How We Got Here

Monday

​The day began walking into the shop, seeing Managerlady and asking her how Bossman was. His moods, oftentimes, tended to change rapidly throughout the day so the question was not out of place. She had said he was actually quite fine.

She spoke too soon. Shortly into my shift, he was yelling at her about something unintelligible. That upgraded to them yelling at each other. Twice he tried to close the store. “Temporarily”, he said. He pulled in the racks from outside and shut the doors only for Managerlady to undo his actions ten minutes later. I kept asking her what was going on in an attempt to piece this epic quarrel together. Alas she knew nothing. 
It was luckily a quiet day so not too many common folk had to endure the madness within but by the time Bossman had started closing the store a second time, we had three. He had asked me to go to the bank and since I mentioned my concerns about Managerlady’s current whereabouts, he tilted his head, eyes wide and almost predatory, and said, “is that a ‘no”? Not feeling in the mood to be yelled at myself, I told him that I would just go. That was when he decided to close the store a second time just whilst I was gone, and closing the three customers inside as well. I broodingly deposited the two cheques he had given me to their two different banks and headed back to the closed doors of the quaint vintage shop and entered into the chaos once again. 
A little while had passed and I was keeping myself busy by tidying a rack of blouses when Managerlady approached me. She told me that Bossman had been looking for me, despite having knowingly sent me to the bank. She said he searched everywhere and she had to remind him where I was. She said he was high on something and out of his mind. And then she told me she was going to head out for the day as she and him weren't about to see eye to eye anytime soon. 

Panic set in as these words left her mouth. For context, the store has been short of staff as of late and that day it was just me and her. Were she to leave, I would be left alone until closing at eight with our mental boss. I didn’t fancy that, so I asked her what I should do. The decision was left up to me. I had started my shift at twelve. It had only been two hours. Was I to stay and face our enraged store-owner? Or was I to close the store officially incredibly early. I chose the latter.

 Two reasons I did this: One, I was fed up just as much as she. This was the second shift I had in a row where Bossman was running around yelling at everyone and I was tired of it. He clearly wanted to close the store multiple times already so why not just call it a day? Two, I very much did not feel comfortable working with him alone. I knew all too well that he would go off about my manager and about the staff failing the store and whatnot. So I decided that I would take care of the three other humans that were still in the store and follow her out afterwards. 
When they were all served and gone, I had gone to the back side of the store to lock the door there. As I headed back up front, I was confronted by Bossman halfway there. He went on a spiel about how he didn’t care what I thought about him, if I hated him or not. He said that I may think he was a lunatic but he knew he wasn’t. He went on about Managerlady, saying “I will not deal with that trying to sabotage my store”. That’s when he turned to me. He said, “I know you’re loyal to her and you follow her orders and that’s fine.” He went on after that but that sentence struck me and I protested for the first time that day. I told him that was not true and she didn’t have my loyalty. Neither she or him did. 

That might have been a mistake. 

“I’ll never forget you said that”. He told me as he started pulling racks outside again. He then told me about how the drug store I also work at was my calling, how it was more organized and simple and that small businesses are more complex. This is when I went off. 
Mind you, I can’t really yell, or at least project my voice. I am also incredibly awkward and shy and the most I could do to stand up to him was calmly explain why I said that. 
“I don’t have any loyalty to the drug store either. why would I? In the end, I’m just a pawn in it all. I don’t get any benefits, raises, early vaccination, nothing. Because employers don’t care about us. So what am I supposed to do?” 
He said nothing to this and began walking back into the store and I said to him that since I also worked Wednesday, I would see how things were then. 
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” he said. I asked him. 
“wait, are you firing me?” 
“Well you just said you weren't loyal to me and that all employers suck”. 
“so, am I fired?” 
“Well I have to open the store by myself because you’re leaving now, so, I think so”.
“noted”. 
He then said that he had volunteers coming in. People who were truly loyal, who would do anything they could to keep the business going. He said “that’s what you sign up for when you work here”. I told him that I tried my best but I mentally couldn't take it anymore and he replied. “I know.” and after a pause, “take care of yourself”. I scoffed, not at him but just at that concept in general and said, “yeah, I’ll do my best”.

So how did we get here? Well, after I arrived back home in my murder building, I decided that since I was free and currently had no idea what to do, I would finally make this blog happen. I would make writing a much bigger priority than it was and this would hold me accountable. So after sitting on my couch in a mental funk, privately rage posting on facebook, telling my close friends what had happened, and later making a much more toned down post on instagram about no longer working at the shop, I eventually created a website. In between text, messenger, snapchat, dm’s in instagram, and trying to find cabin themed pictures, I birthed Cabin Creature. A place where I can tell all the wild stories from the vintage store and everything beyond. I have always been told that I have a way with words so I am putting that to the test. 

And so it begins.

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