What's in a Job? ~ A Photo Story

***

"Hey Charlie?" I said, suddenly looking up from my morning coffee, "I have a problem."

"What's up?" Charlie asked worriedly, turning away from writing new appointments on the calendar.

"Well, a whole bunch of new books are coming out this spring, but all my money's in my saving account. I can't take money out of my college fund, but I can't get any more money for the books. Oh, Charlie, what should I do?"

Charlie laughed at the simple complexity of my problem.

"Well, if money's your problem, why don't you go get a job?"

"Get a job? Hey, that's a great idea! But where?"
"Well, June was talking about that new beauty shoppe... she started work there last week." Charlie said.

"Yeah! That would be super easy! I would still have lots of time for school!" I cried, finishing my coffee with one gulp. "Thanks Charlie!"
"No problem."

And that was how I ended up in Gemma's Beauty Shoppe later that week.

"...and these are all the bath bombs." June said motioning to the little table loaded with the powdery orbs. "I think that's all I needed to show you. Any questions?"

"I think I've got it," I nodded, "but I was wondering... why doesn't it smell like a beauty shop? I thought it would smell, you know, like scented soap, but I don't smell anything at all."
"Oh! That's what I forgot! Come here." June said, motioning for me to follow as she walked to the back of the store.

"All of our products are wrapped, so you don't get the smell, which really disappoints customers, so what we do is light these scented candles and let them burn for a bit. You just have to remember to blow them out."
"Oh, OK. I can do that." I nodded again.

"Here are the matches, but be careful."
"Right."

"Well, good luck with your first shift!" June said, "I know you'll do fine."
"Thanks, June. Have a good day!"

Overall, the morning went pretty well.

I helped quite a few customers and finished some custom orders, when I decided it was time to light the candles for a few seconds.

"There we go." I said as I blew the match out, with a flourish.
"Hey! I could use some service here." a cranky woman called from the counter.
"Oh, I'm coming!" I called, and hurried to help.

About half an hour later, I took a deep breath in a pause between customers.
"Finally, a little-"
Suddenly the smoke alarm went off and the sprinklers came on.
"-break."

I whipped around to see the candles, still lit, giving off a thin trail of smoke.

I dashed across the room, and began blowing out candles as fast as I could.

"Whew." I sighed, "The sprinklers will turn off in a second and everything will be -"

"Oh dear!"
The water from the sprinklers had set off all bath bombs, which were then spewing frothy bubbles all over the floor.

"No no no! What do I do? Oh, I know!" I cried, as I plunged my arm into the geyser to extricate the display bucket, "I can bail the bubbles out the back door. No one ever has to know."

So I scooped a bucket full, threw open the back door, and ejected the bubbles out the door.
"Oh no." I mumbled as I scrambled out of the doorway.

"Miss Gemma! I'm sorry, it was an accident." I tried to explain to the proprietor of the store who was now wearing the contents of my bucket of bubbles.

"I am so so sorry! You see there was this - and the - the candles - and then the sprinkler and -"

All of a sudden one of the bath bombs on the table next to me exploded covering all of my left side in bubbles.
"Heh heh." I laughed nervously.
"Get OUT!" Miss Gemma shouted.

***
My next job at Food Mall didn't go much better.

"Just keep the shelves clean and tidy. You can at least do that, can't you?" My new employer, Mrs. Grint, snapped as she fiddled with the cash register.
"Yes Ma'am. I got it!" I replied.
She looked at me sideways, "I don't like your tone, girl. Just do it."
I didn't bother to answer this time, I just scurried toward the shelves.

I spent a few minutes wandering around the store, but nothing made sense. I couldn't find anything and I kept getting lost.
"Someone has got to fix this." I thought, "And that's why they hired me!"

"New girl!" Mrs. Grint bellowed, "Why can't I find my butter! Why have you moved everything?"

"Um, butter? That should be with the bananas, buttermilk, and the backpacks." I replied.
"And the milk?"
"By the meat and mangoes."

"Are you trying to tell me you alphabetized my whole store?" Mrs. Grint screeched.
"Um, was that wrong?" I asked nervously.
"You're fired!"
"Oh." I sighed as I walked out the door, "I knew colour-coded would have worked better.
"Wait!" Mrs. Grint said as she ran out after me.
"Yes?" I turned to her hopefully.
"You're hired until you put everything back where it was, then you're fired."

***
I really thought that the job I landed at the clothing store was the one.

You know that high end clothing store downtown? Well I got the job almost as soon as I applied. I took that as a good sign, and I came to work the first day in high spirits, with high hopes.

"And that comes to $89.65 please, ma'am." I said to the young woman across the counter from me, who reached for her purse.

Anna, who was on shift with me, bagging peoples items, tried very hard to make polite small talk with each customer. "What a gorgeous dress! I absolutely adore the fabric! You must have amazing taste!" She gushed, very convincingly.
I wished she was that nice in the break room.
"Oh, thank you." The woman replied, "This is more than I would usually spend on clothes, but I couldn't resist."
That's when I started thinking...

"Well every once in a while we need to splurge a little, right?" Anna tittered.
The woman and Anna laughed, and Anna was about to put the dress in the bag.

"Wait," I said.
Anna rolled her eyes and whispered, "Not again, Molly."
"More than you want to spend?" I asked the woman, who nodded back, looking confused.
I smiled. "Come with me," I said scurrying around the till and snagging the dress from Anna's hand, while the bemused woman followed, and Anna groaned.

"Where was it... where was it..." I muttered as I scanned the discount table.

"Ah!" I exclaimed as I snatched a shirt off the pile.

"See?" I said proudly, holding it up for the woman to see, "Same fabric, less than half the price!"
"Wow! It's perfect! Oh, thank you so much. You just saved me $40!" The woman cheered.
"What can I say?" I blushed, "I love finding deals."

Anna glared at me as I walked around the till to add the shirt to the bill and remove the dress she had liked so much.
The woman was still beaming excitedly as she walked out the door, having spent only $50.66.

"Molly, that's close to $200 you've talked people out of spending." Anna hissed under her breath so none of the customers would hear, "If I told Ms. Harold, she'd-"
"Shh!" I hissed back as another customer approached.

"Hi there!" Anna smiled, looking like she hadn't been threatening me a second ago. "Can we help you?"
"Yes, I was really hoping to add some purple to my wardrobe."
"Well no problem, that's easy" Anna giggled, "Right over here, we have some-"
"Oh, I actually wanted Molly to help me. My friend told me Molly is great at finding deals."
Anna's face was redder than I've ever seen anyone's.
I blushed, "It looks like I'm good at finding trouble too." I muttered.

***

That evening, once the store had closed, I was putting away a few odds and ends when the store manager, Ms. Harold, came to talk to me.
"Well Molly,"
 I looked over at Anna nervously. Had she told?
"It seems your first day went well. I t looks like you're doing a very good job. I had quite a few customers come and tell me how much they liked you."
I let out the breath I had been holding in.
" I don't know what you did, but you've definitely done something. Business has never been better!"

"Wow, um, I'm glad it's working out." I stuttered gratefully.
Ms. Harold smiled at me, "I am curious what you did to have everyone take to you so quickly..."

"Well, saving them $40 each probably helped." I said before I could think.
The store was deathly quite.

"You did what?" Ms. Harold asked slowly.

I slapped my palm against my forehead.
"Um- I- ah- my breath smells great?" I lamely tried to cover.

Anna looked just a little too pleased with herself as she said, "Oh yes. Molly has saved people lots of money. She has a gift for talking people out of buying things and convincing them that they should save money."
I really don't like Anna.
"So, all of this is to say that you don't have a job?"

"Yes!" I groaned slipping out of my chair dramatically, "And now I don't know what to do!"

Heather smiled at me over the stack of books she had been sorting for a new display.
Heather volunteers at the library, and she had used her break time to listen to long, sad story.
"I think I have an idea for you."
"Really?" I asked, sitting back up.

"Yeah, have you talked to the head librarian, Mrs. Peaks?" She asked.

"Heather, I already told you. Apparently you don't get paid for volunteer work. I learned that the hard way..."

"Oh, I think we might be able to figure something out." Heather said, pointing to a sign on the table.

***

"Molly! Molly! Oh, Heather, have you seen Molly anywhere? I can't find her, and I'm getting worried." Charlie said as she walked into the library.

"Oh, didn't she tell you she finally got a job?"
charlie quickly tried to hide the surprise that showed on her face, "Really? Well, that's great! Where?"
Heather smiled. "Come with me."

"Chapter 3." Molly said turning the page as the little girls on either side of her sighed contentedly. "I love this story." one murmured.

"She's reading to the kids?" Charlie asked confusedly, taking a seat in the chair.
"Yes," Heather replied, "She struck up a deal with the library that if she reads at the children's book club, then the library will bring in any book she wants, and she gets first dibs."
Charlie laughed, "Well, I always knew, if any of my sister could find a way to do it, it would be Molly."

"The End"