CROSSROADS

Ever since our restaurant closed suddenly for a few weeks, I’ve been stressing. I need to find a new apartment, I have no cash, and my gut instinct has been telling me to find another job. I try hard to listen to my instincts, but I find that it becomes difficult because your reason gets in the way.

Today instinct and reason collided. I was on my way to our sister store, whose manager had asked me if I would like to pick up a food running shift because they knew I was in a tight spot since our store’s temporary closing. They had made it sound like they were doing me a favor, and even though I knew the pay for food running was shit compared to serving, I agreed. After the shift, I was told that I had been put on the schedule every day for the next week.

Not asked if I could work, but told by the same company that failed to inform me until the day of that I would be out of a job for a few weeks with no form of compensation. The same company who I have worked hard for, 40-50 hours each week.

Here I was, on my way to my first scheduled shift this morning. A shift which I had learned was only available because their permanent food runner was gone for a few weeks, and they didn’t want to hire someone new. So I was filling in. Whose doing who a favor in all of this?

I reached the intersection between Central Park and the restaurant. Every step I took past the park and closer to the job was slowly killing me. People were laying outside on the grass, sitting on benches, enjoying the last few days of summer. I was about to give in, and allow someone to walk all over me. I stopped, and called a couple friends to ask for advice.

“You can’t just not go in, you need the money. Since it’s the sister store, if you quit there, when your store does open up your out of a job.” I realized their reasoning was right. I have a couple hundred dollars to my name right now. I can’t quit this job, I need to survive. So I walked in the store, down the stairs, stopped suddenly, and looked around.

I turned around and walked right back out.

I had no idea what I was going to do. My common sense was screaming at me how incredibly stupid I was for quitting, but my instincts were smiling. And so was I. At this crossroads in my life, between 5th avenue and 61st street, instinct has won the battle against reason.

I wandered around the city a bit and found myself a new serving job two hours after quitting. No resume, no application, no calls to an old manager for references. My new boss hired me based on her gut feeling.

"I can't believe how easy this was!" she said.
Neither could I.