My first day was
set for August 19,2018, I was excited but nervous. I had nothing, I had maxed
out my credit card for clothes, I was limited on gas money and my tires on my
car needed to be replaced. Nevertheless, I had new bills and a new vision for
my life, I had to be on point! So, I gathered my best flexxi rods, and began a "great" work on my hair. I pulled out my favorite dress slacks, my flats and a
blazer. I was going to do BIG things,
I was determined to leave a mark at my new place of employment. Lest, I be fired on my
first day.
My first day was
like most, I filled out some paper work, signed over pieces of my life as it
related to the handbook and general expectations of the job. I shook hands with
some of the big wigs and laughed at the unnecessary jokes of the higher ups. It
was corny, ohh the things we do for a check. Tuh, I was late on my first day.
My second day was
similar to my first, but I began to feel annoyed with the schedule. I was not
getting enough lead time to prepare for the next day when it came to my travel
schedule. I was slated to be in the office for the remainder of the week at
nine am sharp, but in the corporate world 9 am really meant 8:30am. I had to
consider parking, which was ten dollars a day. Oh, and I needed three days’ worth
of clothing. Ya girl was in a bind. Needless to say, I parked illegally at the near by Kroger and was
still late.
My third day,
which was a Friday came with its own trials and tribulations. It was like a new
set of traffic was bestowed upon the Atlanta streets and I was in the midst of
foolish drivers. I must have passed ten schools I never noticed, back to back
stop lights and constantly slamming of the breaks. I could barely focus when I
got to work. I was late again.
I know what you are
thinking, “the nerve of this girl to be late three consistent days in a row for
a job she begged for,” right. Oh, and if you think this story is about to take
a turn for the better, you are in for a sad awakening.
The fourth day
was similar to God creating light from darkness, day and night, seasons and
signs. I was in the right season, taking heed to the right signs and these
following days were light to a lamp. My weekend was busy, I was going from
thrift stores and friend’s places, I needed another set of clothes for work. I
was trying to budget my meals and make since of the gas prices ($2.78). Sunday
came and went and without any notification, I was under impression that my
employer wanted me to work from home.
Monday morning
was lovely, I had plans to prosper me, I was going to sleep in and drink mid
grade coffee. I was going to watch the online training videos and think about
life. Welp, that was all shattered when I noticed my phone vibrating uncontrollably.
I thought, “who could be calling this early in the morning”. I wasn’t going to
answer it, but I thought against and with a barely woke semi groggy voice I
said “Hello.” The guy on the other line said “Good morning, where are you?”. I
laughed in my mind, who was this person calling me in the early morning asking
where I was, as if he was my man.
“I’m at home” I
responded.
“Well, you were
assigned to travel with me today and we were set to meet at 10:00 am” he said.
I looked at my
phone and bought fainted. I was 10:40 am and the location was an hour away from
my house. I rushed him off the phone and told him I would be there shortly. I
was lying and the truth wasn’t in me. I hung up the phone and brushed my teeth,
I skipped my brows and hustled out of the house. I was nearly two hours late.
The fifth day was
better, but I was late again. Basically, I was late the remainder of the week
but something shifted on Friday.
I was scheduled
to travel to Augusta Georgia to meet with a client. I had learned some valuable
lessons during the week, so I put gas in the car and air in my tires. I pulled
out my outfit the night before and went to bed extremely early. I WAS NOT GOING
TO BE LATE AN EIGHTH DAY IN A ROW.
I left my house
earlier than usual and listened to a podcast. I’m about thirty mins out from
the location and my tire light goes off. I stop off the exit and put air in my
tires and notice that the gas was cheaper. So, I get some gas. No harm, no
foul. Well, when I get back in my car and look at the GPS it tells me that I
will be ten minutes late. I begin to shake, I was ready to cry. I thought I should
just turn around. I knew that I was going to lose my job if I was late. I
contacted the person I was supposed to be meeting and informed him of my situation. He
tells me its fine.
I pull into the
location and hop of the car with a smile and a hand ready for shaking. The guy
looks at me and tells me, “you are not needed for this client meeting, please
go back to the office.”
CHILLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
I bout died and came back to life. I bout cursed, I bout died and stayed there.
I thought I saw the light.
I looked the guy
in his eyes, hoping he could see my pain, my failure and the struggle that it
took to get me 221 miles from home, his movement proved it not. I was dismayed and distraught, and I wasn’t
even sure if I had gas to get back to the office. After about twenty seconds of
staring him in his eyes, I said, “thank you for your time,” and I walked back
to my car.
Words cannot
describe what I felt when I got into the car. I drove silently to the office
preparing my stance for the unemployment line.
Two hours later I
arrived at the office, I was vaguely greeted by my boss who asked me to meet
her in the café. I waited for thirty minutes and honestly it felt like forever.
The suspense was killing me, I began to pray for a wise response suited for unemployment.
She sat down and
asked me what was going on, I fought tears of frustration and sadness. I
explained my two-year struggle and the inconsistent communication from the
team. She then explained the importance of timeliness and handed a final write
up for tardiness. I was on a thirty day probationary period and if I sneezed
wrong, I was going to be sending everybody in my cashapp requests to pay my
bills. I signed the documents and worked the remainder of the day in the office.
Present day: I
worked my thirty days out without any hiccups, and I still have that job. In fact,
I have received great feedback from the team on my professionalism with the
clients, timeliness and work ethic. Sometimes your greatest blessing comes with
small curses, these small curses represent the wind between the next step to your elevation. I could have quit, or I could have been fired, either way I had to be pruned for the next level. I learned that I couldn’t start something new
without discarding the old. Also, I learned the power of a blessing, just because
it’s a blessing doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with trials and tribulations. And
boy, this job had come with many nights of tears and early morning fears, but
God. So, whenever you’re doing something, and things get tough, or they aren’t perfect,
do not think the God has left the situation, he is testing the situation. And
your reaction is everything.
Until next time,
Sara J.
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