Sweet n Salty
San Diego
My first job living in San Diego was a literal nightmare. I was essentially the glorified dog sitter for this woman in some health/telecommunications company, though my title was 'office assistant'. At least, that's what I had applied for. When I interviewed with her, I felt that it had gone really well, and that we had connected right off the bat. I mean, she did offer me the position at the end of the interview. I came bounding out of her house with so much nervous excitement as I yelled at my mom 'I got it! I got the job!'
My first assignment was to get some sort of legal trademark approved. Which I had no idea how to do. I had never once told the woman that I dealt with legal forms and acquisitions. So when she got frustrated with me and told me to 'just figure it out', I knew that I was really in for something. And boy, was I right. I asked her for all of the information that I needed to plug in to the form. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I wanted to make sure that I got this right (after all, if you failed, there was a whole set of hoops you had to jump through to correct your mistakes, as I would later find out), so I felt very frustrated, to say the least, when the trademark paperwork came back with incorrect information. She yelled at me, asking me how I could get it wrong? Well, MARTHA*, you're the one that told me to input that particular information that particular way, so really, it's your fault that there were any inconsistencies in the first place!
She had another 'office assistant', who was her fucking prodigy. I thought I could befriend this girl, but she essentially schooled me every day that I worked there, and Martha praised her for her insane above-average-IQ skills. I was asked to sit in the other room at times, while the two of them worked in the office together. I was asked to take her dog outside on potty breaks and supervise her, and envy her stunning natural pool (that, on many occasions, I was tempted to just dive into). She was inconsistent with what she wanted from me, and what information she told me. I called in sick once or twice, and she expected me to keep working from home on those days (which would have been fine... had she conveyed that to me at the time, instead of assuming I had done this the next time that I came in for work).
I think I finally had enough when she yelled at me... for getting up to use the bathroom. I had been banished to another room, so I couldn't be seen while she was on some conference call. Being that it was almost 100 degrees outside, I had drank a fair amount of water that day. I had to pee. I didn't want to interrupt anything, so I tried to be discreet, and walked as close to the wall, as far away from her as I could. She came into the other room after her video chat had ended and told me how unprofessional I had made her look... by walking through the room... skirting against the wall... so I wouldn't interrupt the call. I told her I had to use the bathroom. She told me I should have gone out the side door, walked all the way around the house, and come in the back door, closest to the bathroom. Or held it. Between that, and all of her inconsistencies that she blamed on me, I gave her my two week resignation notice. She made me come in for maybe three more days. All to teach another poor soul how to do the job I was leaving on top of the job that she had already hired him to do. In all honesty, there really was nothing that I could teach him. Because of instead of teaching me how to do the job the way that she wanted it done, she always made me figure it out for myself. So I still didn't know what I was doing 100% of the time. And the kicker was, because I was leaving her, she didn't pay me for the last few days that I came in. Because [iI was leaving her, I had to teach the new guy on my own time. Now, I know that was shady and illegal as shit, but I was so tired, and fed up with her; I was so drained, that there was no way I was going to deal with her any longer by taking any legal action against her. Even though there were more than a dozen ethical violations wrong with her and her work practice out of her home. Even though she docked my pay for getting some forms incorrect (forms that she literally spoon-fed me the wrong information to), and then made me 'make up for it' on my own fucking time.
The phrase didn't exist back then, but I literally couldn't even with that woman.
So then I went several months without a job, but it wasn't for lack of looking. I was putting it at least 50 applications every week to just about every type of job you could think of, that I could qualify for: hostessing, office assistant, personal assistant, babysitting, housesitting, petsitting, waitressing, even a couple of strip clubs.
Finally, at the beginning of the new year, I was walking around downtown, handing out applications and resumes to nearly every business that I could walk to, I got a call from a pizza joint that I had handed out a resume to. They were looking for a front counter/register person. I interviewed with another guy, and we were both hired almost on the spot. I enjoyed the job at first, but it was clear that it was a boys club, and I was the only girl there. The managers definitely took advantage of me, especially one of the three. I took orders over the phone, and when people came to dine in. You could either buy a whole pie when you came in, or just order by the slice of whatever was in the display case. We were connected to and affiliated with the nigh club next door. So when their doors closed at 2am, all the drunk people rolled into our joint for food (and more alcohol). Technically, I wasn't 21 yet, so I wasn't allowed to serve alcohol. But the managers didn't give a shit. As long as they had someone to do it. I didn't know the area well at all, so I sometimes took orders from people that were too far away for us to deliver to. And there was no way that I had all the downtown hotel's addresses memorized. Which, apparently, they expected me to. So I got in trouble a fair amount in the beginning, especially by Don*, who just seemed to have some deep-seeded hatred for me - he always picked on me (I think he had a thing against women in general, because he wasn't exactly a 'ladies man').
My only friend, in the beginning, was the guy I got hired with, Matt*. Eventually there was chemistry between us, and after one exhausting 3am shift, we went back to my place together. But we were never really a thing. We kissed a couple of times, and he lended me his jacket when I was cold. And when we had shifts together, he would walk me to and from my car, which I usually had to park a block or two away in a parking garage, because there was only on-street parking around the shop and it was usually always taken, especially in the evenings.
I also eventually grew close to one of the drivers, Jeff*, and he became my best friend while I lived there. He was kind of an oddball, like me, so we fit together perfectly. Even after I left the pizza place, we stayed close, and every Tuesday, he would take me out on a new adventure, and show me a new part of San Diego. Tuesdays quickly became my favorite days. It was always something new and exciting, and almost always involved delicious food. Jeff knew San Diego like the back of his hand, so he was always taking me to local places that weren't very touristy, but were absolutely perfect in their own ways.
I also was expected to clean the dining room, and serve people their food. But I was never allowed to keep any tips. It had to go into the community tip jar, that was then split between whoever was on shift, at the end. That wouldn't have bothered me, if the managers didn't take from the tip jar, too. Even when they didn't do anything - they mostly spent their time in the club next door, or in the office, overseeing their security cameras in the shop. I got written up once, because I always got all of my work done quickly and then was left with nothing to do. So when there weren't customers around, I played around on my phone to keep myself busy. So did all of the guys that worked there. But I was the only one that ever got singled out, and in trouble for it. I think Don had a lot to do with that decision. Don was always looking for an excuse to reprimand me, even when he knew damn well that I was good at my job.
We held a contest - whoever came in and ate the most single-slices of pizza in a month won free slices for a year. There was this older man that was clearly close friends with the managers, who always slipped me a $20, trying to bribe me to write down that he had more slices than he had really paid for. Honestly, I was broke, and desperate, only working one job at the time, so I took the money sometimes, but I never logged him for extra. He found out and cornered me when I was cleaning the dining room one night, he started threatening me. One of the managers had to talk him down, and then offered him a free beer for his 'troubles'.
The other time I was really uncomfortable was when I found the company supervisor (way above everyone's heads) snorting a line of cocaine off of the bathroom sink one night. He was too wasted to remember my face, after that, but I was never comfortable whenever he came around the restaurant to 'check things out'.
I loved being with Jeff, but the stress of the job was too much, and I had to get out of there. Luckily, my aunt knew a guy who worked for a medical supply company, that was looking for an office assistant. I sat down for the interview with him, and two minutes in he said, 'this is just a formality. You had the job before you even walked in here'. He quickly became a second father figure for me, which helped a lot with my stress and my loneliness. Once I started up steady with that job, I quit the pizza joint. But I kept my Tuesday adventures with Jeff.
Oh, and the coworker that I had a fling with? He started hitting on my younger sister while she was there for a visit, when she was very clearly underage, and he was almost in his 30s. The worst part is the rage that came out, and the names that he called me, when I confronted him about it. Not only was I disgusted with him, but I was a little frightened by how angry he got with me. I prayed that he never remembered where I lived.
My first assignment was to get some sort of legal trademark approved. Which I had no idea how to do. I had never once told the woman that I dealt with legal forms and acquisitions. So when she got frustrated with me and told me to 'just figure it out', I knew that I was really in for something. And boy, was I right. I asked her for all of the information that I needed to plug in to the form. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I wanted to make sure that I got this right (after all, if you failed, there was a whole set of hoops you had to jump through to correct your mistakes, as I would later find out), so I felt very frustrated, to say the least, when the trademark paperwork came back with incorrect information. She yelled at me, asking me how I could get it wrong? Well, MARTHA*, you're the one that told me to input that particular information that particular way, so really, it's your fault that there were any inconsistencies in the first place!
She had another 'office assistant', who was her fucking prodigy. I thought I could befriend this girl, but she essentially schooled me every day that I worked there, and Martha praised her for her insane above-average-IQ skills. I was asked to sit in the other room at times, while the two of them worked in the office together. I was asked to take her dog outside on potty breaks and supervise her, and envy her stunning natural pool (that, on many occasions, I was tempted to just dive into). She was inconsistent with what she wanted from me, and what information she told me. I called in sick once or twice, and she expected me to keep working from home on those days (which would have been fine... had she conveyed that to me at the time, instead of assuming I had done this the next time that I came in for work).
I think I finally had enough when she yelled at me... for getting up to use the bathroom. I had been banished to another room, so I couldn't be seen while she was on some conference call. Being that it was almost 100 degrees outside, I had drank a fair amount of water that day. I had to pee. I didn't want to interrupt anything, so I tried to be discreet, and walked as close to the wall, as far away from her as I could. She came into the other room after her video chat had ended and told me how unprofessional I had made her look... by walking through the room... skirting against the wall... so I wouldn't interrupt the call. I told her I had to use the bathroom. She told me I should have gone out the side door, walked all the way around the house, and come in the back door, closest to the bathroom. Or held it. Between that, and all of her inconsistencies that she blamed on me, I gave her my two week resignation notice. She made me come in for maybe three more days. All to teach another poor soul how to do the job I was leaving on top of the job that she had already hired him to do. In all honesty, there really was nothing that I could teach him. Because of instead of teaching me how to do the job the way that she wanted it done, she always made me figure it out for myself. So I still didn't know what I was doing 100% of the time. And the kicker was, because I was leaving her, she didn't pay me for the last few days that I came in. Because [iI was leaving her, I had to teach the new guy on my own time. Now, I know that was shady and illegal as shit, but I was so tired, and fed up with her; I was so drained, that there was no way I was going to deal with her any longer by taking any legal action against her. Even though there were more than a dozen ethical violations wrong with her and her work practice out of her home. Even though she docked my pay for getting some forms incorrect (forms that she literally spoon-fed me the wrong information to), and then made me 'make up for it' on my own fucking time.
The phrase didn't exist back then, but I literally couldn't even with that woman.
So then I went several months without a job, but it wasn't for lack of looking. I was putting it at least 50 applications every week to just about every type of job you could think of, that I could qualify for: hostessing, office assistant, personal assistant, babysitting, housesitting, petsitting, waitressing, even a couple of strip clubs.
Finally, at the beginning of the new year, I was walking around downtown, handing out applications and resumes to nearly every business that I could walk to, I got a call from a pizza joint that I had handed out a resume to. They were looking for a front counter/register person. I interviewed with another guy, and we were both hired almost on the spot. I enjoyed the job at first, but it was clear that it was a boys club, and I was the only girl there. The managers definitely took advantage of me, especially one of the three. I took orders over the phone, and when people came to dine in. You could either buy a whole pie when you came in, or just order by the slice of whatever was in the display case. We were connected to and affiliated with the nigh club next door. So when their doors closed at 2am, all the drunk people rolled into our joint for food (and more alcohol). Technically, I wasn't 21 yet, so I wasn't allowed to serve alcohol. But the managers didn't give a shit. As long as they had someone to do it. I didn't know the area well at all, so I sometimes took orders from people that were too far away for us to deliver to. And there was no way that I had all the downtown hotel's addresses memorized. Which, apparently, they expected me to. So I got in trouble a fair amount in the beginning, especially by Don*, who just seemed to have some deep-seeded hatred for me - he always picked on me (I think he had a thing against women in general, because he wasn't exactly a 'ladies man').
My only friend, in the beginning, was the guy I got hired with, Matt*. Eventually there was chemistry between us, and after one exhausting 3am shift, we went back to my place together. But we were never really a thing. We kissed a couple of times, and he lended me his jacket when I was cold. And when we had shifts together, he would walk me to and from my car, which I usually had to park a block or two away in a parking garage, because there was only on-street parking around the shop and it was usually always taken, especially in the evenings.
I also eventually grew close to one of the drivers, Jeff*, and he became my best friend while I lived there. He was kind of an oddball, like me, so we fit together perfectly. Even after I left the pizza place, we stayed close, and every Tuesday, he would take me out on a new adventure, and show me a new part of San Diego. Tuesdays quickly became my favorite days. It was always something new and exciting, and almost always involved delicious food. Jeff knew San Diego like the back of his hand, so he was always taking me to local places that weren't very touristy, but were absolutely perfect in their own ways.
I also was expected to clean the dining room, and serve people their food. But I was never allowed to keep any tips. It had to go into the community tip jar, that was then split between whoever was on shift, at the end. That wouldn't have bothered me, if the managers didn't take from the tip jar, too. Even when they didn't do anything - they mostly spent their time in the club next door, or in the office, overseeing their security cameras in the shop. I got written up once, because I always got all of my work done quickly and then was left with nothing to do. So when there weren't customers around, I played around on my phone to keep myself busy. So did all of the guys that worked there. But I was the only one that ever got singled out, and in trouble for it. I think Don had a lot to do with that decision. Don was always looking for an excuse to reprimand me, even when he knew damn well that I was good at my job.
We held a contest - whoever came in and ate the most single-slices of pizza in a month won free slices for a year. There was this older man that was clearly close friends with the managers, who always slipped me a $20, trying to bribe me to write down that he had more slices than he had really paid for. Honestly, I was broke, and desperate, only working one job at the time, so I took the money sometimes, but I never logged him for extra. He found out and cornered me when I was cleaning the dining room one night, he started threatening me. One of the managers had to talk him down, and then offered him a free beer for his 'troubles'.
The other time I was really uncomfortable was when I found the company supervisor (way above everyone's heads) snorting a line of cocaine off of the bathroom sink one night. He was too wasted to remember my face, after that, but I was never comfortable whenever he came around the restaurant to 'check things out'.
I loved being with Jeff, but the stress of the job was too much, and I had to get out of there. Luckily, my aunt knew a guy who worked for a medical supply company, that was looking for an office assistant. I sat down for the interview with him, and two minutes in he said, 'this is just a formality. You had the job before you even walked in here'. He quickly became a second father figure for me, which helped a lot with my stress and my loneliness. Once I started up steady with that job, I quit the pizza joint. But I kept my Tuesday adventures with Jeff.
Oh, and the coworker that I had a fling with? He started hitting on my younger sister while she was there for a visit, when she was very clearly underage, and he was almost in his 30s. The worst part is the rage that came out, and the names that he called me, when I confronted him about it. Not only was I disgusted with him, but I was a little frightened by how angry he got with me. I prayed that he never remembered where I lived.
♠ ♠ ♠
*Names have been changed