My last entry was spawned by another unfortunate epsiode with the opposite sex and the culmination of an on going depression that I have only recently decided to acknowledge. Yes, I said depression but things are looking up (and I'm seeing a therapist next weekend). On Thursday I was sitting at work and the AC decided to stop working. Granted, it isn't very hot outside right now but when there are more than 10 people in the store it feels like an inferno so it's nice to have a little bit of air flow. Later that day I was informed that there was no malfunction with the AC. It was simply shut off because my boss neglected to pay the bill. So, I said to myself "Seriously, what else can go wrong right now?" It got worse. As I sat in a pool of my own sweat and tried to fan myself with whatever mail was lying around I was greeted by an older man with a stern look on his face. He looked at me and said "hi, can you please give Lois a call for me?" I agreed and while the phone was ringing I looking at the polo he was wearing. The logo on his left shoulder said "Commercial Sign" and then it all made sense. The store has been open since August and our signs outside and inside the store have been complete since October. Lois owes them more than $6,000 and has yet to even contact them about any sort of payment. They are really nice guys with families to feed and my boss has chosen to avoid them altogether. She answered the phone and when I told her who wanted to speak to her there was dead silence on the other end followed by "tell him I'm...ummm...(silence)...in...the middle of.....ummm...something and I'll give him a call later" She quickly hung up the phone before I could even relay the message to Bruce (the sign fellow).
I put the phone down, gave him a knowing look and told him that she was "in the middle of something". He rolled his eyes and gave me 2 different numbers that she can call. We talked for awhile and I apologized for Lois' actions even though it's not my fault in the least. I also told him that my last paycheck bounced. this is a true story, folks. I had to wait 3 days to get fully paid back in cash. Bruce and I had a decent talk and I felt really bad for the guy. Everyone is hurting for money right now and Lois' irresponsibility is causing his situation to be worse. We said our goodbyes and right as he was walking out he said "oh yeah, tell her that if she doesn't call us by monday you won't have any signs outside your store anymore." Hell yeah Bruce! Stick it to the man!
I continued my hellacious shift at work with my blood boiling and sweat pouring down my face. How dare she lie to me again! I am a really nice person and don't deserve to be treated that way! Also, you shouldn't lie to a person who has basically hit rock bottom and is sending herself into therapy. I'm a little fragile right now. I cried behind the cash register and literally felt like there was no end to this ridiculous-ness that has taken over my life. Before I let any customers see tears streaming down my face I sent a few text messages to friends to make me feel better. One of my best friends, Aubony, served as a guiding light for me without even knowing it.
I believe I sent her a message saying something about my terrible job and how I wish that life didn't suck anymore. She responded with a similar message saying that she had to work an 11 hr shift because her assistant manager decided not to show up. Ironically, I received this message as I was browsing the classifieds. After my shift was over, I went to visit my poor, tired friend at her place of work...which is Claire's by the way. I failed to mention that. She told me that they were, inevitably, looking for a new assistant manager. On a whim, I applied. By that evening I set up an interview for the following day. Yesterday, I went in for the interview was guaranteed my same pay plus benefits and set hours. Paid vacation, paid holidays, health insurance! I haven't had health insurance in a year and half. All of this sounded pretty awesome and I get to work with Aubony which is always wonderful. So, this morning I got up enough courage to call my current employer and tell her to shove it. Of course, I didn't phrase it like that. I was perfectly nice and she was pretty cool with me, oddly enough. I failed to mention the new job. I just told her everything else that is going on in my life and said I needed some down time to recharge my battery. this is all true but I have a feeling that there will be some bad blood once she finds out that I will be working down the hall from her store...oops.
Needless to say, these last few days have been a whirlwind of craziness. I don't know if working in another retail store will be good for me but anything is better than the things that I have been dealing with right now. I guess I'm not moving back home...at least for the time being. All I can say is that life has a really weird way of working out. I don't think I should make plans anymore because, obviously, this all wasn't part of the plan. I feel better and I guess, right now, that is all that matters.
P.S. I now have black hair. I was in need of change and boy, did things change. I still can't decide if I like it