30 days and change: Day 17

DAY SEVENTEEN: What was your first job? Did you like it? How long did it last?

Word Count: 391

McDonald’s. Southport, NC

My first job was at the Golden Arches! The one, the only, McDonald’s. My small town had no fast food options other than KFC/Taco Bell, which shared the same building. I landed the position because of my older babymama. I have purposefully kept "baby mama" because… well, that’s what she was. At 14, it was time to get my first job, but I couldn’t figure out where I could work. My brother's babymama stepped in to help and offered me a job. In NC, a worker’s permit helps protect teens who decide to enter the working world a little earlier from unfair labor practices. I was always a kid who could never keep still, so having a job was totally in line with my goals and aspirations at the time. I needed a phone, new shoes, a new digital camera, and whatever else I wanted to buy myself at the time.

Did I like working at McDonald’s? Absolutely not; there were plenty of times when I hated it. All 6 of the months I worked there… before I was fired. LOL. The first few weeks weren't terrible, flipping fries and trying to keep up with the lunch rush, but that wore off quickly. In my hometown, the 4th of July is a huge deal, and we have one of the largest celebrations in the state. With that many people descending on our small beach town, working was the last thing on my agenda on the 4th of July. In true teenage fashion, I began to think of any way I could to get myself out of work but none worked. A few days before the 4th, my brother's baby mama would give me the kiss of death to my employment. My heart was broken with the schedule posted and no day off on the 4th listed. Brilliantly, I thought to call out and sneak away, but it quickly backfired. Expecting to call out with another shift leader, my nephew’s mom answered the phone. Choked up and scared, I told her I’d be unable to make it. Quicker than I expected, she provided the ultimatum any employer would… “If you can’t come, you don’t have to worry about returning.” Needless to say, that was my last week at McDonald’s. There was no way I was coming in when the streets were calling.