Rant Time 3

Working Girl

That moment when you visit your mom's work because you're bored and unintentionally get hired and put on the payroll by the owner.
☝🏼
This actually happened to me today, or yesterday. Whatever time it is when you see this.
It's hard to believe that, at barely 16 years old, I have a steady job. It was a pretty uneventful day, aside from the huge argument my mom and her long-term friend had in the office soon after we got there.
Here's how it happened.
I was bored out of my mind and have been for awhile, so I've been getting out more lately and doing things like a human being, such as grocery shopping to make meals for myself and the bottomless pits I live with, and buying more books to stick my nose in.
I visited the most recent--and nicest--daycare center my mom works at today. And when I say "nicest," I actually mean "decent." Anyway, I had come to see G (the woman my mom had an argument with), but she was at the supply store getting printer ink. I hung around for a bit and occupied myself.
G showed up, I got excited, but she had been working for literally 24 hours straight with no break, so she was going to go home. Of course, G is older and wiser, but she tends to be demanding and bossy. The other teachers were getting tired of her bossing them around, and some were on the verge of quitting.
My mom pulled her in the office, shut the door, and apparently had a short chat with her (I couldn't hear because I was watching the front desk). The next thing I saw was G storming out with her keys. She came back ten minutes later, grabbed two prescription pill bottles from the office (the fuck) and walked out. My mom tried calling her back, saying "Don't walk away from me like that." G said, "Watch me" and left for the day.
Well then.
I like G (a bit less at the moment) and hate to see her and my mom's 20+-year friendship end now. She has problems and literally runs on Monster Energy Drinks, RedBull, and sodas. If it's got caffeine to keep her going, she drinks it. She never stops and is always snippy. She also only gets, I say, maybe 10 hours of sleep in an entire week. Her life is also really shitty and her kids want nothing to do with her for unknown reasons. The daughter is just a little cunt.
G takes medications for whatever reasons and sometimes knocks herself out with them. We think she may be bipolar because she flips like a switch. When she got there, she blew me a kiss. Ten minutes later, she raged and stormed out like a bat out of hell.
I'm going to say that it's all that shit combined that made her snap like a rubber band. My mom has never seen her like that. Luckily, my mom is very forgiving. All G has to do is apologize and that's it. It'll be fine. But she's being passive-aggressive.
That drama aside, I busted my ass yesterday. The owner showed up, a sweet old lady who's got enough shit going on in her life to be dealing with her employees' drama.
I had donated a shit ton (probably a good $1000 worth) of my old toys and baby clothes to all three daycares a few days ago, including a huge barely-used dollhouse. I just wanted her to take it and do whatever because I'm cleaning out my spare room to fix it, but she gave me $200 for it all.
She saw me and thanked me for everything, and as we were sitting in the sauna--I mean office--, she looked at me and just straight up said, "Your mom's gonna teach you how to work. I'm putting you on the payroll."
What.
Did I just get hired to a job nobody asked me if I wanted?
I did.
I am not complaining.
One shall not complain when they are getting paid (under the table due to not having a diploma as I'm not done with school) for working an actual decent job.
I know what you're thinking. "Sierra, didn't you do this before? And it wasn't an actual job? You just busted your ass for a lousy 20 bucks every weekend."
Nope. I did work, but I was given money by my mom that the owner gave her. So it was my mom's money. The owner is paying me like every other employee now. And plus, I actually have to take shifts just like everyone else. I come in when my mom goes, take care of the children, clean, make meals, and watch the front desk.
My mom is teaching me the ropes of the front desk and how to deal with files and shit. The owner desperately needed help at this center because we barely have any teachers and the kids are piling in. She saw me and must've been like, "She's 16 now, she's decent with kids, let me hire her."
My mom has been there for 20+ years, so I know it may have been biased, but at least I know what it's like dealing with the kids, and the owner knows that I've done this before, just not to the extent as I am now. She trusts me and needs more employees. Why not. I've "worked" for her before.
It's gonna be hard to deal with schoolwork and a job, but it's part of being a broke high school student turning adult. I need to get an ID, work on getting my permit, then my license. I'm hoping my junior year will be my final year so I can take college courses at the community college. How I'm gonna do all that is beyond me, but I have to figure it out. It sucks realizing Mommy isn't there to always catch me. Oh well.
I'm actually looking forward to this, though I know the less fun it will be the more I get into it. I just can't let anyone from my school district know or I will be kicked out of my program. I'm not allowed to work as per their rules, but guess what, I'm out in society and have a lot more social skills than before, and I need money to fucking live. I have to start saving for a car and paying fucking bills. I don't have time for these rules. Sitting in my house doing nothing does not help at all.
I know it sounds like I'm bragging. . .I'm not. This job isn't rainbows and sunshine. It's tiring. I'm on my feet nearly all day running back and forth and getting tugged on by random kids. I came home and took off my shoes and there were fresh red blisters on my feet.
I also had to listen to a wonderful acapella version of Let it Go by five little girls who can't sing for shit.
Ha. I can't wait to start stressing out and coming here to blow off steam after a shitty day at work with children and incompetent coworkers.
Working is fun...
So that's the story of how I accidentally got hired to a job.
RIP my sanity.
~
I'm drinking my nightly glass of apple cider vinegar and going to bed. Everything hurts. Cramps. Blisters. Goodnight.
~
Sierra 🌙