Fallen From Grace

The Queen Bee

Unfortunately the store I was working for did not meet the necessary requirements to keep running and because of the concession stall I was working on I was offered a job in Birmingham as they originally wanted to relocate me but I didn't live anywhere near Birmingham didn't have a car and therefore I needed to find another job locally as the store was closing.
As I was made redundant and jobless, I went all over town handing out my CV everywhere and then with a little bit of luck I went on some interviews and with a huge amount of luck I got accepted into another clothing shop. This was like a dream come true.
I would have fifty percent off all the clothing lines as well as hand bags, shoes and jewellery I was told but the job that was offered to me was not on the shop floor which was the job I applied for it was working upstairs on the deliveries.

The Manager Mrs Leigh told me it would be my own department to run and I could be in charge and that I could do things such as ring downstairs and complain why my delivery isn't put out on time especially when she knew I managed my own department at the previous job before a manager was appointed to the job. I remember she said about how I could come after her job next in a light jokey way. Beth really did make it sound perfect but at least I had a job. She was so friendly and welcoming in the office I told her about my condition but as I knew it was called back then as Mosaic Syndrome. She had never heard about that before and as soon as she told me I had the job she went to the internet to find out more about it. I was so excited when I told Mom later I had the job and as all my family she was very happy for me. My sister at the time said she'd been there before and very nice girls worked there. Mom was a little concerned it wasn't the job I applied for and was wondering about the early starts but I would finish around mid day so I could be up town going shopping, or eating out or going to hair appointments.

I would start at six in the morning before we would open at nine. At first I had help from a dark haired girl called Sophie and she was fast, pleasant and made an impression on me but I didn't realise that she was just showing me the ropes because once she was gone I was on my own. My speed was fine to begin with which Beth Leigh my manager loved and was grinning from ear to ear clapping her hands I was up to the deadlines but I understand now looking back on this job I would have dips in my speed during a time period so although I was fast in the beginning it was difficult to keep at a steady pace to complete all boxes within a certain time frame which was what Beth less loved about my performance and then pushing myself too hard I realised would make me faint.

Our delivery room was the kind of room which would get very, very hot in the summer where I had more potential to faint and then incredibly cold in the winter. My hands would be trembling from the cold to put tags on every item of clothing. I thought about wearing gloves but then I wouldn't be able to use my fingers to pin in the clothing tags. Our delivery room was situated right at the top of the building so it was between these two extreme conditions.

I never used the stairs I always used the lift. I loved the lift it was gigantic and was massively tall so I used this often. It made me feel a bit special and an important member of the team because I was using it. I was usually one of the first people who came on in as well as the cleaner. I used to squeeze under the shutters in the morning to get a head start.
This clothing shop was a two storey building and once I arrived at the top my job would be straight down the hall going past two fire doors. On the other side, on the right the first door led to the main office, a couple of other offices, toilets and a staff room. The second door along the wall from the offices was for our stock and then there was a door that opened out to the delivery room from the stock room.
If, I, took the stairs at all from the shop floor there were three flights because the third flight led to the roof where if you smoked you would be up there in the rain and wind and if the lift ever got unstuck someone would have to unstick the lift at the top.