A Reason to be Fired, Part I

I told myself when I started waitressing that I wouldn't post about a table that gave me grief or the pettiness of my co-workers. Those are just part of a job. Like students who don't listen when you're a teacher, or being tired as a mom. They go hand in hand.

But yesterday I experienced something that should not be experienced by anybody at any job--and I need to vent.

Ok, so yesterday was a puking day. They usually go something like this:

Sam pukes. We watch 2 hrs of Baby Einstein while she begs to nurse and then try some water every 10 minutes. Once she holds down the water for an hour, we're good to go.

So when she puked at 7am, and I had a shift at 5:30pm, I thought I'd have plenty of time to get her back on track.

2:00 rolls around and I have only managed to scarf down a pancake as Samantha has been glued to me screaming all day. I thought we were on the tail end of it when she got REAL fussy and wouldn't stop yelling at me for nothing. She had been sipping on some water and at 2:30 her stomach emptied itself out. I'm talking I was soaked. Knowing this was not her typical episode, and that I still had a ways to go with her, I decided to call into work.

Now, let me premise this with a) we have a new GM (I haven't even met him yet) b) I've gotten at least 3 calls from managers in the past 3 months looking for someone to cover a shift for people who have sick kids or are sick themselves.

I get on the phone with the GM, and the conversation goes something like this,

Me, "Hey, ***, listen, I can come in tonight if absolutely necessary, but my daughter has been puking all day and she just covered me again with vomit. Is there anyway you could see if someone could cover my shift?"

GM, " You're working at 5:30, right?"

Me, "Yeah, I'm sorry, I thought she would be fine, but like I said, she just puked on me again."

GM, "So you can't come in?"

Me, "Well, I'd rather not- especially because I've been sharing a waterbottle with her all day and she's been puking on me."

GM, "Did she puke on your uniform? Is that why you can't come in?"

Me (dumbfounded), "Um, no- she's sick."

GM, "Tell you what, go ahead and release your shift online (a very handy program I might add!), I'll ask around here if someone can pick up your shift, and you call whoever isn't working and see if someone can cover for you. Can you do that for me?"

Me, (confused), "Um...sure, yeah, I guess. Ok"

So I get onto the online program and after 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to pull up everyone's info, Sam pukes again (where did all that liquid come from?!) and narrowly misses the computer (my lap was the only place she would be content).

At this point I'm in a towel, as I haven't had a chance to change or wash since the first puking incident, have a panicking baby in my arms who keeps shoving the puke bucket away because she thinks it is what is causing her to puke. Seeing as it is now close to 3 and I have come nowhere near finding someone to cover my shift, I call the restaurant back,

Me (fussing baby 2 feet from phone) "Hey *** Listen, I need your help, my daughter just puked on me again- I haven't been able to call anyone yet. Would you be able to find someone for me?"

GM, "You won't find someone to cover your shift?"

Me (arching my neck so fussing baby can't get it) "No, she just covered me in vomit again- I was on the computer trying to find the numbers to call--it's just- I need you to help."

GM, "So, what, you guys don't find people to cover your own shifts here?"

Me (with screaming baby who is swatting at the phone and arching her back), "No- sometimes the managers helps us. I'm covered in vomit- I can't do this right now."

GM, "So you're not coming in without finding someone to cover for you."

Me, "No! My child is sick- do you know someone who wants to watch a screaming puking baby?"

GM, "So what you're telling me is that you're not going to find someone to cover your own shift that starts in 2 hrs."

Me, (baby still screaming, me sobbing) "No- it's just- do you not hear the screaming in the background here? (here I just start crying out of frustration-- which, apparently, is necessary for me to do to any manager/boss I've ever had. God's way to keep me humble, I guess) I narrowly missed the computer as I was trying to look up the schedule."

GM, "Fine, I'll take care of it, but I want you to call me later."


to be continued...