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There comes a time in every kid's life when they realize that a weekly allowance is just not going to cut it anymore.
Simply put, a kid needs money to do all of the things and go all of the places that they want. After all, who would work if they didn't have to?
This realization hit me at the age of 17 when I got my first car. I couldn't pay for gas let alone anything else. I reluctantly got my
first job as a deli clerk through a connection of my father's. I knew from my first day that scrubbing pots and making food for people was definitely not my
dream job. I remember though, how rich I felt with a few hundred dollars
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in my pocket (ahh, life without debt). Through what turned out to be several years of
working there, I worked with countless coworkers (I guess it wasn't their dream job either).
Mike Mazella could have been just another coworker to come and go, but instead, he will always be remembered. I remember the exact day that Keri came in to pick Mike up after work.
Ever since preschool I've had a thing for blondes (thanks to my preschool teacher Miss Nadine).
After a few times picking Mike up and a few brief conversations, she came in one day to and asked me, "What are you doing tonight?" Dumbfounded, I said that I didn't know.
She then replied, "Good, then your hanging out with me". I was shocked! When I got home from work I showered and got ready to go out. I picked up the phone to call her, but
I just couldn't seem to dial that last digit. I just couldn't bring myself to hang out with her and 20 of her closest friends. The next day at work, she came in
and asked me why I didn't call. I tried the "I lost your number" excuse at first, but I eventually told her that I felt awkward hanging out with a bunch of people that I didn't
know. She invited me to her house that night but told me that this was my last chance. Well this time I actually called her after work and got directions to her house. The 7-mile
trip between out parents' houses took me more than an hour and a half because I couldn't find Washington Ave.! I finally found her house and she told me that since I was so late she
though I was going to stand her up again.
Now almost six years later, I am grateful to have worked in a small deli with one otherwise forgettable coworker! |
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