A quite important, milestone in his life, I’m thinking, his very first, part-time job! Translated…
At the start of the winter vacation to date, my high school age son decided to find a part-time gig at a nearby seafood restaurant for four hours per day, I’d allowed him, so he could, experiences the hardships, the gains, from making his own, way.
On his first day of work, as the sunset hung on the skies, my son quickly gulfed down his supper, before he’d left, he’d, patted down his own hair, his clothes, stood before me, with his head held high, announced, “Mom, I’m no longer a child, please, don’t go to the restaurant to breathe over me, you will affect my work, and I may, get laughed.” As my son had, “barked” out that order, I’d, naturally, followed. Waiting until I’m done, cleaning up the kitchens, gone out for my after-supper walk, my feet took on lives of their own, headed, toward the seafood shop, I’d, stowed myself away outside by the windows, gazing in, at how he was, working. He wore a mask with the uniform with the shop’s name, in the lead of a senior worker, swiftly, picked up after the tables.
Just past ten, my son dragged that moonlight off from work. I’d originally thought that he would, feel beat, but he’d, walked, light, brought home a bag of midnight snack, especially prepared for the workers by the chef to share, showed it off to me, “I will get the chef’s foods from here on out! Mom, won’t you come to share the foods with me!”, I’d, turned it down, my son, who’d, been completely depleted, gulfed the foods down.
The following day, as he got off work, his face showed the complete opposite of the day before, he’d looked lifeless, with fatigue, written, all over his face, “there was an end-of-year banquet of a company tonight, people crammed up the shop, the guests spat the betel nut juices onto the floors, kids running around, I was so afraid of bumping into them, my bones are, falling apart, I’m, so tired!”
I’d taken the advantage, told him, “The service industry is multivariate, you will come into contact with an assortment of people, a wide spectrum of, situations, you are, just as naughty, if not more than the children you encounter at work, once, you’d even, climbed onto the tables when we were, eating! And I can only, take turns, having my meals, with your father!”, as he’d heard, he was, shocked, “was I, really, that, naughty as a kid?” he’d, prodded. I’d, tested him out, “If you feel so tried, then, don’t work there anymore!”, my son became, flustered, “no I’m not tired at all, I’ll be brand new after a night’s sleep!”
The third day, he’d returned home half an hour late, before he got in, his voice came, “mom, I got two good news for you, the manager gave me a raise (it’s actually for overtime), and I had, good customers, they’d stacked up the plates and the bowls after they were finished eating, it was much quicker for us to pick them all up, I’d even, gotten, tipped!” as he’d finished, he’d pulled out those, red bills and started, waving them before me. I’d asked him, “the restaurant already charged the service charges, why would the customers tip you?” he’d gloated, “the customers loved to give the extra tips to me, they’d commended my good attitude in serving them, gave me words of encouragements for my customer service skills!”
Hmmmmmmmmmm, my son, is now, an, adult!
And so this young man, started an important milestone of his young life: part-time work, and in working he’d, learned a ton of things that he wouldn’t have the opportunities to learn from school, and, he’d gotten, the extra tips for a job well done, and this added to his sense of achievement at work!
Life, the Obstacle Course 