walk on a chilly morning

Where I've Been...Part 2
Good Sunday morning!  Had a good night's sleep last night - the aches from the thyroid biopsy are almost gone! Praise God!  Below is the second installment that I promised.  Enjoy and have a Blessed Day!

After being unemployed for about 3 weeks, I secured a job as a cashier in a full-service gas station. We had a full-serve island and a self-serve island.  The attendant still pumped gas, washed windshields and checked oil levels. This job gave me some great opportunities.  I learned about cars and scheduling appointments for service.  The bookkeeper taught me some basic functions of the accounting system so that I could run payroll at the end of the week if I had to.  I had visions of a promotion to Assistant Manager at the station. The owner had two stations, his son managed one, and he (the owner) managed the other where I worked.  He gave me responsibilities and taught me some things about the business and I really thought there was a chance of moving up the ladder.  It was a good job that I enjoyed.  Once again, the owner called on me to train other cashiers to fill-in for me on weekends and vacation days.  I worked there for three years before the pay stopped being commensurate with the work I felt I was being expected to do.  When I asked for a raise, he told me that he couldn’t pay a cashier any more than what I already was making.  There went my dreams of promotion.  I left the office after giving my three-week notice.

      As I walked across the lot from the office to the station, I saw that the new Howard Johnson’s manager, who I met while I was visiting my friends, was standing at our self-serve island pumping gas. It was not that surprising that he would be there since the restaurant was kitty-corner across the street from the service station, but, as you will quickly learn, I do not believe in coincidences.  I walked up to him and said, “Hi, are you hiring any waitresses?” 

      “Yes, we are, come over and fill out an application just as a formality. When can you start?” One of the shortest interviews I ever had. 

      The other short interview was when I called the manager at the Holiday Inn to ask her if I could come back there part-time.  I had worked there the previous year to make extra money for my first wedding.  She also brought me back without any question.

      So now, I was working part-time at two restaurants.  I think both managers wanted my full loyalty, but I couldn’t afford to work one part-time job.  HoJo’s won out when they offered me a full time position. It felt like I had come home. I loved working there. The change in management made the job much more enjoyable and I got the opportunity not only to train servers, but also to work banquets.  This meant more money, and experience in a different aspect of food service.
Stay tuned!