Oh how things have changed! I have waited a long time before writing another post. This is because I understand that the recent events in my life have had little to do with France and that this post would just be me rambling about my ordinary life. On the other hand, I am exuberantly pleased to update those who chose to read this post by informing you that things are going very well for little ole me.As was reported in my last post, finding a short-term job is not an easy task, but after much patience, I received a call three weeks ago from American Eagle™ and have been adventurously working there ever since. I say adventurously because things have been anything but dull in my new retail endeavor. Allow me to paint a picture for you by recounting one small but pivotal event that occurred just last Saturday. Please note that this story is not for those with weak stomachs nor extremely vivid visual imaginations!
Context: I’m in the process of welcoming customers into our store while assisting a man and his ten or eleven year old son look for a pair of jeans. I make my recommendations and wait while the son tries on his selections in one of our fancy fitting rooms. I briefly move on to other customers and begin to help a woman find a specific jean size. Realizing that I would need to venture to the back room to find said woman’s requested size, I am approached by the son’s father who informs me that his son has had an accident in front of register number one. The father then moves horizontally away from the scene of the crime to continue his shopping, thus revealing to me the freshly laid pile of human fecal matter. (If you are extremely sensitive or easily offended, please do not read this next sentence!) The pile is not of habitual substance one would expect in the middle of a retail venue, but more like the substance one would expect in the middle of the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat at Baylor University. I kid you not, my first thought is thus, “Where do we keep our shovel!” Not knowing if this occurrence is normal for American Eagle™, and obviously not knowing the protocol, I approach my assistant manager Kendra to inform her of the incident. With a pair of jeans in my hand, I attempt to discretely explain to Kendra the situation; however, with the father watching me attentively, the only words able to escape from my mouth are, “Uh… He uh… That kid uh… I’m going to the back to check on a size for someone!” Kendra asks me if something is wrong, to which I respond, “Uh… well… uh… follow me!” She follows me to the back and I inform her of the situation:
ME: “THAT KID JUST HAD AN ACCIDENT!”
KENDRA: “What sort of accident? Did he wet himself?”
ME: “REALLY! GO TAKE A LOOK!”
KENDRA: walks away to observe the festering pile and returns to say, “OH – MY –GOD! I’M QUEEZY! ARE YOU OK? ARE YOU GOING TO BE SICK?”
ME: “No, I’m fine. I worked in the hospitals in high school. I’m used to such things.”
KENDRA: “OH GOOD! Do you mind cleaning it up?”
ME: “Uh… not at all! Do we have anything with which to clean it?”
KENDRA: “Just go and find anything you can from the back!”
I then go to the back and find two bags and a pair of rubber gloves. When I reenter the main part of the store, Kendra comes over our walkie-talkies to say, “Here comes Cole in the hazmat suit!” The rest is history. Although this event may sound traumatizing, It makes the rest of the day at work so much fun as we laugh and joked about our store being the new squat and shop in Westgate Mall.
Apart from my new job, I’ve also been spending much time with my friends David, Chase (my best friend in elementary school), and Nicole (Chase’s girlfriend). We used to just see one another in Roasters, our favorite coffee shop in town, but eventually decided that we have much in common and enjoy being with one another. We have therefore spent every night for the past month doing things like watching Harry Potter, playing tennis, roasting marshmallows, cooking dinners, going out to eat, and exploring downtown Amarillo (which happens to be a great place to spend Friday nights!) It also doesn’t hurt that Nicole also happens to be an American Eagle™ associate like me! It just so happens that I was covering one of her shifts when the pooper attacked!
All in all, Amarillo has turned out to be a great place to spend the summer while waiting for my departure to France! For the past week and for the rest of this week, my best friend from middle school and high school Sarah Stanford is in town and has been spending time with my Amarillo posy. In addition to this glorious group of individuals, my best friends from Baylor John Kitch and Elizabeth Lattier will be coming to town this Friday to pay me a visit! Oh how the tables have turned! Life is good!
