Taking your first steps into a new job is always scary. It usually ends up that the day turns out exactly how it should and you’re excited to return. I, however, had an unfortunate experience at a grocery and grill one May afternoon when I showed up for my first day.

I had spent my childhood summers running around the establishment and my dream was to work at the restaurant that doubled as a grocery store. I realized it wasn’t the most far-fetched fairytale out there, but being a waitress seemed easy enough and I was ready to make my own money. I went in to apply and all it took was several questions such as: “Are you able to drive?” and, “Will you live at the lake, or will you have to commute?” Following this, I was told I was officially going to be an employee.

A month later I pulled into the employee parking area and began my voyage to the building. I had spent a lot of time there when I was younger so I was prepared for how to dress myself. Most of the girls didn’t bother with much makeup or nice clothes, it seemed they dressed for comfort, so that’s exactly what I did. I put only a dab of mascara on my eyelashes to darken them, used a spritz of sweet, flowery perfume, threw on some baggy jeans, and topped it off with an old sweatshirt. I thought I looked perfect for the part. My boss, Linda, lead me to the kitchen where I met my first coworker, Rachel. She had long, crimped blonde hair which she pulled into a perfect ponytail, a face done up with makeup, and a flattering outfit. You can only begin to understand my embarrassment. At that point a crimson color crawled onto my face and my palms became puddles of warm sweat. Next, I met the girl who would train me. Her name was Breanna and there was a tangle of curls pinned above her face as though she was going to prom. Finally, I got to meet the one other girl training that day, Taylor, and she looked more like me, which helped a lot because I realized I could come back the next day looking like a human being, not a creature. There was still hope.

My actual training began by Breanna attempting to teach Taylor and I how to work the cash register. The poor girl had nothing but hot air in her head. She tapped each key with dramatic movements and had nails long enough to poke your eyes out if you even came close to her. She acted like the money was dirty and her tables were full of peasants, not exactly how I pictured my summer job. When she showed us how to make ice cream treats they always looked like the rejects you throw away, but she thought they deserved some sort of trophy. Taylor didn’t talk, at all, so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make friends too easily. Next, came bagging food portions. The proper way to go about this is by putting the food into plastic bags and placing them on a scale. You keep adding food until the arrow points to five ounces. Breanna didn’t find the weight necessary and her bags ended up in all kinds of shapes and sizes. I didn’t want to look like that stuck up girl who had to do everything perfectly but my boss was in the kitchen with us and I was afraid of jeopardizing my job if I didn’t. Taylor seemed to have the same mentality because her bags came out exactly five ounces too.

After five hours with the two girls, their shift ended and it was only Linda and I for an extra two hours. I didn’t consider myself ready to tackle a table by myself, Breanna hadn’t been much help and I had no experience. Thankfully, it wasn’t quite their busy season yet so hardly anyone had come in all day and it was looking like the odds would be in my favor; no one would be coming in for a late dinner. Right when I was beginning to relax, the ding went off and in walked an older couple. I took a deep breath, looked at Linda for some encouragement, grabbed the menus, and began my second voyage of the day. The lady reeked of alcohol and could hardly focus on me while she rattled off her request for wine I had never heard of. The man with her said she would be having water even when she openly disagreed with him and reassured me she wanted some beverage I had never heard of. Needless to say I brought her a water. It got easier when I took their order and Linda went out to talk to them. The couple left and it was time for clean up. I cleaned both bathrooms, vacuumed, swept, and mopped all by myself when there are usually at least two people working together on these jobs. To top the whole experience off, I got lost on my way home and it ended up taking me twice as long to get home. I left my first day of work with two dollars in my pocket and a sense of accomplishment.

As bad as it seemed at the time, everyday I went things got better. Those girls who had intimidated me became some of my closest friends and I get to walk out everyday with plenty of stories. As scary as it was to me I’ve never been so grateful for sticking with something. Like they say, nothing is ever as it seems.