would be on my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment