Produce Manager

It was the fall season of the year 2001 as I began my new job at a specialty market. This market had many different departments like a wine section, a seafood department, a butcher with fresh meat cuts and floral lady. The decor was household goodies or groceries. The dairy wall had rows of milk of every kind. A lunch bar for freshly made sandwiches and pasta salads. The corner of the store by the offices was full of teas and cookies just as you walked by naturally into the connected coffee shop. I was trained on the register that first day and caught on instantly. The cash registers faced the beautiful produce department. The holidays were coming so the whole place smelled like pumpkin spice candles as they were lit through out all over the store. The very first time I had discovered this variety market was with my Boyfriend Tony along with his parents Kelly and JoAnne. When the four of us filled the cart up with freshly baked breads and fancy cheeses. Tony's Mom carried a flower bouquet up to me and exclaimed "THIS is going to be my favorite place to shop from now on!" Tony and his Dad got iced coffee drinks. We wandered around eating samples and getting new ideas for dinner that night. As we left I thought to myself that I would really love to work in a place like that.....a couple of years later I did!

It was the middle of October when I went in to ask for a job application, A middle aged woman was a bit flustered as she explain "I am so sorry this is my very first day and they just LEFT me here! I don't know where a job apt. is?" I shook her hand and introduce myself  "Oh I know what that feels like, my name is Debby." She smiled back relaxing now "I'm Carla." Now Carla and I would end up being friends for years after this very moment....

I helped Carla find the job applications while we stood visiting for awhile until the hiring manager came up and talk to me through Carla's recommendation. Carla said she asked every day for the rest of the week if I was going to be hired. So my interview really took 10 minuets and the guy interviewing said I had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. I knew that I had to cleverly stand up for myself against his flirting, while still being very respectful...So after my first day he never tried again to catch my attention with his winks or his jokes as I confidently laughed back at him saying casually but still boldly "Oh...now don't be so pervy!"

When the crazy unstable owner found out that I loved produce, she began to find ways to replace her bold christian produce manager with me. I went to the back room to help him set out new fresh lettuce heads. He was so intense as he prayed out loud while I stood there and then He said "You do know these are the ending times, America is under attack and now God is coming! Satan is out to take this Christian nation down!" He kept working along side of me with his bible on the cutting board. I was not alarmed, I wasn't even pissed off by his boldness in getting up right in my face. I felt like I simply knew he was harmless, He was scared that the two towers were just blown up. I talked to him as if I had known him my whole life because really I had...I was raised in this bulldozing Christianity. He stared at me like a wild man as he realized I was just working not arguing with him. "ARE YOU SAVED?" He asked bewildered. I laughed replying "I hope so!" He questioned on more while grabbing his bible, "I mean do you know the Christ, the son of the living God?" I realized this could drag on forever so I said quickly "Yes, I have known him my whole life and the Holy Spirit was always my favorite. For it's like a protective blanket we always need something to believe in." I stated back.
He hugged me suddenly then asked if I had a boyfriend. I was alarmed now and so I chuckled "Oh yes for at least 2 years now, Tony...He is a great guy." The owner was watching all this with a frown as she stood there trying to find a reason to fire this spiritually crazy guy. I thought about it later, how odd it was now I that no longer go to church nor do I believe that Christianity was the answer for salvation. Yet this man reminded me of myself, of who I once was and how glad I am to move on.

As produce manager I took over the department working long weeks with maybe a day off, or maybe not. My Father would pop in with advice, with ideas for my new setup. I often would just bumped right into him as he stood looking over my produce. "Oh! Hi Dad." I said in that first week as manager. "Like these potatoes? aren't they huge?" I asked him. I would wonder if he had just heard me say "Oh Shit!" as I almost drop the 50 pound bag of russet potatoes in the back room on my way out. Dad would walk around asking me who my vendors were and how I should order boxes of apples soon they were in full season. "You know what you need to do is get as much local produce in here and give the Co-op a run for it's money!" He chuckled. Then he would lean into me to whisper "Who in their right mind pays $3.49 for a candy bar?" I laughed as he pointed to the specialty chocolate bars by the registers. Having my father visit my department every so often was really nice, I never saw anyone during the year of this job. Unless they came to me, for my week days were filled up with an average 12 or 14 hour shifts. My dad mentioned to me how he thought I could get ahead in my job, it was coming in on my days off to check things out. So the one Sunday I had off I would stop into the market to see how things looked. My boyfriend was really the last person I gave any time to, Yet he was always the first person I called in the morning over my break or the last person at night I chatted with before I went home. The voice of my father was in my head all the time in how to be a good leader and how to be a good manager. "What I would do if I was you, I would come in early on my day off and follow the other managers to see how they do everything. You can learn more not having to be in your own department. and your boss will be very impress you are learning off the clock." Dad explained to me as I was bewildered "REALLY? but I only have one day off a week right now." I replied sadly, Dad just shrugged "Well that is how you get ahead and stay a good employee." He seemed to light up when I asked him questions about the produce or how should I display the Thanksgiving yams. Yet I couldn't bring myself to ever go in on my day off to shadow people without pay. I liked seeing my dad just pop in, I liked getting the chance to chat it up about my job with him. 
Now I am really hard worker because of his leadership. I gave it my all when working as that produce manager, the rest of the world moved on without me. I began to notice even when I was home that my mind was in my job. That I had already began to plan tomorrow's schedule, I couldn't relax and couldn't sleep deeply. I loved the produce and all the people I talked to through out the day in the job. Tony was beginning to realize that I was a true work-aholic, He had to gently tell me how worried he was over my health, over my state of mind. "My Dad says my job is a huge responsibility, my department reflects me as a person.....So I am going to stay late to help close up tonight." Tony's voice was sad on the other line "But I made us dinner, shrimp even... you will love it!" I felt bad and I sighed "I have a job, I am a produce manager I have to stay." He sighed back "I didn't realize you wanted to be like your Dad so much. There is more to life then making money." I sat there at my desk with stacks of invoices and ordering lists. I had sticky notes for all the customers I needed to call back. I looked around me at the crates of tomatoes, at my large coffee frappe. It was as if I woke up from a dream, half dazed and half caffeinated I worked my life into this moment. I left early that night heading home to surprise Tony, He had made me dinner and I realized my life wasn't any where I wanted it to be. He was thrilled as he hugged me when I arrived and I said the words that were the hardest for me to ever say "I'm Sorry." I had really missed him as I continued "I choose YOU over any job out there!"